Examinations
Most units offered by the GSB have examinations. These are usually of two hours duration plus fifteen minutes reading time. Students enrolled in GSB awards will sit their examinations in April/May, August and December. Examination venues are located all over Australia and the world. The following provides information about timetables, venues and supervision, special examinations, extensions of time and consideration for those experiencing problems around exam time, students with special needs during exams and accessing past examination papers.
- Examination Timetable
- Examination Venues and Supervision
- Examination Results
- Special Examinations
- Special Extensions of Time for assignments
- Special Consideration
- Special Needs
- Past Examination Papers
The exam timetable for the upcoming exam period is available from http://www.une.edu.au/uneweb/current_students.htm and click on the link for Exam Timetable. The timetable is normally organised around Week 4 of the trimester.
Individual unit dates will be entered in the calendar area of the Blackboard. In Week 6 of the trimester, the Examinations Unit will send you advice on the location, date, time and the supervision arrangements for your examination. It is essential that you read the form carefully.
If you have not received your notification two weeks before the examination period, or if you have any queries regarding the timetable or examination centre, contact the GSB and we will transfer your call to the correct staff member in the Student Centre for assistance. If you wish to email please forward to pmiller@une.edu.au and copy the email to studentcentre@une.edu.au in case Paul is not available. Please make sure you mark the email as EXAM QUERY URGENT.
Examination Venues and Supervision
Examinations are held in major population centres and throughout the country so that no student is required to travel an unreasonable distance. Students are expected, however, to travel up to 120 kilometres to an established centre. Students wishing to sit their examinations at an overseas centre will be required to travel up to 300 kilometres to an established centre. When students advise us of a change of address, please ensure you also update your examination centre at the same time if necessary.
- Supervision is arranged by the University. The examinations are held in rooms made available by church or local government authorities or in other suitable places arranged by the supervisors.
- Students who are unable to attend any of the established centres may be required to pay the costs incurred by the University in making special arrangements for their examinations.
- Students who know that they will be overseas at the time of the examinations for work-related or other non-holiday reasons are responsible for making arrangements to sit the exam at the scheduled time in consultation with the Examinations Unit.
Generally, the Examinations Unit will require at least four weeks notice to make appropriate arrangements, and obviously for remote locations even longer. In some cases, it will not be possible to make arrangements. As soon as you become aware of circumstances which will lead to your being overseas at the time of the examinations, contact the UNE Student Centre asking for the Examinations Unit on (02) 6773 4444 or direct on (02) 6773 4402. Students in such a situation are liable for all costs incurred by the University in the conduct of that examination and also where the University does not have an established centre, an administrative fee of $30.00.
You must sit your exam on the time and date specified on the timetable.
The published times of examinations can be varied only for individual students who have religious convictions which would prevent their sitting at the published time. Students who have timetable problems should notify the Head of the Examinations Unit as soon as they become aware of the problem. Examination venues will not change because of holidays overseas.
Examination results are approved at the Board of Examiners meeting. The Board of Examiners meets In early January to approve the trimester 3 examination results. It meets approximately two and a half weeks after the examinations period for trimesters 1 and 2. The specific dates are on the back cover of your Student Guide. Results will be posted on the web on the same day and results will be mailed soon after the date of this meeting. We are not permitted to give results over the telephone.
Special Examinations
Special Examinations may be provided for students who have completed all other requirements for their unit, but who have been prevented because of illness or accident or similar circumstances from attempting, completing or passing their examinations.
A student who has been prevented through illness or other unavoidable circumstance from attending or satisfactorily completing an examination may, at the discretion of the GSB ’s Board of Examiners, be granted a special examination. A special examination may also be granted when a candidate has sat for an examination if it is clear to the Board of Examiners that his or her performance in the examination was negatively affected by ill-health or some other relevant circumstance during or immediately before the day of the examination.
A student seeking a special examination should complete the Special Exams Application form and send to the Program Director. Applications must be received by the GSB within five working days after the examination in question and must be accompanied by a medical certificate or other relevant independent evidence. Where a student is unable to personally state a case in writing, an application may be made on the candidate’s behalf by a spouse, immediate family member, or by the candidate’s employer.
Special Examinations are held during the next GSB examination period. It is not possible to request a special exam on a special exam. If you are unable to sit a special exam you need to contact the GSB for further information.
In satisfying the requirements for written essay assignments and practical work a student must submit the required work by the date specified by the School concerned. The date specified will be no later than the day before the beginning of the examination period of the trimester in which the unit ends.
Except students requiring extensions of time for units which would entail extensions to periods of candidature (e.g. postgraduate research students), a student who has been prevented through illness or other unavoidable circumstance from completing by the final date specified course work considered essential by the unit coordinator, may seek from the GSB either:
- a special extension of time - such an extension will be between 6 and 10 weeks in length; this will be determined at the Board of Examiners meeting, or
- withdrawal without failure by showing good cause.
Students should apply for either by completing an Application for a Special Extension of Time form and submitting to the Program Director.
Where a special extension of time is granted, the unit coordinator may at his or her discretion require the student to complete the required work, substitute alternative requirements, or both. A student seeking a special extension of time must apply in writing to the Program Director. Applications must be received by the GSB within five working days after the final examination for the unit in question and must be accompanied by a medical certificate or other relevant independent evidence. Where a student is unable to personally state a case in writing, an application may be made on the candidate’s behalf by a spouse, immediate family member, or by the candidate’s employer.
Students who sit an examination but feel that there were circumstances prior to or during the examination which, although they might not qualify them for a special examination, nevertheless, affected their examination performance, may ask that the examiner (Unit Coordinator) be made aware of the circumstances and that these be taken into consideration when their results are assessed This notification should be received by the unit coordinator in the examination week or within 5 working days of the examination. This can be done informally by email or by completing an Application for Special Consideration form.
Special provision can be made during examinations for students with special needs. If you have any health issues, you will be given the opportunity to request assistance. A form will be sent to you automatically if you indicated on your student registration form that you have a special need – this can cover a range of issues from back problems to more recognised disabilities such as blindness etc.
Special needs should be discussed with the Special Needs Assistant, who will make every effort to assist you. Please contact the Une Student Centre and request to speak with a Special Needs Officer on (02) 6773 4444 or from the Equity website on http://www.une.edu.au/eeo/disability/disability.htm
If you should become incapacitated such that your ability to sit an examination is impaired, you should contact the Head of the Examinations Unit promptly or a staff member of the GSB.
Copies of past examination papers are on the web and it requires a certain type of browser to be able to view it. If you do not have a compatible browser there are directions on how to upgrade so that you can. Please connect to http://www.une.edu.au/library/index.php for directions on how to do this or connecting to the papers.
If the examination paper you are seeking is not there, there may not be past papers available for it. To check you can contact the Dixson Library on (02) 6773 2458 (general enquiries) or (02) 6773 3124 (off-campus request service).
You will need a UNE username and password (the same as required for access to Web CT).
