Amended Criteria for Progression to Part III in 2023
Due to the Marking and Assessment Boycott, it will not be possible to produce the class list for Part II of the Computer Science Tripos. Examiners report that they will have all Unit of Assessment marks but some of the Part II examination paper marks and project marks will be missing. For clarity, no student will be missing more than one mark (out of five) per examination paper and where there is a missing mark, students will be issued with a provisional mark for each paper, based on an average of their marks which are available for each paper. There should be no dissertation without at least one mark and the examiners have confirmed that they will be able to provide provisional marks for Part II for all students.
As a consequence of the lack of a class list, it will not be possible for the Part III Progression Sub‑Committee to apply the agreed criteria to assess which students have attained a satisfactory standard for progression to Part III. Faculty Board of Computer Science and Technology members have therefore agreed the following amended criteria for 2023 only.
The Part III Progressions Sub-Committee will permit those students in the top 42.5% of the ranked list of provisional results for Part II (for reference, with the current cohort size of 116, this corresponds to three additional students in comparison to the 40% boundary for the official class list). Those students will be deemed to have attained a satisfactory standard for progression to Part III. In the case of multiple students achieving the same provisional mark corresponding to the 42.5% boundary, the Part III Sub‑Committee reserves the right to permit more students by adjusting the boundary slightly. Students that fall below that boundary will not be permitted to progress to Part III by the Sub‑Committee and they will be informed of their position in the ranked list of all students.
The outcome of the Part III Progressions Sub-Committee will be communicated to students following the release of provisional marks on 21 June 2023. We do not yet know when the final classing will take place but when it does, if any student's final result falls below a first, they will still be permitted to progress to Part III. Please read the University’s MAB FAQ page for any queries you may have. The University’s ‘MAB helpdesk’ has also been set up to respond to queries and concerns about the boycott. You can email them on MAB@admin.cam.ac.uk.
Appeals Process
Students who are not permitted to progress to Part III may appeal against the decision. Appeals must be accompanied by supporting statements from the student’s Director of Studies and Tutor or Senior Tutor, along with any other supporting evidence and must reach the Secretary of the Faculty Board by 09:00 on Monday 26 June 2023. Appeals will be considered by an Appeals Sub‑Committee consisting of members of the Faculty Board and other established academic staff within the Faculty of Computer Science and Technology. In considering appeals, the Sub-Committee will pay particular attention to the provisional results of the Dissertation, as well as candidates’ suitability to undertake the course, which covers advanced material in both theoretical and practical areas of computer science as well as instilling the elements of research practice, and is designed to prepare students for doctoral research. The Appeals Sub-Committee will have no members in common with the Applications Sub-Committee. The Chair of Faculty Board will chair the Appeals Sub-Committee or will nominate a Deputy.
The Appeals Sub-Committee will have access to the provisional results as well as access to all appellants’ class for their Part IA and Part IB assessment.
