FAQ – Questions about exams, grading system and honours classification

Q7.1 When are exams held?
Q7.2 I was sick on the exam date. What should I do now?
Q7.3 When are exam results announced?
Q7.4 What should I do if I know I will not be able to take a written exam on the scheduled date?
Q7.5 What should I do if I fail a course?
Q7.6 Can I appeal for my exam results?
Q7.7 Will my academic results be revealed to my parents without notifying me?
Q7.8 Where can I find the past exam papers?
Q7.9 Could I retake a course if the grade of my first attempt is not good?
Q7.10 How are failed credits counted in my academic record?
Q7.11 Will there be different weighting of courses taken in the calculation of my honours classification?
Q7.12 How will my honours classification be determined upon my graduation?
Q7.13 Will the selection of the Pass/ Fail grading for courses affect my honours classification?
Q7.14 What are the differences between SGPA, YGPA, CGPA and GGPA?

Q7.1 When are exams held?
For most programmes, there are two exam periods: one in December for first semester courses and one in May for second semester and full-year courses.

Q7.2 I was sick on the exam date. What should I do now?
According to UG 7 (b) of the Regulations for First Degree Curricula, if you are unable, because of illness, to be present at the written exam of any course, you may apply for permission to sit for a supplementary exam of the same course to be held before the beginning of the First Semester of the following academic year. You have to make your application to the Examinations Office of the University by submitting a completed Form of Medical Certificate and the original of a sick leave certificate issued by a doctor to the Examination Office within 7 calendar days of the exam you were unable to attend. For detailed arrangement, please consult your Faculty Office.

Q7.3 When are exam results announced?
For most programmes, exam results are announced in January for first semester courses and June for second semester and full-year courses.

Q7.4 What should I do if I know I will not be able to take a written exam on the scheduled date?
Special arrangement will be made only under exceptional circumstances. You have to write at your earliest opportunity to the Examinations Office which will seek the recommendations from the Chief Examiner(s) concerned on your request. Approval MUST be sought before the original date of the exam.

Q7.5 What should I do if I fail a course?
In general, you have to take course(s) to make up for the failed/outstanding credits immediately in the following semester, by either repeating the same course or taking another course with the required credits. For detailed arrangement, please consult your Faculty Office. In case you need to take more than 36 credits in a semester to make up the failed/outstanding credits, i.e. exceed the maximum semester study load as stipulated under the Regulations, you will have to seek approval from your Faculty for overloading first.

Q7.6 Can I appeal for my exam results?
There are no appeals against the results of exams and all other forms of assessment. You may however request checking of assessment results on grounds of procedural irregularities. The application fee is HK$200 for each assessment result to be checked. For further information, please see the Procedures for Checking of Assessment Results of Taught Courses.

Q7.7 Will my academic results be revealed to my parents without notifying me?
No. Students are protected by the Personal Data (Privacy) Ordinance. In this respect, parents/guardians have no automatic right to access the personal data of students, such as their academic records.

Q7.8 Where can I find the past exam papers?
The Library has an “Exambase” (http://find.lib.hku.hk/record=HKU_IZ61512022570003414) which provides full text of some HKU past examination papers to facilitate your revision. For those subjects with “restricted access”, students need to contact the lecturer directly.

Q7.9 Could I retake a course if the grade of my first attempt is not good?
No, as long as you have passed the course, even if you are not happy with the grade, you could not retake it.

Q7.10 How are failed credits counted in my academic record?
All courses attempted will be recorded on the transcript, including failed courses. If you choose to repeat the failed course, the new grade obtained will be recorded in the semester in which you have retaken the course but the failed grades will still be included in the calculation of the Semester Grade Point Average (SGPA), Year GPA (YGPA), Cumulative GPA (CGPA), and Graduation GPA (GGPA). All failed grades will be taken into account when determining your honours classification.

Q7.11 Will there be different weighting of courses taken in the calculation of my honours classification?
No. All courses carry equal weighting, regardless of the year in which they are offered and whether they are in the students’ major(s) in the calculation of honours classification.

Q7.12 How will my honours classification be determined upon my graduation?
The classification of honours shall be determined by the Board of Examiners in accordance with the following Cumulative GPA (CGPA) scores, with all courses taken (including failed courses) carrying equal weighting:

However, please note that honours classification may not be solely determined on the basis of a student’s CGPA sometimes. The Board of the Examiners may, at its absolute discretion and with justification, might award a higher class of honours to a candidate deemed to have demonstrated meritorious academic achievement but whose CGPA falls very slightly below the range stipulated in the above table of the higher classification by not more than a certain Grade Point, for example, 0.1. Different Faculties might adopt different Grade Point on this. Please check with your home Faculty Office if in doubt.

Q7.13 Will the selection of the Pass/ Fail grading for courses affect my honours classification?
To award honours to you, the University normally employs a ‘50% rule’, which mandates that at least half of the credits of your degree curriculum should be letter-graded. This means, if your programme requires 240 credits for graduation, you will normally be required to have at least 120 letter-graded credits in order to be awarded a honour. A student with fewer than half the total credits letter-graded will normally be awarded a pass degree with no honours classification. Therefore, we suggest you to think extremely carefully before opting for pass/fail grading, especially if you are in special situations such as senior-year entry or granted advanced standing. For further enquiries, please clarify with your Faculty.

Q7.14 What are the differences between SGPA, YGPA, CGPA and GGPA?
GPA is the abbreviation of Grade Point Average. Different calculations of GPA are listed as follows:

• SGPA (“Semester GPA”) is the GPA in respect of courses attempted by a candidate (including failed courses) during a given semester.
• YGPA (“Year GPA”) is the GPA in respect of courses attempted by a candidate (including failed courses) during a given academic year.
• CGPA (“Cumulative GPA”) is the GPA in respect of courses attempted by a candidate (including failed courses) at the time of calculation.
• GGPA (“Graduation GPA”) is the GPA in respect of courses attempted by a candidate (including failed courses) at the point of graduation, which is applicable to the 2017–18 (Year 1) intake and thereafter. *For students in the 2017–-18 intake and thereafter who have successfully completed six Common Core courses with letter grades, the calculation of Graduation GPA is subject to the proviso that either five Common Core courses with the highest grades (covering all four Areas of Inquiry), or all six courses will be counted towards Graduation GPA, depending on which generates the higher Graduation GPA.