Part 1)

Assesments should be about testing knowledge learnt in a module, in an appropriate and fair manner. Essay exams are neither as they have a large relience on memory and as such disadvantage those students who have have poor memory due to such things as mental health issues, disability and learning difficulties. These types of examination not only form up to 50% of a modules mark, but also generally include an unseen part both of which not only adds undue anxiety but can jeperdise a students overall degree. Essay exams also produce lesser quality work, and increased workload for lectueres due to their handwritten nature as opposed to standard essay assignments. As such we request that this form of assesment is replaced with an approriate replacement such as the alternative essays offered during the covid affected assesment periods.

Part 2)

Final year is the single most important year of an undergrad degree, making up the majority of the final grade. Due to this we believe it is unfair to ask students to complete a form of assignment not encounterd prior to final year, the main reasons being lack of experience and added anxiety. For students, the 1st time attempting a new assesment type is not only about completing the assesment, but after marks and feedback are given, it also gives them an understanding on where they struggled or missed something, something now amount of lectures can fully replace. Asking students to complete an assisngment, which forms a large part of their final grade, when they have no real knowledge of what is expected of them is not only unjust but is also a huge factor in increasing anxiety. As such we request that all final year assesments are looked at, to check if students have encountered that form of them prior to final year and if not, for them to be replaced with a suitable alternative