What happens if you fail a university module?

As a student, you may be wondering “what happens if I fail one of my modules?” There can be several reasons why students do not perform as well as they had hoped. If you do fail a university module, don’t panic though! Most universities allow students a chance to resit the assignment.

Before you begin the process of resits consider whether there was a specific reason you did not perform well that could entitle you to apply for exceptional circumstances. Were you experiencing some personal difficulties at the time? Had something happened that may have impacted your performance?

You should also consider whether there has been an administrative error during the process of marking and processing results. If you are concerned you should speak to your programme administrator who can ask for a clerical check on your assignment.

You will be allowed an opportunity to resit 

It is most likely you will be allowed an opportunity to resit whichever assessments you did not pass. Each university has its own policy about how many resits you are allowed. Some universities only allow one attempt and others allow as many as three. 

You may need to attend some lectures and tutorials again. These may be compulsory or optional although it’s probably best that you go along. You may also need to pay a fee to resit the module. 

Depending on the module’s assessment method you may need to resit an exam or submit another essay. The exam paper or essay question will be different to the first one although it will be the same level of difficulty. 

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What if I fail the resit? 

If a student fails all their resit attempts, what happens next depends very much on the university policy. You will be informed by someone from your university that you have failed the resit and they will advise you of the next steps. 

It may be the case that you are simply withdrawn from your course. However, this is quite a harsh outcome and most universities often try to offer a more effective solution. 

Instead, you may need to repeat the year again (and pay extra tuition fees) or graduate with a lower degree I.e a BA without honours. If the module was not compulsory you might be able to continue with the course without receiving the marks for that module. However, this may impact your overall degree classification. 

Some universities may offer what is called a ‘compensatory’ pass. If a student has performed highly in other courses and has a good academic record I.e good timekeeping and attendance record, the course leader may agree to a compensation pass. 

This means that you’ll be awarded a pass for the module despite not meeting the required grade and will be permitted to continue with your course. However, on your academic record and final transcript, it will be noted that the pass was compensatory. 

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