Examination rules and requirements
How many pages?
The maximum number of standard pages for your assignment is stated in the academic regulations. One standard page is 2,400 characters, including spaces.
The stipulated number of pages includes the overall assignment as well as quotations and notes (footnotes, endnotes, bibliographical references, captions, further explanations etc.)
![[Translate to English:] Figur med tre cirkler og tre ord](/fileadmin/_processed_/1/a/csm_figur_670f524123.png)
The following are not included in the word count:
- Title page
- Preface, if any
- Table of contents
- Bibliography
- Illustrations
- Appendices
Summary
- is included in the count at the Danish School of Education
- is not included in the count at the School of Culture and Society
- is not included in the count at the School of Communication and Culture
Please note: If your academic regulations specify differently, you should always follow your academic regulations.
Summary (abstract)
Your bachelor’s project, master’s thesis, advanced studies project or professional master’s project must always include a summary in a foreign language.
Other Assignements: Whether the assignment must include a summary is stated in your academic regulations.
Length
The length of the summary is stated in your academic regulations. One standard page is 2,400 charactes including spaces.
Language
If you write in Danish, the summary must be in English - unless otherwise stipulated in the academic regulations for your degree programme.
If you write in English, the summary must be in English - unless otherwise stipulated in the academic regulations for your degree programme.
Should it be included in the page numcer count?
If you are a student at the Danish School of Education, the summary must be included in the page number count.
If you are a student at the School of Culture and Society or School of Communication and Culture the summary should not be included in the page number count, but it is included in the overall assessment.
Group exams - who has written what?
Certain assignments can be submitted in groups - consult the academic regulations for your degree programme to see if group exams are permitted for your course.
If you submit a group assignment, it must be possible to assess the contributions of all individual group members. It must therefore be clearly indicated which group member wrote which section(s) of the assignment. Detailed information about which parts of the assignment may be written together are stated in your academic regulations.
It is very important that you register the group correctly in WISEflow before the deadline, which is stated in WISEflow for the specific exam – typically one week before the examination. For set home assignments, it won't be possible to register the group until after the assignment has been handed out.
- See on the page about WISEflow how you submit an exam paper as a group
For oral exams with synopsis
In the case of synopses that form the basis of an oral exam, individualisation is not always required.
It will be stated in your academic regulations whether individualisation is required or not. If your academic regulations requires individualisation, you and your group must indicate who has written which sections of the specific paper. If your academic regulations has no requirements for individualisation, you do not need to indicate who has written which sections of the specific paper.
Re-exams for synopses without requirements for individualization
You cannot reuse text from a synopsis exam with requirements for individualization, if the other members of your group have taken and passed the ordinary exam.
Contact Study Centre Arts if you have doubts about the exam requirements that are listed in your academic regulations.
Three examination attempts
As a general rule, you have three attempts to pass each exam in your degree programme.
If you fail to turn up or fail to pass the ordinary exam at the end of a course, you will have used one examination attempt. You will then have the opportunity to register for re-examination.
If you use all three examination attempts without passing the course, you will be withdrawn from the university. However, in exceptional circumstances you can apply for dispensation to be granted a fourth examination attempt.
Find out more about applying for dispensation
Exceptions to the rule
The possibility to use three examination attempts for each exam is limited by other rules such as those regarding the commencement of studies exam, the first-year exam and your maximum degree completion time.
For example, if you have not passed the exams included in the first-year exam by the end of your first academic year, you will lose the right to use the remaining attempts to pass the exams. This means that you lose the right to further examination attempts if the deadline has expired.
Exam language
You can find information about the language of teaching in the course catalogue. The rules about the language of exams are stated in your academic regulations.
Faculty policy regarding language of teaching and exams
The language of the exam is normally the same as the language of the teaching.
Subject to agreement with the teacher/examiner, the exams on some degree programmes are conducted in Danish even though the teaching has been in English (or in English when the teaching has been in Danish).
This kind of special agreement is not possible in the following cases:
- Courses in which language proficiency is being tested – the language of the exam is always the language studied and perhaps Danish (for instance for translation courses).
- All the courses on degree programmes that are conducted in English. The teaching and exams on these courses are only conducted in English.
If the teaching has been conducted in more than one language, the students can choose the language in which they want to take the exam.
Exams that are normally conducted in Danish can also be taken in Swedish or Norwegian.
FAQs about the language of teaching and exams
Am I always entitled to take exams in all the languages stated for a course in the academic regulations?
No. The languages stated in the academic regulations are the languages in which a course can be conducted. But the language in which the course is actually conducted may vary. And you are normally only allowed to take the exam in the language(s) in which the teaching has actually been conducted. So you need to check the course catalogue to find out which language applies in your particular case.
On some degree programmes it is possible to reach an agreement with your teacher about taking an exam in another language. If this is possible, it will be stated in the academic regulations above the degree programme diagram, where you can also see your options.
If a course is taught in several languages, can I choose the language of the exam myself?
Yes. If the course catalogue states that a course is taught in more than one language (Danish and English, for instance), you can choose between these languages for your exam. However, your choice may be limited by the topics/themes which are suitable for the exam, and will also depend on whether the teacher supervising and assessing assignments relating to these topics/themes can conduct exams in the language in question.
If the exam is conducted in Danish, does the teacher have to be able to speak Danish at oral exams – or is it sufficient that they can understand Danish and reply in English?
As long as the teacher understands Danish, thereby enabling you to speak Danish, the teacher may reply and ask questions in English.
Anonymisation of exam papers
At the Faculty of Arts on-site exams and set take-home assignments are anonymised. This means that the assessors (examiner/co-examiner) cannot see your name or student registration number.
How to submit an anonymised assignment
- Do not include your name, student ID, or any other personal identifier in the assignment or the file name.
- Use your participant Index number instead. You can find it in WISEflow under:
“2. Cover sheet” → “View cover sheet”
Note: If you are submitting as part of a group, your participant ID (flow number) will only be visible once the group has been formed.
You can always check in WISEflow whether an exam is anonymised – this is clearly stated in the exam description.
How to submit an anonymised group assignment
If you are submitting an anonymised group assignment, it must be clear which part of the assignment you have written. Here's how:
- Write your participant Index number in the section you have authored.
- Do not include your name or student ID – only the participant Index number is allowed.
- On every page of the assignment, the participant Index numbers of all group members and the course name must appear in the header.
Exams with prerequisites
In some courses, there may be certain prerequisites which you must fulfil in order to take an exam, such as submitting or gaining approval of an assignment or a product or completing a project prior to the exam.
All prerequisites and how to fulfil them will be described in the academic regulations. You can find the description under the heading “Prerequisites for exam participation”.
If you do not fulfil the prerequisites, you cannot take the exam and will have used one exam attempt.
Where can I find the prerequisites which I have to fulfil before my exam?
All prerequisites and how to fulfil them will be described in the academic regulations.
You can find the description under the heading “Prerequisites for exam participation”
When do I have to fulfil the prerequisites?
Your teacher must confirm that you have fulfilled the prerequisites prior to the exam.
Ordinary exam
In connection with ordinary exams, you must meet the deadline set by your teacher and announced on Brightspace.
Re-examination
You only have to fulfil the prerequisites for taking an exam once.
If you are registered for a re-examination and have already fulfilled the prerequisite, you do not have to fulfil it again.
If you are registered for a re-examination with prerequisites and have not already fulfilled the prerequisite in connection with previous exam attempts, you must fulfil it before taking the re-examination.
If you are in doubt about what you have to do to fulfil the prerequisite, please contact your teacher. There is also a deadline for fulfilling prerequisites:
- Re-examination in the same semester as the ordinary exam
The deadline for fulfilling the prerequisite is the same as the deadline for registering for the re-examination.
You can see the deadline in your exam timetable. - Re-examination in another semester
The prerequisite must be fulfilled no later than:- 1 May in connection with summer exams
- 1 November in connection with winter exams
- Read more about re-examinations and deadlines.
On-site examinations (Written exams)
Conducting examinations
For on-site examinations (i.e. examinations held at a particular physical location), you must check where and when the examination will be conducted well in advance. You can find the time and place of examinations on your self-service page or on your study portal.
Please do not rely on information from your fellow students, as your examination may not be scheduled for the same place and time.
Exam aids/materials
The course catalogue and academic regulations for your degree programme contain information on the materials you may bring to the examination. If you bring materials other than those permitted, it will be considered an attempt at cheating at the examination under the Rules regarding disciplinary measures for students at Aarhus University. It is always your responsibility to ensure that you only bring the materials permitted to an examination. It is not permitted to borrow materials from others during an examination.
Digital devices
For on-site examinations, there are also a number of rules for the use of digital devices that you need to be aware of so that you don't accidentally break the university's rules for on-site examinations.
Mobile phones, tablets and other digital devices
- You’re not allowed to use mobile phones, tablets and other digital devices during exams.
- The only time you’re allowed to use your mobile phone is for two-factor authentication when you sign in to the exam system before the exam starts.
- After that, you have to place your phone on the right-hand corner of your desk, so it’s visible, and keep it switched off for the duration of the exam. And switched off means really switched off – not airplane mode.
- You also have to keep tablets and other digital devices switched off during the exam, and you have to keep them in your own closed bag. If there are any exceptions to these rules for particular exams, they’ll be explained in the course description.
Smartwatches
- You’re allowed to wear a smartwatch during an exam.
- However, you’re not allowed to use your smartwatch to communicate with anyone during the exam, and you’re not allowed to connect it to headphones, a computer or any other kind of digital device.
Headphones
You can use your headphones (with or without audio) during written exams on campus, but there are a number of restrictions you need to be aware of:
- You’re not allowed to connect your headphones to your mobile phone – your mobile phone must be switched off during the exam.
- You’re not allowed to connect your headphones to a smartwatch, and you’re not allowed to use them to communicate with anyone or access unauthorised exam aids.
- If you’re taking a written exam without a computer, or an exam where your access to your computer’s programs is limited (for example, FLOWlock), you can only play audio by connecting your headphones to a standalone audio player (such as an iPod). Not your mobile phone.
- If you’re taking a written exam with a computer but you’re not allowed to use the internet, you can only use your computer to play audio if you download it before the exam starts.
- You’re always allowed to use your headphone without audio – for example, for noise cancellation.
- And of course, you should always be considerate of other students and follow the exam supervisor’s instructions when using your headphones during a written exam on campus.
Digital pen tablets
- You’re allowed to use a digital pen tablet for your written exams on campus.
- You’re not allowed to use a digital pen tablet to communicate with anyone, and you’re not allowed to use it to access the internet or any unauthorised materials during the exam.
In the rules for on-site examinations, you will find information about where to store non-permitted exam aids during an on-site examination.
The use of PC
If you are allowed to bring a computer to an examination, this will be stated in the academic regulations for your degree programme or in the course catalogue. You should check the academic regulations for your degree programme and the course catalogue for information on the use of computers at the individual examinations.
Student ID and arrival time
You must always bring valid ID (student card) to an examination and present it on entry to the exam room to allow the exam supervisor to check that you are entitled to take the examination. If you fail to present valid ID, you risk being refused to participate in the examination. This will be registered as an examination attempt.
Normally, the checks performed at the entrance to an exam room take quite some time. In order for the examination to begin on time, all students are advised to arrive no later than 20 minutes before the start of the examination.
No students are allowed to leave the exam room within the first hour of an examination without special permission from the exam supervisor. Please keep an eye on the time during the examination to ensure that you are ready to hand in your paper when the examination is over. When the exam supervisor announces that the examination is over, you must stop writing in or on your paper. If you continue writing after this time or write your student registration number, page numbers or the like, you risk being reported for cheating.
