Students studying English at the University of Cambridge will be assessed through modified exam arrangements in the upcoming years, according to an email detailing the Faculty’s new mode of assessment for Tripos 2022 and 2023 which was sent out earlier this week (14/06).

The English Faculty will assess current first and second-year students only through coursework and open-book 24-hour examinations throughout their remaining time in Cambridge.

This mode of assessment has been introduced as a temporary measure in light of the “unique circumstances” that the current students have faced.

The Faculty has also outlined assessment details for students beginning their studies in October 2021. In their first year, incoming students will be required to submit a portfolio of essays as well as sit a closed-book, three hour examination. No decisions have yet been made on the mode of assessment that incoming students will face in their second and third years.

This news comes following the University’s announcement of a transition year for 2021-22 exams. The transition year allows “Faculties and Departments time to continue using some of the new modes and methods of assessment”, meaning that students will not be assessed solely through the traditional three-hour in-person exams of previous years.

The transition year aims to ensure that the “modes and methods of assessment adopted do not disadvantage any student” in the future.