Continuous Assessments
Under the continuous assessment system, students will be evaluated at least once during the semester before the final examination/assessment. The end-ofsemester examination is the final point of the whole process of evaluation assigned for the CU(s) except for those courses which require internships/training/practicals. At each evaluation (which may be in the form of written tests, take-home assignments, oral presentations, etc.) students earn marks. The usual weightage of marks is distributed as follows: 40% for continuous assessment (with 5% – 10% for class participation), and 60% for the end-of-semester examination. However, as Departments have the flexibility to change this weightage, students are advised to consult their departments for examination/evaluation guidelines.
If a student has not completed the mid-semester examination, he/she will not be allowed to sit for the end of semester examination. A student who completes the mid-semester continuous assessments but fails to take the semester-end examination due to some valid reason/s such as illness will have the status of Incomplete (IC) and will be entitled to carry forward his/her midsemester marks up to two years till he/she completes the end-semester examination for the relevant course unit.
Final Examinations
A student has to complete the whole system of continuous assessment offered in a semester in order to obtain the maximum grades for each CU. However, in order to be considered as having completed a CU, a student should have completed at least 50% of all continuous assessments and the final examination. When a student sits for the end-of-semester examination, it indicates that he/she has completed the process of evaluation with regard to the respective semester and CU(s), except in those courses with internships / training / practical that may be held after/before the end of examination. Students will be permitted to sit the mid-semester and end-of-semester examinations only if they have a valid university registration for the current academic year and have registered for the relevant course units with the IDC. A list of students and the CU(s) for which they have registered will be available at the IDC between Weeks 3 and 4 of the first semester.
Duration
The duration of the end-of-semester examination for each CU will be two hours unless informed otherwise by respective Departments.
Disability
Students with disabilities are eligible for extra time if their disability could impede their writing speed. To receive this extra time the student should produce a letter issued by the University/Chief Medical Officer certifying that their disability/severe illness will impede their writing speed at the examination. The student should submit this letter to the IDC at the beginning of the Academic Year which is then forwarded to the Faculty Board for approval. The decision of the Faculty Board will be informed in writing by the IDC to the student. If the nature of the disability is permanent the student would not need to renew the approval in each Academic Year. The extra time given will be twenty (20) minutes for each hour of the examination.
Absence at Examinations
Students who, because of a genuine reason such as illness, are unable to sit the end-of- semester examination(s) should submit a valid document such as a Medical Certificate (MC) issued by the Chief Medical Officer (CMO)/University Medical Officer (UMO) of the University of Colombo or a valid Medical Certificate recommended by the CMO/UMO within seven days of the missed examination, along with the completed form issued by the IDC. Only MCs recommended by the CMO/UMO will be accepted by the Faculty. The CU(s) will then be considered incomplete (IC). When the CU(s) is offered again, students can sit for the end-of-semester examination and complete the CU(s) at a future date without hindering their prospects for a class. Therefore, the IDC urges all undergraduates to take utmost care in the matter of submitting MC(s), in order to minimize or avoid inconveniences.
The UMO will consider MCs issued only by a government Hospital/District Medical Officer. MCs issued by private medical practitioners will be considered only in the case of medical leave for less than five (05) days. In such a situation, students are required to forward MCs to CMO/UMO with the form issued by the IDC within seven (07) days of the last date of recommended medical leave. In addition, the CMO/UMO may request documents, such as receipt of payments for the MC from a Government Hospital, prescription(s) of the medicine taken, test reports if any, etc.
Index Numbers
The registration number assigned to a first-year student will also be his/her examination index number. E.g. Index number A12170 and Reg. No. 2024/BA/12170
Policy of Make-Up Examinations
End-of-semester examinations/assessments (for first- and second-year candidates) are not repeated under any circumstances. If a student fails to sit the end-of-semester examination of a particular CU(s), he/she can sit for it in the next academic year, or in the following semester of the same academic year, but only if the CU(s) is being offered in that semester. Mid-term exams, assignments, classroom tests, oral presentations, etc. in general are not repeated either. The dates of these tests are notified at the beginning of each semester by academic staff. It is therefore the responsibility of the student to sit for these tests and complete his/her assignments on time.
However, if a student is unable to complete an assignment due to unavoidable circumstances, he/she can submit a written request for a make-up test to the lecturer(s). Requests should reach the lecturer(s), along with supporting documents, within two weeks of the original date of the assignment or midsemester exam. Students are advised, however, that the respective Departments will make the final decision on such requests. All make-up tests/assignments should be completed before the end-of-semester examination of the CU(s) commences. Departments that decide not to offer make-up tests will inform students of their decision at the beginning of the semester.
Under the CU System, students can complete their missed evaluations in future semesters. Students who have successfully completed their continuous assessments but have not been able to complete the end-of-semester examination of a particular CU(s) due to a genuine reason can request the relevant Department, through the IDC Coordinator, to carry forward the marks obtained at the continuous assessment until he/she sits the end-of-semester examination of the CU(s) in question. The maximum period for which such mid semester marks can be carried forward is two consecutive academic years with the approval of the relevant course lecturer.
Registering for Final Examinations
The student can register for end-of-semester examinations via www.sis.arts.cmb.ac.lk. A copy of the registration will be emailed to the student’s official email address. Students cannot apply for examinations in CUs other than those CUs for which they have registered.
Repeat/Incomplete Course Units
Students are required to inform the IDC about repeat and/or incomplete CUs at the time of handing in the examination application forms for the current year of study. For all repeat attempts, the required examination fees must be paid. Students should obtain the relevant information from the Examinations Department of the University of Colombo. Students have the original attempt and two subsequent attempts to pass a CU.
Failed CU(s)
It is mandatory to complete all failed CU(s). According to the regulation, “the student who have failed the examination in any one year have to appear for the examination at the subsequent occasion” which means in the next relevant year and semester. A student can obtain his/her Degree only if he/she has passed all the required CUs. When a failed CU(s) is successfully completed, the actual grade earned by the student at the repeat attempt will be shown in the detailed results sheets, transcripts, etc. with the special symbol ‘RC’. However, when computing the Grade Point Average (GPA), the grade point value assigned to repeat CU(s) will be 2.00 only.
Under the CU system, students who read for a three-year Degree have up to six consecutive years from the first year to complete the Degree without penalty. Students reading for a four-year Honours Degree have a maximum period of eight consecutive years from the first year to complete their programme of study. Students need to obtain prior permission from the Faculty Board/Senate to prolong their period of study in this manner. Students who prolong the period of study without prior approval by the Faculty Board/Senate will be disqualified from obtaining a class.
Withdraw-Failing CU(s)
Students can substitute CU(s) in place of a repeat CU(s) under the “WithdrawnFailing” category. In such cases, students have to obtain written permission from the Head of the Department concerned and the Dean, Faculty of Arts to select a new CU in place of a failed unit. It should be noted, however, that this new CU will be considered a repeat attempt and assigned a maximum grade of C (GPV 2.0).
Non-Credit or Audited CU(s)
When applying for the examination, students are required to clearly mark all non-credit CU(s).
Criteria for Evaluation
In the evaluation process, the mark obtained by a student for each course is converted into a grade according to the scheme given in Table below. The grade point for each course unit is determined by the following grades:
Grade Point Average (GPA)
Classes and Passes will be awarded on the basis of the Grade Point Average (GPA). The Grade Point Average (GPA) is obtained by dividing the total number of grade points earned by the number of credit value. The total number of credits considered for computing the GPA will be 90 for Bachelor of Arts Degree (General) and 120 for Bachelor of Arts (Honours) as provided in the by-laws. The number of credits for the first year shall be counted for this purpose.
The following table shows an example on how the GPA is calculated:
GPA= Total grade points earned/ Total number of credit value = 48/15 = 3.2
When a “fail” course unit is successfully completed at a subsequent attempt by a candidate, that course unit will be identified in the transcript by a special symbol (RC) Repeat Completed. The actual grade point earned by the student for the repeated course will be shown in the transcript. However, when computing the GPA, the grade point value assigned to that course unit will be 2.00 only.
Cut-off Points of GPA
1st Class = GPA ≥ 3.70
2nd Upper = 3.30 ≤ GPA< 3.70
2nd Lower = 3.00 ≤GPA< 3.30
Ordinary pass = 2.00 ≤ GPA< 3.00