HSPS students won’t get exam results until October, unless industrial dispute ends
The Politics and Sociology departments promised to write letters explaining ‘the situation’ to prospective employers
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Students have been told that they will not be receiving their exam results until the next academic year, unless the industrial dispute behind the marking and assessment boycott is resolved.
In emails seen by Varsity, both POLIS and Sociology departments told second and third year students that “in the event of no resolution”, the Exam Board will be rearranged and results released “shortly after” the 30th September.
This is the first time that the university has confirmed to students that results will be delayed to next year.
Part IIB students in their final year were told that they will instead be given a “letter setting out the situation”, including “details of when they’re expected to receive final marks”, to give to “prospective employers, scholarship funders or postgraduate programmes”. The departments said that these would be distributed in early July.
This announcement underlines that, if the industrial dispute is not resolved, finalists’ scholarships, grad jobs, conditional offers for higher study, and visa statuses could be at risk.
Alex, a third year Politics undergrad who holds two Masters programme offers that are conditional on finals grades, told Varsity that they have “had no contact or assurances” from either of their placements, or “even acknowledgment” of the boycott.
The news comes after students slammed the proposed ‘end of studies’ ceremonies earlier this week, criticising the university’s plans as a ‘photo-op’ graduation on top of a degree tainted by Covid and strike disruption.
The POLIS and Sociology department emails went on to state that exams could be released “on schedule”, if the industrial dispute behind the marking boycott is resolved “in the coming weeks”.
The industrial dispute is over pay and working conditions. The University and College Union (UCU), whose action comes under a national strike mandate, is lined up against the national-level employers’ representative, the UCEA. As it stands, the UCEA has refused to re-enter negotiations with the UCU.
Cambridge University have made a joint statement with the UCU (22/05), calling for the “urgent” resumption of negotiations, after over 1,400 students signed an open letter calling for the university to demand the UCEA agree to re-enter talks.
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