Please note: The rules only apply to students at BA in Marketing and Management Communication and MA in Corporate Communication.

Length of exam papers

The maximum length of the exam paper is stated in the exam descriptions in the individual course descriptions found in the AU course catalogue. The scope of the assignment is indicated in characters (including blanks). 

What is included in the paper’s total word count?

The following are included in the word count:

• Footnotes
• Figures
• Models

How many characters do tables and figures count?

When counting characters, the text which can be counted by the Word Count function is included. Images, models, figures etc. which are inserted in the written assignment are thus not included. A model or a figure produced by the student is included if it is possible to count the number of characters. As a rule, a model or a figure produced by the student must be inserted as regular text which can be counted. If the only option is to insert a model or a figure as an image, or if this is the best solution e.g. with regard to the presentation, the student may insert a model/figure as an image. However, the student may not insert a model or a figure as an image if it only contains regular text.

What is not included in the paper’s total word count? 

The following are not included in the word count:

• Compulsory front page
• Individual front page chosen by the student (the student decides what information to include)
• Table of contents
• Bibliography
• Appendices
• Abstract
• Headers and footers as well as page numbers

What happens if the paper exceeds the maximum length?

If your paper exceeds the stated maximum length, the paper will be rejected without assessment. You will, however, have used one examination attempt. The scope of the exam assignment is stated in the individual course descriptions found in the AU course catalogue

Do group exam papers need to be individualised?

For group exams, you need to indicate who has written what and who is responsible for specific parts of the submitted paper. The assignment introduction, problem statement, delimitation etc. and the conclusion are considered joint work by the members of the group and are therefore not subject to individualisation. If you forget to indicate who is responsible for specific parts of the paper it will be rejected without assessment.

• For written assignments with no oral defence and no supervision, individualisation of the students’ contributions must be done by stating the student registration number in the table of contents next to the section which the given student has written. This is to ensure the student’s anonymity.
• For written assignments with oral defence and/or with supervision, individualisation of the students’ contributions must be done by stating the student’s name in the table of contents next to the section he/she has written