Courses in History
- 100 level courses
- 200 level courses
- 300 level courses
- All Undergraduate Courses
- All postgraduate courses
Course Information
Guide to Writing History Essays (PDF 926KB)Assessment policy
The History Programme at Canterbury attaches great importance to written course-work; this is where you really learn how to do History. All written work done during the year is assessed and returned so that you can get a clear idea, as you go along, of how well you are doing. All these interim assessments are also taken into consideration at the end of the year when final gradings are determined.
The rule in this Programme is that course-work will count for 50% of the final grade and the examination for 50%.
Only in exceptional circumstances (such as illness or bereavement) will your tutor or lecturer grant an extension of the deadline for an essay. Whenever possible, you should seek an extension before the due date. In no case will written work be accepted after the official date for the end of lectures in the fourth term. Remember, you may have assignments in other subjects fall due about that time as well. We give you ample notice; it's up to you to plan your time wisely.
Examinations and aegrotats
All undergraduate History courses have final written examinations. The schedule for these examinations is published in the Enrolment Handbook, which is part of the enrolment package you will receive during enrolment week. Here the dates for each exam are listed, both day by day and under each course.
Please make a note of the examination day and time (morning or afternoon) when you fill out your lecture timetable. Unusual subject combinations often produce exam clashes, and alternative arrangements may have to be made.
You can also check the course and examination timetable online at the main University website.
What do the grades mean?
The Arts Faculty has recently adopted a numerical marking scale to clarify the grades, and to ease the combination of course work with exam results. Your essays and tests will therefore have both a grade and a number. Your final result will simply be a grade.
A+ |
85-100 |
EXCEPTIONAL : outstanding, superb |
A |
80-84 |
EXCELLENT, (First-class) : mature, literate, coherent, perceptive; high level analytical skills, mastery of material, sound judgment |
A- |
75-79 |
BORDERLINE A, (better than B+ but not fully A) : some reservations |
B+ |
70-74 |
VERY GOOD : clear signs of intelligence and ability; valid arguments, sound conclusions, but lacks full coverage or perception |
B |
65-69 |
GOOD : sound and capable, grasps the question, tries to answer it with relevant material, but leaves gaps and may lack analytical skills |
B- |
60-64 |
BORDERLINE B, (average to good): promising but not well-organised |
C+ |
55-59 |
COMPETENT: average, ordinary; question only partly understood, some basic points, but lacks detail, depth, development |
C |
50-54 |
PASS : Just pass: large gaps or poor relevance, feeble conclusions |
D |
40-49 |
FAIL: Not satisfactory: serious gaps or flaws, lacks coherence and/or relevance, fails to see point of question, illiterate |
E |
0-39 |
VERY POOR : seriously illiterate, incoherent, irrelevant, or incomplete. |