Oral examinations (viva)

Requirement and purpose

21.1. Research degree examinations require an individual oral examination, which should normally be conducted within four months of submission. An oral examination is required even if the examiners identify significant problems during their initial assessment of the dissertation.

21.2. The oral examination allows the examiners to:

21.2.1. Assess whether the student has achieved the relevant award criteria.

21.2.2. Question the student on the substance of their work.

21.2.3. Assess the ability of the student to present and defend intellectual arguments.

21.2.4. Assess the student’s knowledge and understanding of the discipline and the relevant literature.

21.2.5. Verify that the student’s work is their own and to assess the extent of any collaboration.

21.3. If a PGR student is unable to participate in an oral examination in the event of their death, severe illness or other debilitating condition, the policy on failure to complete assessment for research degrees should be considered.

21.4. The Pro Vice-Chancellor (Education and Students) or delegate can exempt a PGR student from attending an oral examination for other significant causes. An appropriate alternative to the oral examination would be required to allow the examiners to assess the student.

21.5. The policy on failure to complete assessment for research degrees and exemptions from the oral examination are separate from reasonable adjustments related to disability and from exceptional circumstances that might affect a student’s performance at the oral examination. Reasonable adjustments and exceptional circumstances are covered by their own rules.

21.6. The examiners complete preliminary reports before the oral examination and a joint final report after the examination has been completed, as described in the examination reports and guidance on corrections section.

Impartiality and fairness

21.7. The PGR student, their supervisors, the School PGR Director, and the examiners must avoid any action that might be seen to impair the examiners’ ability to make a fair and impartial assessment of the student’s work.

21.8. Examiners must not comment on drafts of the student’s dissertation prior to the examination.

21.9. PGR Students and their supervisors must not contact examiners prior to the examination beyond discussing the practical arrangements for the oral examination with the internal examiner (or independent chair if there are no internal examiners). This discussion can include raising any reasonable adjustments or relevant exceptional circumstances.

Practical arrangements

21.10. The internal examiner co-ordinates the practical arrangements for the oral examination. If there is no internal examiner, the independent chair will act as the co-ordinator. If there is more than one internal examiner, the School PGR Director must nominate one of them to act as the co-ordinator.

21.11. Where an independent chair is appointed because the internal examiner is inexperienced, the internal examiner still co-ordinates the oral examination with the independent chair providing any necessary guidance.

21.12. The co-ordinator must ensure that the PGR student is given at least ten days’ notification of the date of the oral examination.

21.13. If the PGR student is on medical leave or short-term exceptional leave on the day scheduled for the oral examination, the co-ordinator must rearrange the date of the oral examination.

Reasonable adjustments

21.14. Reasonable adjustments to the oral examination for disabled PGR students are covered by alternative exam arrangements.

21.15. Alternative exam arrangements must be requested on the appointment of research degree examiners (ARDE) form or, if the ARDE form has been approved, on a separate request form.

21.16. Main supervisors should encourage their students to think about alternative exam arrangements as an adjustment for disability. If the PGR student has a disclosed disability and/or known support needs through a study support plan, the main supervisor must discuss alternative exam arrangements with them. The main supervisor must request any appropriate arrangements on the ARDE form or, if the ARDE form has already been approved, on a separate request form.

21.17. Alternative exam arrangements are grouped based on how they affect the oral examination. A Study Support Plan (SPP) from Disability Services is normally required for arrangements in the highest grouping.

21.18. The Faculty Academic Director (PGR) or delegate must approve arrangements in the highest grouping if a Study Support Plan is in place. Where there is no Study Support Plan, the Associate Pro Vice-Chancellor (PGR) must approve arrangements in the highest grouping

21.19. The Faculty Academic Director (PGR) or delegate must appoint an independent chair for any examination where there is an arrangement in the highest grouping.

21.20. The School PGR Director must inform the examiners and, if appointed, the independent chair, of any alternative exam arrangements and of any actions that they need to take.

21.21. Examiners and, if appointed, the independent chair must take any appropriate action required of them when they are informed of alternative exam arrangements by the School PGR Director.

Exceptional circumstances

21.22 If there are exceptional circumstances not related to a disability (including where the student is on medical leave or short-term exceptional leave) that could affect a PGR student’s performance at the oral examination, the student or their supervisors can raise this with the School PGR Director and the internal examiner (and/or the independent chair if appointed).

21.23. Where appropriate, the examiners (and independent chair if appointed), under guidance from the School PGR Director and/or the Faculty Academic Director (PGR), can take any exceptional circumstances into account during the oral examination, including postponing the oral examination if necessary.

Recording oral examinations and other special arrangements

21.24. Oral examinations are not routinely recorded. The Faculty Academic Director (PGR) or delegate can approve the recording of an oral examination where there is justification and with the agreement of the student and the examiners. Approval must be sought prior to the start of the oral examination.

21.25. The Faculty Academic Director (PGR) or delegate can approve other special arrangements for the oral examination on the same basis.

21.26. Schools can seek agreement from the Faculty Academic Director (PGR) or delegate for the regular use of recording or other special arrangements for oral examinations.

How an oral examination is held

21.27. Oral examinations can be held in any of the following ways:

21.27.1 In person at the University of Bristol.

21.27.2 Fully online with all participants on screen.

21.27.3 Partly online with at least two participants in the same room and with other participants on screen.

21.28. The examiners and the PGR student must agree on how the oral examination will be held. The student must be comfortable with the arrangements.

21.29. The Faculty Academic Director (PGR) or delegate can set a standard expectation on how oral examinations are held (in person, online, or partly online) for specific PGR programmes. Oral examinations related to any specified PGR programmes must adopt this standard approach unless:

21.29.1.  There is an exam accommodation for a disabled PGR student that specifies another way of holding the oral examination.

21.29.2. The PGR student requests that the oral examination is held in another way.

21.19.3. There are exceptional circumstances that require another way of holding the oral examination.

21.30. If the oral examination is partly or fully online, the policy for online oral examinations must be followed.

21.31. In exceptional circumstances, the Faculty Academic Director (PGR) or delegate can approve a request for the oral examination to be held in person in a physical location outside of the University of Bristol. The examiners and PGR student must agree on the location.

Observers

21.32. Observers can attend the oral examination if the examiners and PGR student agree to their presence and if this is approved by School PGR Director and the Faculty Academic Director (PGR) or delegate. Observers can be a student’s supervisor/s or other individuals.

21.33. Observers cannot contribute to the discussion during the oral examination.

21.34. Observers cannot see the examiners’ preliminary reports and must withdraw before the examiners start to consider their recommendation. The only exception to this rule is where an observer is an inexperienced academic, who has no close links to the student, and who is attending specifically to gain knowledge of the full examination process.

Conduct of the examination

21.35. Throughout the examination process, examiners (and independent chair if appointed) must treat the PGR student’s work with strict confidence.

21.36. The examiners (and independent chair if appointed) must ensure that the examination is conducted fairly, and that the PGR student is given optimum opportunity to demonstrate their knowledge of their project and of the wider research field through the dissertation and in the oral examination.

21.37. Before the oral examination goes ahead, the internal examiner (or independent chair if appointed) must check to see if the student is on medical leave or short-term exceptional leave. If the student is on medical leave or short-term exceptional leave, the oral examination must be postponed.

21.38. All examiners participate in the oral examination with an external examiner normally taking the lead in the discussion of the student’s dissertation. An independent chair, if appointed, presides over the oral examination but only participates as needed to direct the examiners on the regulations and procedures for examination. The independent chair can also provide procedural guidance to the PGR student and can consider any wellbeing issues.

21.39. All examiners (and the independent chair if appointed) must be present for the duration of the oral examination.

21.40. All participants in the oral examination must behave with respect, courtesy and with integrity towards those present. The oral examination must be conducted in an appropriate and professional manner.

21.41. The oral examination must be conducted in English unless the Faculty Academic Director (PGR) or delegate has approved a request from a PGR student in Modern Languages, who has submitted a dissertation in another language, to hold the oral examination in that language. The examiners must agree to the oral examination being held in another language.

21.42. Examiners (and the independent chair if appointed) are responsible for ensuring that the oral examination is conducted fairly and with consideration of any reasonable adjustments or any special arrangements that have been put in place.

Academic misconduct and oral examination

21.43. If examiners suspect academic misconduct (for example, the falsification of data) in the dissertation during their preparations for the oral examination, they must stop the examination process without holding an oral examination.

21.44. If during the oral examination the examiners start to suspect academic misconduct, they can ask the student questions on this matter. If concerns remain, the examiners must stop the oral examination.

21.45. If examiners suspect academic misconduct after the oral examination has concluded, they must stop the examination at that point.

21.46. The internal examiner (or the independent chair if appointed) must inform the student that the examination has been stopped because of a suspected academic misconduct. The examiners must then follow the policy on academic misconduct for PGR examinations and awards.