8.1. Scaling is the adjustment of marks carried out on an assessment task so that the marks can better reflect the achievement of the students. The purpose of scaling is to ratify anomalies in mark distribution that arise from unexpected circumstances.

8.2. Scaling of marks is a position of last resort once all other methods of moderation have been exhausted; therefore it is expected to only be done in exceptional circumstances.

8.3. Outlined below are the key principles regarding the scaling of marks. These principles should be adhered to in any decision to scale marks.

8.3.1. Scaling should take place before marks are finalised, and only after all other moderation mechanisms have been ruled out.

8.3.2. If scaling is to take place it should be applied at task level only, not at module level.

8.3.3. Scaling should be applied fairly to all students taking the assessment, and must not unfairly benefit or disadvantage a subset of students (i.e. failures or high passes). Any scaling function applied to a set of marks must not reverse the rank-order of any pair of students at task level, nor place any student in a failure position at module level.

8.3.4. Scaling must not be applied to assessments for which a zero mark has been awarded for non-submission, or a capped mark for In Module Retrieval or as a result of an Academic Conduct Panel sanction.

8.3.5. The assessment design for any module that has its marks scaled should be reviewed in order to reduce the chance that scaling will be necessary in subsequent years.

8.3.6. Decisions regarding scaling will be made at the review of reports meeting for recommendation to the Departmental Assessment Board.

8.3.7. The relevant external examiners should always be consulted about the process.

8.3.8. The raw marks, the rationale for scaling, the impact on marks, and proposed actions to ensure scaling is not necessary in future years, should be clearly presented to the Departmental Assessment Board for ratification. For ratification to be confirmed the proposal should be approved by the external examiner.