Examinations
There are three formal examinations in ASNC: the Preliminary Examination to Part I, which is taken at the end of the first year and consists of three papers; Part I, which is taken at the end of the second year and consists of six papers (or five plus a dissertation); and Part II, which is taken at the end of the third year and consists of four papers plus a compulsory dissertation.
Some notion of the nature of individual examinations may be gleaned from past examination papers, which are available on the Departmental website, in your college library, or in the University Library. The Departmental Secretary has a number of past examination papers.
Various aspects of examination procedures are explained in a document entitled ‘ASNC Tripos: Examination Procedures 2011’, which is available from the Examinations Section of this website. Tripos examinations are marked by Boards of Examiners appointed by the University, and include External Examiners (from other universities) as well as members of the Department.
Take care to write legibly. If your writing is bad, practise improving it now. Time your answers sensibly (practise beforehand if you are bad at this). With the best will in the world, examiners cannot give marks to a non existent essay, and if you write only three essays instead of four, you have automatically lost one quarter of the possible marks. Pay attention to the rubrics (general instructions) on the examination papers; ignoring them is another way of losing marks unnecessarily. Above all, make your answers relevant to the question asked. Don’t just memorise your essay on (say) Bede and dump it on any question that suggests his name. Arrange your material to fit the question, and shape your whole answer (not just its opening and close) accordingly.
Dissertations are optional in Part I and compulsory in Part II. If you are intending to include a dissertation among your Part I choices, you should acquire a copy of the Department’s ‘Guidelines for Tripos Dissertations’.
Your performance in Tripos will be judged as a whole, and it is important, therefore, not to neglect any of its elements. A poor performance in one paper may pull you down on average by a whole class overall; and failure in two papers may mean you are not classed at all. The Preliminary Examination does not formally count towards your BA degree, and is to be regarded as good practice for the second and third years, and as an indicator of your ability in relation to other students. If you get a First in Part I, and a First in Part II, you have the distinction and satisfaction of a ‘Double First’; if you get first-class marks across the board at Part I you will probably be awarded a ‘Starred First’; the same applies to Part II. The N. K. Chadwick Prize is awarded by the Examiners for the most outstanding performance in Part I. The H. M. Chadwick Prize is awarded by the Examiners for the most outstanding performance in Part II.
Past Exam Papers are available on the Student Intranet.