A few departments write off some papers mid year; many save all the examinations until the end. There is a firm rule for Honours examinations which does not apply to ordinary degrees: if a candidate fails an Honours degree, it may only be repeated once, and then only after attending the course again in full. In practice, students who appear to their departments to be heading for failure are usually persuaded to withdraw. The high entrance requirement and the intensive teaching combine to make the failure rate very low - but be warned: students are not guaranteed a pass - they have to earn one and it takes a lot of worthwhile effort to do so.

Last Modified: Tue, 30 Apr 2013 15:09:37 SAST