Assessment
Subject to any restrictions announced in a particular year by the Faculty Board under the provisions of Regulation 30, candidates are required to offer in the examination for Part II of the Biological and Biomedical Sciences of the Natural Sciences Tripos:
(a) the examination requirements of one Major Subject;
(b) the examination requirements of one Minor Subject;
(c) a dissertation of not more than 6,000 words, excluding tables, figures, and references.
All subjects make provision for candidates to offer a dissertation.
General Information for BBS examination
The maximum marks allocated to each component of the examination will be in the following proportion
| Up to academic year 2017-18 | From academic year 2018-19 | |
|---|---|---|
| Major Subject | 65 | 64 |
| Minor Subject | 15 | 16 |
| Dissertation | 20 | 20 |
| Total | 100 | 100 |
Marks for each paper are provided by the contributing Departments out of 100 (except for the five major subject papers in Biochemistry, which are each out of 80; in major subject Human Evolution, Ecology and Behaviour the two-term papers are worth 133 marks, the one-term papers worth 67 marks). The major subject paper marks are then summed to give a total out of 400, then scaled to give a mark out of 64 by the calculation (X/400) * 64, where X is the mark out of 400. The minor subject marks are scaled to a mark out of 16 by the calculation (Y/100) * 16, where Y is the minor subject mark out of 100. The dissertation marks are scaled to a mark out of 20 by the calculation (Z /100) * 20, where Z is the dissertation mark out of 100. The marks for each of the components are then summed to give a total out of 100, and this is used in classing.
The papers offered will normally be the same as those for the single Major Subject. For most Minor Subjects the paper is borrowed from another Tripos. There is a separate class list for NST Part II BBS, which will be published after the single-subject class lists - you will not be classed or ranked alongside single-subject Part II students, but with other BBS students.
The Faculty Board's dissertation marking criteria for NST Part II can be downloaded here. Please note that dissertation supervisors are generally not involved in marking and should not give estimates of the dissertation's final mark.
The marking and classing criteria for BBS can be downloaded here.
Advice on examinations skills, marking criteria and links to Orders of Examinations etc are available in the general Exams tab
For information on how to register for exams, please click here.
For Senior Examiners Reports please click here
Examination requirements for Major Subjects
You should consult the course handbooks issued by departments for detailed information about the form and conduct of the examinations in your chosen papers.
All Major subjects are currently assessed by four written papers of three hours each except for the following:
| Major Subject | Assessment |
|---|---|
| Biochemistry | Five written papers: four papers of three hours each and one paper of three and a quarter hours |
| Human Evolution, Ecology and Behaviour | Two core papers to be assessed by a three-hour written examination, plus the examination requirements of two optional papers |
| Pharmacology | Four written papers: three papers of three hours and one paper of three and a quarter hours |
Examination requirements for Minor Subjects
Candidates should also consult the examination regulations of the relevant Tripos for latest examination requirements.
All Minor Subjects are currently assessed with one paper of three hours except for the following:
| Paper | Minor Subject | Assessment |
|---|---|---|
| 137 | Surgical and Radiological Anatomy | One Short Answer Questions paper of one hour duration worth 20 % of the Minor Subject mark, a 2,500-3,000 words report on the chosen Lent option worth 50% of the Minor Subject mark, and an individual presentation worth 30% of the Minor Subject mark (20% for slides and 10% for delivery) |
Publication of results
The BBS course borrows a large number of papers from various Triposes. Therefore, the final meeting of examiners has to take place once all the borrowed papers have been marked and their marks approved by the respective Senior Examiners. Therefore the results for BBS students are published later than those of corresponding single subject students.
The Gordon Wigan Prize
The Gordon Wigan Prize for Biological and Biomedical Sciences shall be awarded to the candidate who is at the top of the class list for NST Part II BBS, and achieves a First Class mark. The prize is a book token for a value of £100.