PFD report

Mared Thomas Foulkes · Prevention of Future Deaths report

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Issued 10 Nov 2021•North West Wales

Report record

Published report and response evidence

This page connects the concerns raised in this report with statements found in recipients’ published responses. A link shows a clear evidence connection; it does not assign responsibility.

View original report
Concerns
3

Raised in this report

Recipients
1

Named on the report

Responses found
1

Of 1 recipient

Stated actions
6

Described in responses

Recipients and published responses

Source document

Full report text

This is the full text from the original published report.

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Concerns and recipient responses

Select any concern, action or position to view the source wording.

Concerns raised3

  1. Failure to distinguish pending assessment marks from failed marks
    Part of recurring concern: Unreliable communication and support arrangements for educational assessment resultsPart of recurring concern: Unreliable communication of significant academic decisions and support actions to students
  2. Failure of examination results and marking processes to provide clear and non-misleading information
    Part of recurring concern: Unreliable communication and support arrangements for educational assessment resultsPart of recurring concern: Unreliable communication of significant academic decisions and support actions to students
  3. Lack of a system for personal tutors to contact vulnerable students before release of failed examination results
    Part of recurring concern: Unreliable communication and support arrangements for educational assessment results
Responses linked to these concerns

Each statement is shown once, even when linked to more than one concern.

No linked response statements

No respondent-stated action or position is clearly linked to these concerns.

Source evidence

How this individual concern was interpreted

PFD Monitor created a concise, searchable interpretation from the report wording shown below. Response links show a clear evidence connection; they do not assign responsibility.

PFD Monitor interpretation

Failure to distinguish pending assessment marks from failed marks

Wider context from the report

“(1) The sharing of examination results and how examinations are marked is complex, confusing and at times capable of appearing misleading. Mared had failed one Professional Skills Assessment during the second year of her degree (2019/2020) and had undertaken a resit during the first semester for which she had received a ‘provisional pass’. This was not ratified in the June exam board; instead it was to be ratified in the September exam board round in accordance with the University’s policy (though that was not obviously clear at the time). The indication therefore to Mared in July 2020 was that she had not successfully completed the year. The result was later ratified in September. Furthermore, marks of 39% and 1% (fails) for assessments are given in situations where marks could be ‘pending’. ”

Is this part of a recurring concern?

Yes — Unreliable communication and support arrangements for educational assessment results; Unreliable communication of significant academic decisions and support actions to students.

Open source report

Source evidence

How this individual concern was interpreted

PFD Monitor created a concise, searchable interpretation from the report wording shown below. Response links show a clear evidence connection; they do not assign responsibility.

PFD Monitor interpretation

Failure of examination results and marking processes to provide clear and non-misleading information

Wider context from the report

“(1) The sharing of examination results and how examinations are marked is complex, confusing and at times capable of appearing misleading. Mared had failed one Professional Skills Assessment during the second year of her degree (2019/2020) and had undertaken a resit during the first semester for which she had received a ‘provisional pass’. This was not ratified in the June exam board; instead it was to be ratified in the September exam board round in accordance with the University’s policy (though that was not obviously clear at the time). The indication therefore to Mared in July 2020 was that she had not successfully completed the year. The result was later ratified in September. Furthermore, marks of 39% and 1% (fails) for assessments are given in situations where marks could be ‘pending’. ”

Is this part of a recurring concern?

Yes — Unreliable communication and support arrangements for educational assessment results; Unreliable communication of significant academic decisions and support actions to students.

Open source report

Source evidence

How this individual concern was interpreted

PFD Monitor created a concise, searchable interpretation from the report wording shown below. Response links show a clear evidence connection; they do not assign responsibility.

PFD Monitor interpretation

Lack of a system for personal tutors to contact vulnerable students before release of failed examination results

Wider context from the report

“(2) There is no system in place for personal tutors to contact students ahead of the release of failed examination results, especially in vulnerable students. Students are not contacted directly by telephone by their personal tutors ahead of the release of the results in the event of failed modules or in the event of being informed that they had not successfully completed the year despite the complex and confusing assessment and results process and potentially misleading process around the sharing of examination results. ”

Is this part of a recurring concern?

Yes — Unreliable communication and support arrangements for educational assessment results.

Open source report

Other statements in published responses

These actions and other statements could not be clearly connected to one concern in this report.

Recipient-stated actions An action is something a recipient says it has done, is doing, or plans to do in response to a concern raised.6

  1. 1

    Review published results transcripts to show component results, assessment dates, attempt numbers, progression, resit requirements, awards, and support information.

    Stated by Cardiff UniversityStated in progressThe respondent said that this action was in progress when they made their response on 16 November 2021.
  2. 2

    Ratify all available in-year resit results at the June Main Examining Board before releasing transcripts.

    Stated by Cardiff UniversityStated plannedThe respondent said that this action was planned when they made their response on 16 November 2021.
  3. 3

    Stop using notional marks to record academic failure where students have not met competency standards.

    Stated by Cardiff UniversityStated completedThe respondent said that this action was complete when they made their response on 16 November 2021.
  4. 4

    Review the in-year resit results-release process to ensure all available results are ratified at the June Main Examining Board.

    Stated by Cardiff UniversityStated completedThe respondent said that this action was complete when they made their response on 16 November 2021.
  5. 5

    Ensure academic staff are available to students at examination-results release to answer questions, queries, and concerns.

    Stated by Cardiff UniversityStated plannedThe respondent said that this action was planned when they made their response on 16 November 2021.
  6. 6

    Brief Academic Schools on the results-process changes and the expectation that academic staff are available when examination results are released.

    Stated by Cardiff UniversityStated plannedThe respondent said that this action was planned when they made their response on 16 November 2021.

Source evidence

How this respondent action was interpreted

PFD Monitor created a concise, searchable interpretation from the published response wording shown below.

PFD Monitor interpretation

Review published results transcripts to show component results, assessment dates, attempt numbers, progression, resit requirements, awards, and support information.

Verbatim wording from the response

“• A review of the published results transcripts is underway which will provide results for all component parts of a module, clarify the assessment date and attempt number and confirm any progression, resit requirement or academic award. It will also seek to improve tone, language and make explicit reference to where students can access help and support if they are concerned about their results.”

Source location

2021-0378-Response-from-Cardiff-University_Published
Page 2 · response
Published 16 November 2021

Open published response

Source evidence

How this respondent action was interpreted

PFD Monitor created a concise, searchable interpretation from the published response wording shown below.

PFD Monitor interpretation

Ratify all available in-year resit results at the June Main Examining Board before releasing transcripts.

Verbatim wording from the response

“• The removal of potential confusion about the results of in-year resits. The process for the release of in-year resit results has been reviewed to ensure that all available results are ratified at the Main Examining Board in June. This means that students will know the outcome of all assessments they have taken, including in-year resits, and will not have provisional results that are subject to later ratification at the Resit Examining Board in September.”

Source location

2021-0378-Response-from-Cardiff-University_Published
Page 2 · response
Published 16 November 2021

Open published response

Source evidence

How this respondent action was interpreted

PFD Monitor created a concise, searchable interpretation from the published response wording shown below.

PFD Monitor interpretation

Stop using notional marks to record academic failure where students have not met competency standards.

Verbatim wording from the response

“• The custom and practice of using notional mark (e.g. 1% to record an academic fail) where the student has not met a competency standard has been stopped with immediate effect.”

Source location

2021-0378-Response-from-Cardiff-University_Published
Page 2 · response
Published 16 November 2021

Open published response

Source evidence

How this respondent action was interpreted

PFD Monitor created a concise, searchable interpretation from the published response wording shown below.

PFD Monitor interpretation

Review the in-year resit results-release process to ensure all available results are ratified at the June Main Examining Board.

Verbatim wording from the response

“• The removal of potential confusion about the results of in-year resits. The process for the release of in-year resit results has been reviewed to ensure that all available results are ratified at the Main Examining Board in June. This means that students will know the outcome of all assessments they have taken, including in-year resits, and will not have provisional results that are subject to later ratification at the Resit Examining Board in September.”

Source location

2021-0378-Response-from-Cardiff-University_Published
Page 2 · response
Published 16 November 2021

Open published response

Source evidence

How this respondent action was interpreted

PFD Monitor created a concise, searchable interpretation from the published response wording shown below.

PFD Monitor interpretation

Ensure academic staff are available to students at examination-results release to answer questions, queries, and concerns.

Verbatim wording from the response

“We will ensure our Academic Schools are briefed on these changes and the expectation that they ensure academic staff are available to students at the time of examination results to respond to questions, queries and concerns.”

Source location

2021-0378-Response-from-Cardiff-University_Published
Page 2 · response
Published 16 November 2021

Open published response

Source evidence

How this respondent action was interpreted

PFD Monitor created a concise, searchable interpretation from the published response wording shown below.

PFD Monitor interpretation

Brief Academic Schools on the results-process changes and the expectation that academic staff are available when examination results are released.

Verbatim wording from the response

“We will ensure our Academic Schools are briefed on these changes and the expectation that they ensure academic staff are available to students at the time of examination results to respond to questions, queries and concerns.”

Source location

2021-0378-Response-from-Cardiff-University_Published
Page 2 · response
Published 16 November 2021

Open published response
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Information checked against the published report and official responses · Data reviewed 7 Sep 2026 · About data quality and limitations

Data last updated 7 September 2026