Thumbs up to latest changes on revision of exam papers

University student organisations have welcomed new amendments to the revision-of-paper procedure, after previous changes were criticised because they could have led to students who passed an exam being failed.

The regulations had been discouraging many students from making a request for a revision of paper, the University Students’ Council (KSU) said.

The regulations have now been amended so that a mark cannot be changed from a pass to a fail. Marks obtained by candidates as a result of a clerical error can only be reduced if it does not mean a successful student will be failed.

The previous changes had also caused administrative problems and the KSU was, therefore, satisfied its efforts to have the regulations amended were not in vain.

Students had felt a more transparent process was required to assure them their examination papers were being corrected appropriately, it said. It therefore welcomed the fact that the new amendments, among other things, “put greater emphasis on the process being seen to be correct – a measure that should serve to decrease the amount of students resorting to the revision-of-paper mechanism”.

The amendments were approved during the Senate meeting last month and have been effective since.

Student organisation Pulse, the first to complain about the issue, said it was satisfied with the amendments but pointed out that the “drastic increase” in fees for the revision of paper service had not been mentioned. It believes the students’ representatives in the senate should continue to work for fees that are “truly just and affordable to all”.