External Examiner Report Form for Taught Programmes 2024-25

This report form is to be used by all external examiners for providing written comments on the taught programmes of the University of Southampton. Please:

answer all sections of this form;

provide qualitative comments in each section, to assist the University, School and the programme team in managing standards and quality effectively;

include any recommendations in Section 8 of this template;

write one report for the cluster of programmes at the same level for which you examine and highlight where comments relate to a specific programme within that cluster;

write a separate report for undergraduate and postgraduate programmes, if you examine both;

comment on any issues you have noticed as a result of a programme being taught in multiple locations or though an Education Partnership;

return the report by email to the Vice-President (Education), via external.examiners@soton.ac.uk no more than four weeks after the final Board of Examiners meeting for the academic year of the report;

contact external.examiners@soton.ac.uk if you have any difficulties completing this form.

Your report will be acknowledged by a member of the Quality, Standards and Accreditation Team (QSAT) and forwarded to the School. The programme team will respond to your comments in each section of the report. If a programme offers modules owned by another School/Faculty, each School/Faculty concerned will be given an opportunity to respond to the comments.

External examiner reports cannot be considered confidential. The University is committed to making its external examiner reports available within the University community and your report will be available to all students. Your report therefore must not name, or otherwise identify any student or staff member on the programme(s) or module(s) that you are reporting on.

If you wish to make a separate confidential report directly to the President and Vice-Chancellor on any matter of serious concern and/or to ask that the report below be considered by the President and Vice-Chancellor directly, please email Vice-Chancellor@soton.ac.uk.

Payment of fees cannot be authorised until a fully completed report form for the year has been received (both reports if you cover undergraduate and postgraduate programmes). Claim forms for fees and costs/subsistence are available here https://generic.wordpress.soton.ac.uk/externalexaminer/fees-and-expenses/

External examiner details

Faculty:	Choose an item
School:	Choose an item
External examiner’s name:
External examiner’s home institution:
Programme(s)/modules(s) examined: (please ensure all programmes/modules which this report relates to are listed)
Place of delivery: (for programmes not delivered at the University of Southampton but at a partner institution): (if ‘other’ selected please state place)	Choose an item
Year of appointment: (e.g. 1st, 2nd, 3rd or final year of appointment)	Choose an item
Date of report submission:	Click here to enter a date

Threshold academic standards of awards and student achievement

2.1	Are the academic standards and the standards of student achievement in the programme examined comparable with the standards of similar programmes, or parts of programmes, in other UK higher education institutions with which you are familiar?	Choose an item
2.2	If the programme(s)/module(s) are delivered in partnership with a partner institution, are the academic standards and the standards of student achievement comparable with their peers at the University of Southampton UK campus?	Choose an item
2.3	Are the threshold academic standards for the awards (or award elements) in alignment with the standards set by national subject benchmarks, the Framework for Higher Education Qualifications (FHEQ), any relevant Professional, Statutory and Regulatory Body (PSRB) requirements and the relevant University programme specification(s)?	Choose an item
2.4	For those external examiners not in their first year of appointment, are the standards and achievement of students a comparable standard to those in previous years?	Choose an item
Use this space to provide comment on any particular issues or areas of good practice:
Programme Team response to the above:

Assessment methods and the appropriateness of these to intended learning outcomes

3.1	Did the assessment methods measure student achievement rigorously and fairly against the intended learning outcomes of the programme(s) and modules?	Choose an item
3.2	Please comment in the box below on the range and appropriateness of assessment methods, whether assessment criteria, marking schemes and arrangements for classification are set at the appropriate level and whether the assessment criteria are applied appropriately and communicated effectively to students.
Use this space to provide comment on 3.2 above and any particular issues or areas of good practice:
Programme Team response to the above:

4.	Assessment process

4.1	Was the process for assessment, examination and the determination of awards conducted soundly, equitably and fairly in line with the relevant University policies and regulations?	Choose an item
Use this space to provide comment on any particular issues or areas of good practice:
Programme Team response to the above:

Curriculum, learning and teaching methods and resources

5.1	Does the curriculum remain current?	Choose an item
5.2	Is the quality and range of learning and teaching methods and resources available to students appropriate?	Choose an item
5.3	If the programme(s)/module(s) are delivered in partnership with a partner institution, is the quality and range of learning and teaching methods and resources available to students comparable with their peers at the University of Southampton UK campus?	Choose an item
Use this space to provide comment on any particular issues or areas of good practice:
Programme Team response to the above:

Professional, Statutory or Regulatory Body (PSRB) requirements

6.1	Do you have any specific comments to raise regarding PSRB requirements relating to the programme(s)?	Choose an item
Use this space to provide comment on any particular issues or areas of good practice:
Programme Team response to the above:

Recommendations for the Programme Team, School, Faculty or the University and any further feedback for consideration

Use this space to: list any recommendations for action to enhance the programme(s) and the quality of learning opportunities provided to students; share any observations that might help the programme team further enhance the student experience e.g. currency of programme content, teaching, learning assessment or resources;
Programme Team response to the above:

Innovation and good practice

Use this space to identify anything you consider innovative or particularly good practice:
Programme Team response to the above:

Recommendations made in previous report(s)

Have comments made in your previous report(s) been addressed to your satisfaction?
Programme Team response to the above:

First annual report - complete only in your first year of office

Use this space to provide a brief overview of your first year in office, in particular the effectiveness of the arrangements for your induction:
Programme Team response to the above:

Final exit report – complete only at the end of your term of office

Use this space to comment on: your overall experience as an external examiner with the University; any significant changes in standards over your term of office; any other areas that you feel appropriate to highlight in this final report; whether any concerns raised in your reports have not been addressed to your satisfaction.
Programme Team response to the above:

Information to assist you to complete your duties

Did you have timely access to the following documents relevant to your responsibilities:
1	QAA subject benchmarks or Master’s Degree Characteristics	Choose an item
2	Programme handbook (if appropriate)	Choose an item
3	Programme regulations	Choose an item
4	Module profiles	Choose an item
5	Draft assessments e.g. examination papers or assignment briefs Was the nature and level of the draft assessments appropriate?	Choose an item
Choose an item
6	Draft marking criteria and/or model answers	Choose an item
7	Appropriate samples of student work e.g. examination papers, assignments, other forms of coursework, projects, dissertations to enable you to: make a sound judgement on the standards achieved; assess whether the internal marking, and classifications awarded were appropriate and consistent; assess the general standard and consistency of marking; assess if the work was marked and moderated internally, in such a way as to enable you to see the reasons for the award of the given marks in line with the University’s Double-Blind Marking and Moderation Policy.	Choose an item
Other information (if applicable)
8	Was the choice of subjects for dissertations appropriate?	Choose an item
9	Were suitable arrangements made for you to conduct orals and/or moderate performances/recitals/presentations/appropriate professional placements?	Choose an item
Board of Examiners
10	Were you able to attend the Board of Examiners meeting (including virtually or by telephone attendance)?	Choose an item
11	If not, what alternative arrangements were put in place
12	Were you given sufficient notice of the Board of Examiners meeting?	Choose an item
13	If you did attend, was the meeting conducted to your satisfaction in accordance with the University’s policies and procedures	Choose an item
14	Were you satisfied with the recommendations of the Board of Examiners	Choose an item
Use this space to expand on any of your responses, particularly if any answer is ‘Partially’ or ‘No’
Programme Team response to the above:

Report from an Adviser to the External Examiner (if applicable)

In exceptional cases an Adviser to the External Examiner may have been appointed for a module falling outside of your subject expertise as the programme external examiner. If this is the case, please respond to the following questions.
14.1	Did you receive a written report from the Adviser to the External Examiner prior to the Board of Examiners?	Choose an item
14.2	If required, did you have the opportunity to discuss any feedback with the Adviser to the External Examiner?	Choose an item
14.3	Has any feedback from the Adviser to the External Examiner been included in your report above for the programme team to consider and respond to?	Choose an item

For completion by the School, noting the following:

a fully approved response to this report should be available within 8 weeks of receipt;

the approved response will be sent to the external examiner by QSAT;

if the response is delayed the external examiner can expect to receive an email from the School explaining the reason for this and when the response is expected;

reports are read by and discussed within the programme team and other relevant staff in the School;

a response to the feedback received is added to this form by the programme team, explaining the action taken/to be taken, or reasons why action will not be taken;

if a programme offers modules owned by another School, each School concerned will be given an opportunity to respond to the comments made by the external examiner on this form;

the programme team’s responses are read by the Director of Programmes or equivalent and approved by the Deputy Head of School (Education) on behalf of the School Programmes Committee as shown below.

Responses to the report made by: (insert electronic signature or typed name):
Position:	Programme Lead on behalf of the programme team
Date:	Click here to enter a date.

Responses to the report made by: (only applicable where a programme offers modules owned by another School and a second signature is required) (insert electronic signature or typed name)
Position:	Programme Lead on behalf of the programme team
School:
Date:	Click here to enter a date.

Responses to the report read and supported by: (insert electronic signature or typed name)
Position:	Director of Programmes or equivalent (where applicable)
Date:	Click here to enter a date.

Responses to the report approved on behalf of School Programmes Committee by: (insert electronic signature or typed name)
Position:	Deputy Head of School (Education)
Date:	Click here to enter a date.