ENGLISH DEPARTMENT RE-READ POLICY (APPROVED 2 March, 1995)
All students are entitled to have a paper re-read by a second reader, provided that the request for such a re-read occurs within a period of three weeks after the return of the paper or after the date at which students have been informed that marked papers may be picked up.
Students who are dissatisfied with the grade which they have received on an essay should, in the first instance, discuss their concerns with the instructor involved. If they feel unable to do so, or if they have done so and have not been satisfied with the results, they should then request a re-read from the Chair of the Department (or the Associate Chair, if the Chair is the instructor involved). They should not ask any faculty members to comment on an essay graded by a colleague; faculty members who are asked to do so by a student should refuse and should explain the proper procedure to the student. It is very important to avoid any possibility of a situation arising where tutors perceive their relationship with their students as being undermined.
The Chair will ensure that the original reader is aware that a re-read has been requested.
The original reader will not be informed of the name of the second reader. The second reader will not be informed of the names of the original reader or of the student.
The second reader will not be informed of the original mark assigned to the paper, but will be made aware of the original reader's corrections and comments, as well as of any other circumstances which may have affected the original mark, such as lateness, failure to write on an assigned topic, etc. The second reader will also be made aware of the original reader's stated policy on such matters.
If the grade assigned by the second reader does not differ from the original grade by more than 5% the grade will remain the same. If there is a greater difference, the paper will be given to a third reader. The final grade assigned will be the average of the two closest grades, or the middle grade if the three grades are equally distributed.
Once the re-read has been completed, the Chair will inform both the original reader and the student of the result.