14. Penalties for Unacceptable Academic Practice in taught schemes (undergraduate and postgraduate)

14.1 The Assistant Registrar (Examinations) shall apply one for the following penalties. These are outside of the points-based system and offences do not count towards other allegations of unacceptable academic practice.

(i) The penalty for a first offence shall be the issue of a formal written warning to the candidate. 

(ii) The penalty for a second or subsequent offence shall be a maximum mark of 39 where the pass mark is 40 or 49 where the pass mark is 50 for the assessment. The student may resit the module for a capped mark if the module is failed, subject to resit opportunities being available to them.

14.2 Chairs of Examination Boards, and Faculty and University panels, shall apply one of the penalties which are set out in the Guidance on Academic Practice. Penalties shall be applied on the basis of a points-based system, with consideration of the following elements:

(i) Previous record of Unacceptable Academic Practice;

(ii) Extent and severity of Unacceptable Academic Practice;

(iii) Level of study.

14.3 Previous allegations of UAP should not be taken into account when determining if UAP has occurred and panels should not be made aware of previous allegations of UAP until it has been determined if the allegation is substantiated or not. Once a decision has been made the panel may consider prior substantiated cases of UAP in determining the penalty as set out in the points-based system.

14.4 Panels may not take special circumstances into consideration in determining whether Unacceptable Academic Practice has occurred. Panels may however take exceptional personal circumstances into consideration in applying penalties, where it can be shown that these are relevant to the case. In such cases the student must show good reason why such personal circumstances could not previously have been submitted to the Faculty so that an extension to the submission deadline, or other adjustments to the assessment concerned, could be considered. Recommendations to reduce penalties on grounds of special circumstances shall be submitted to the Academic Registry for consideration by the Academic Registrar or their nominee.

14.5 Panels may not take the impact on progression into consideration in determining whether Unacceptable Academic Practice has occurred. Panels may however take the impact on progression into account when applying penalties if the penalty is likely to have an unintended impact on the student. Recommendations to reduce penalties on grounds of unintended impact shall be submitted to the Academic Registry for consideration by the Academic Registrar or their nominee.

14.6 Penalties shall be applied according to the points-based penalty system. In exceptional cases the Chair of the relevant Examination Board / Chair of the Faculty or University Panel may recommend a more severe penalty. Recommendations should be submitted to the Academic Registry, providing a full case in writing in support of the recommendations. In such cases the Chair of the Senate Examination Board shall apply one, or a combination, of the following penalties:

(i) Exclusion of the student from the University for a specific period or permanently;

(ii) Disqualification of the student from any future examination in the University.