Exam Rules

EXAMINATION REGULATIONS

BA/BSc 4-Year (Hons.) Degree Programme

  1. PRELIMINARY
                 In exercise of the powers conferred upon it by Section 23 sub Section 2(VII) read with Section 27 sub Section V of the Government College University Faisalabad Ordinance 2002 (Ordinance XLVIII of 2002) the Syndicate of the GC University Faisalabad is pleased to make the following Examination Regulations for Affiliated Institutes:-
B              SHORT TITLE AND COMMENCEMENT
                 These Regulations shall come into force with immediate effect.
1.              GENERAL REGULATIONS
                 These Regulations shall be applicable to all the academic programs being offered at Affiliated Institutes of GC University Faisalabad.
  1. DEFINITIONS
                 In these Regulations, unless the context otherwise requires, the following expressions shall have the meaning hereby respectively assigned to them; that is to say:
  1. "University" means GC University Faisalabad.
  2. "Institute" means an Institute Affiliated with GC University Faisalabad.
  3. "Vice Chancellor" means Vice Chancellor, GC University Faisalabad.
  4. "Principal/ Director" means Head of the Affiliated Institute.
  5. "Registrar" means the Registrar of GC University Faisalabad.
  6. "Controller" means the Controller of Examinations, GC University Faisalabad.
  7. "Chairperson" means Chairperson of the respective academic department of GC University Faisalabad.
  8. "Head of Department" means Incharge of respective academic department of Affiliated Institute.
  9. "Course" means teaching unit of a discipline to be covered within a Semester as detailed in the Syllabi of study program and issued by the respective academic department of GC University Faisalabad. Each course is identified by a Course Code and Title.
  10. "Syllabi" means list of approved courses for various academic programs offered by GC University Faisalabad, the syllabi shall include outline of Syllabus, Credit assigned to each course and schedule of classes.
  11. "Department" means the concerned Department of Affiliated Institute of GC University Faisalabad.
  12. "Program" means a broad area of study for specific types of degree paths over a specific period of time approved for Affiliated Institutes.
  13. "Semester" means a period of 16-18 weeks duration.
  14. "Student" means the student of Affiliated Institute of GC University Faisalabad.
  15. "Marks" means original marks obtained by the student.
  16. "Progress Report" means a semester-wise distributed inventory of courses taken and grades earned by a student. It will be issued after each semester.
  17. "Transcript" means an inventory of courses taken and grades earned by a student throughout the whole program. It will be issued at the end of program.
  18. "Degree" means a title awarded to a student of Affiliated Institute at the end of any program in recognition of satisfactory completion of prescribed courses of study for the particular program.
  19. "Unfair Means Cases Committee" means the Discipline Committee of GC University Faisalabad which deals  with the matters of Indiscipline in Examination.
  20. "Board of Studies" means the Board of Studies of the respective Department of GC University Faisalabad.
1.2            STATUS OF STUDENT
  1. A student admitted to any program in an Affiliated Institute of GC University Faisalabad and Registered with the University shall be a full time student.
  2. No student shall get admission in another course of study in this University or any other Institution during his/her enrolment as a student of any program of an Affiliated Institute of GC University Faisalabad.
  3. There will be no provision of credit transfer in any program affiliated with the University.
1.3            CURRICULA AND EXAMINATIONS
  1. The Institute will use the curricula, semester roadmaps and course outlines, as defined by the concerned Department of the University.
  2. The academic calendar for all Affiliated Institutes shall be notified by the Controller of Examinations at the beginning of the Session.
  3. The schedule of Tests/ Final Examination will ne notified by the Controller of Examinations in consultation with the Principals/ Directors of Affiliated Institutes, which shall be adhered to strictly.
  4. All Tests and Final Examinations shall take place on the approved campus of the Institute or as notified by the University.
  5. The medium of instructions and examination in the Institute shall be English except in the case of foreign (oriental) languages where foreign (oriental) language may be used along with English.
  6. The Invigilation Staff for Final Examination shall be appointed by the Controller of Examinations before the date fixed for the Final Examination.
  7. No latecomer shall be admitted unless a written request mentioning the genuine reason satisfies the invigilator of that examination centre. In no case he/she shall be admitted in the examination centre half an hour after the commencement of the examination.
  8. No student shall be allowed to leave the examination centre before the half time is over. If he/she leaves, he/she should handover the question paper and answer script to the invigilator of Examination Centre.
  9. No student shall be allowed to sit in the examination centre without Institute or Computerized National Identity Card.
1.4MAINTENANCE OF EXAMINATION RECORD
  1. The Result of Semester Work for each course shall be sent by the Principal/ Director to the Controller of Examinations atleast fifteen (15) days before the start of Final Examinations.
  2. The record of Semester Work, i.e. assignments, projects, quizzes etc, shall be preserved by the respective Department of the Affiliated Institute for at least one year from the date of Internal Assessment.
  3. The record of Final Examination shall be preserved by the Office of Controller of Examinations for at least one year from the date of Assessment.
1.5INDISCIPLINE IN EXAMINATIONS
  1. The Superintendent of an Examination Centre shall prepare the indiscipline case, if any, together with the statement of the student along with the material recovered from the student and forward it to the Controller of Examinations for necessary action.
  2. The Controller of Examinations shall arrange, at the earliest, to refer all the indiscipline cases to the Discipline Committee for Examination and the D.C.E shall decide the cases within a week after the receipt of the cases.
  3. Any candidate who:
  1. submits forged or fake documents in connection with the examination.
ii      commits impersonation in the examination.
iii     copies from any paper, book or notes.
  1. mutilates the Answer Book.
  2. possesses any kind of material, which may be helpful to him/her in the examination.
  3. does anything, which he/she should not do morally or legally in connection with the examination and which may be helpful to him/her in the examination.
  4. refuses to obey the examination staff or refuses to follow the instructions issued by the University in connection with the examination.
  5. misbehaves or creates any kind of disturbance in or around the examination centre.
  6. uses abusive or obscene language in an Answer Script.
  7. possesses any kind of weapon in or around examination centre.
                 His/her case shall be referred to the Unfair Means Cases Committee, which after due investigation, if found guilty, shall take any of the following disciplinary action keeping in view the nature and intensity of offence.
  1. Cancellation of Paper.
  2. Suspension from Program for one semester.
  3. Fine of Rs. 5000/-.
  4. Expulsion forever from the University.
  5. If a person commits a cognizable offence, the University may, in addition to taking action under the above regulations, initiate legal proceedings against the offender under the law for the time being in force.
  6. If a student is not satisfied by the decision of the Unfair Means Cases Committee he/she can submit his/her appeal within a week after the decision of the Unfair Means Cases Committee to the Vice Chancellor. No appeal shall lie against the decision of the Vice Chancellor.
1.6            GRADING SYSTEM
1.6.1    Final grade in each course shall be awarded to the students on the basis of marks obtained by the students and his/her relative position in the class in the respective course. These grades then translated into Grade Points (GP). For determining a student's position at the end of every semester, the Grade Point Average (GPA) system shall be used.
1.6.1.1 The result of Theory Paper shall be calculated on Relative Scale and the result of Project/Dissertation/Internship Report/Practical shall be calculated on Absolute Scale.
1.6.2    GRADING FORMULA
Letter Grade Numeric Value of Grades Description
A+ 4.0 Outstanding
A 3.7 Excellent
B+ 3.3 Very Good
B 3.0 Good
B- 2.7 Average
C+ 2.3 Satisfactory
C 2.0 Pass
C- 1.7 Low Pass
D 1.0 Barely Pass
F 0.0 Fail
In ---- In complete
 
1.6.3    GRADE POINT (GP)
Grade Point = Numeric Value of Grade x Credit Hours
GP = (Numeric Value of Grade X CH)


1.6.4    GRADE POINT AVERAGE (GPA)
            Performance in any semester is reported in Grade Point Average. This is the average of weighted grade points earned in the courses taken during the semester. The Grade Point Average is obtained by dividing the sum of Grade Points attained in each course by the total number of Credit hours for that semester.


1.6.5    CUMULATIVE GRADE POINT AVERAGE (CGPA)
            Cumulative Grade Point Average is the up-to-date mean of the Grade Points earned by the student in a Program of study. It is an indication of student's overall performance at any point in the program. It is calculated by dividing the total of Grade Points attained by the student in all semesters by the total number of credit hours for all the semesters.


1.6.6    CREDIT HOURS
            Credit hours are weights assigned to a course. One credit is equivalent to One hour of class per week for course of theory and two hours of laboratory work per week for the course of practical for an academic semester.

1.7       PROBATION:
            Probation is a status granted to the student whose academic performance falls below an acceptable standard.

1.8       SEMESTER FREEZE
1.8.1    A student may take a Semester off due to unavoidable circumstances (e.g. Financial/Health Constraints etc.) by applying for a Semester Freeze. Such student must submit an application to the Controller of Examinations duly verified and recommended by the Head of Department and the Principal/ Director or the Institute. The Controller of Examinations shall give permission of Semester Freeze and notify the fact.
1.8.2    Semester Freeze for Semester-I of any program shall not be allowed.
1.8.3    The application for Semester Freeze should be submitted by the student within TWO weeks from the start of the Semester. No application for Semester Freeze shall be entertained after this period. (i.e. Two weeks from the start of semester).
1.8.4    A Student may apply for freeze at the most Two semesters, subject to the maximum length of the program.
1.8.5    Such a student should rejoin the same Semester in the following academic year subject to the maximum duration of the Program.

1.9       PERMISSION OF WRITER FOR SPECIAL STUDENTS
Permission of writer for special / physically handicapped students will be granted by the Controller of Examinations as per University policy.

1.10     RECHECKING OF SCRIPTS
  1. A candidate can apply to the Controller of Examinations for rechecking of the answer script of Final Examination of a Semester within 15 days of the date of declaration of result.
  2. During Re-checking, the Rechecking Committee shall check:
  1. Any question left unmarked.
  2. Total marks awarded in the answer script.
  3. The posting of marks from inside to the front page of answer script.
  4. The posting of marks from answer script to the award list.
  5. Compilation of Final Result.
The Answer Scripts once marked shall not be re-evaluated.
  1.         In case of any dispute, the case may be referred to the Dean's Committee, whose recommendations will be sent to the Vice Chancellor for approval.
  1. DAMAGED/LOST ANSWER SCRIPT
                 In an exceptional case where an answer script is damaged, lost or destroyed due to unavoidable circumstances, then the student may be given the following options:
  1. Average marks shall be awarded to the student in that subject/course.
  2. In case of Final Examination if the candidate so desires he/she shall be given another chance as a special case to take the Examination in that subject/course in the next examination and no examination fee shall be charged from the student.
  3. In case of Internal Assessment if the candidate so desires he/she shall be given another chance as a special case to take the Make-up Assessment in that subject/course in the same academic session.
1.12          MATTERS RELATED WITH DEGREES
1.12.1       The degrees of registered students, who fulfil the requirements for the award of degree, will be sent to the respective Affiliated Institute for onward distribution to the students. However, a student can apply for urgent issuance of Degree after submission of prescribed from and fee.
1.12.2       Duplicate Degree may be issued to a candidate in case the original degree is lost/damaged or in case of change in the name of candidate. The candidate has to apply to the Controller of Examinations for the issuance of duplicate degree along with the relevant documentary proof.
1.12.3       The Duplicate Degree shall be signed by the Controller of Examinations only.

2.              EXAMINATION REGULATIONS FOR FOUR YEAR (HONS.) BACHELOR PROGRAM
2.1            PROGRAM BREAK UP
2.1.1         Four Year (Hons.) Bachelor program is divided into four academic years (named as Year-I, Year-II, Year-III and Year-IV).
  1. Each academic year is divided into Two Semesters.
Year - I Year - III
Semester - I Semester - V
Semester - II Semester - VI
Year - II Year - IV
Semester - III Semester - VII
Semester - IV Semester - VIII
 
  1. Each semester shall be of 18 weeks duration, including 16 weeks for teaching and 02 weeks of Tests and Examinations.
  2. There shall be Semester Break of at least One week between two Semesters.
  3. The maximum duration allowed to a student for the completion of Hons. Degree is Six years.
2.2            ASSESSMENT - FORMAT
  1. The weightage of marks for each course in a Semester shall be as under:
i. Semester Work 30 Marks
  Class Tests/Quizzes/Assignments given by the respective teacher to the students in a Semester shall be called Semester Work.  
ii. Final Examination 70 Marks
              Total 100 Marks
 
  1. The detail of Semester Work for each course shall be prepared by the Course Instructor and the students shall be informed in writing.
2.2.3         PRACTICAL EXAMINATION
                 Separate Practical Paper of 50 Marks each shall be given to students in courses where practical are involved.
2.3            ATTENDANCE CRITERIA
2.3.1         A student must attend at least 80% of the lectures delivered in each course in a semester to be eligible to appear in the Final Examination of that course.
2.3.2         In case a student does not attend at least 80% of the lectures delivered in any course(s) in a Semester, he/she shall not be allowed to appear in the Final Examination of that course(s).
2.3.2.1      A relaxation of 5% in attendance percentage may be granted by the Head of Department to the student(s) who do not have the required attendance percentage due to some genuine reason and an additional relaxation of 5% may be granted by the Principal/ Director of the Institute. Such student shall have to apply for this relaxation to the Head of Department along with the documentary proof.
2.3.2.2      A case for relaxation in attendance percentage in excess to 10% shall be forwarded to the Vice Chancellor by the Principal/ Director for final decision.
2.3.3         The list of eligible students, registered with the University, for the Final Examination shall be notified by the Principal/ Director of the Institute after due verification from concerned Departments of the University, Ten (10) days before the start of Final Examination of each Semester and same shall be endorsed to the Office of Controller of Examinations.
2.3.3.1      A student, who does not have the required attendance percentage and is declared Not Eligible for the Final Examination of any course(s), shall be awarded In (Incomplete) grade in such course(s). Such students shall have to repeat the concerned course(s) in a forthcoming semester which offers the course(s).
2.3.3.2      In case such student fails to attend the required attendance percentage again/fails to qualify the course, while repeating, another chance shall be given to him/her to repeat the concerned course along with the forthcoming semester, which offers the course, subject to the maximum length of the program, i.e. Six years. No further chance will be given after this Examination.

2.4            FINAL EXAMINATION OF SEMESTER
  1. The Final Examination shall be conducted by the Controller of Examinations.
  2. The schedule/ date sheet for Final Examination shall be prepared by the Controller of Examinations atleast one month before the start of Final Examination.
  3. The Internal Examiner will be the teacher who have taught the course in an Affiliated Institute.
  4. The External Examiner shall be from a recognized University/ College/ Organization of Pakistan or abroad or a retired professor and he/she shall be appointed by the Controller of Examinations from the PANEL of Three External Examiners, for each course, recommended by the Board of Studies of the concerned department of the University.
2.4.4.1      In case of Practical Examination the External Examiner will conduct the Practical Examination with the cooperation and coordination of Internal Examiner.
  1. The Final theory paper shall be of 70 marks. The Question Paper shall have One Compulsory Objective Question of 14 marks. There shall be 05 Descriptive Questions of 14 marks each out of which a student has to attempt 04 Questions.
 
  1. FINAL EXAMINATION PAPER SETTING
    1. All the Internal Examiner/s for a course shall set specimen question papers in accordance with the regulation No. 2.4.5 and will send to the Controller of Examinations for onward transmission to the External Examiner.
    2. The External Examiner will be asked to set three Question Papers for Final Examination on the basis of specimen question papers provided by the Internal Examiners.
    3. The External Examiner must retain at least 50% of the specimen question papers. The External Examiner must send the required question papers to the Controller of Examinations in a sealed cover, provided by the University, on or before the specified date, alongwith the specimen question papers.
    4. Except printing error, under no circumstances the questions set in the question paper shall be changed at the time of Examination. Any issue concerning the scope of the "question paper" will be judged by the concerned Board of Studies on the recommendation of the Controller of Examinations.
  2. EVALUATION OF SCRIPTS
    1. The Controller of Examinations shall send Answer Scripts in a sealed cover direct to the External Examiner for evaluation.
    2. The External Examiner shall send the marked Answer Scripts within the specified period to the Controller of Examinations.
    3. In case the evaluation of the External Examiner deviates too far from the guidelines given to the Examiners by Controller of Examinations, then such cases will be placed before the committee of experts comprising of Dean of Science/Arts and Chairperson of the concerned department. On the recommendation of this committee the answer scripts will be sent to an expert for evaluation, if required. The evaluation of the Expert shall be considered final.
2.7            GENERAL CRITERIA FOR QUALIFYING A SEMESTER
2.7.1         Every student has to complete Semester Work and take the Final Examination offered by the University in each Semester. In case a student does not complete the Semester Work and/or does not appear in the Final Examination of a course, he/she shall be awarded an F grade in that course and such student shall have to take re-admission in that course.
2.7.2         A student shall pass a course if he/she scores at least 50% marks in the Semester Work and Final Examination separately, subject to the fulfilment of the condition given in 2.7.1.
2.7.3         No grace marks shall be awarded to the students.
2.7.4         A student, who fails to score a minimum of 1.50 CGPA at the end of any semester, shall have to get Re-admission in the Program, i.e. First Semester, subject to the maximum length of the program, i.e. six years.
2.7.5         A student who scores CGPA between 1.50 and 2.00 at the end of any semester; shall be placed on First Probation. Such student shall be conditionally promoted to the next semester.
2.7.5.1      In case a student fails to score 2.00 CGPA in the Semester of First Probation, another chance shall be given to such student. He/she shall be conditionally promoted to the next Semester and shall be placed on Last Probation.
2.7.5.2      In case a student fails to score 2.00 CGPA in the semester of Last Probation he/she shall have to get Re-admission in the Program, i.e. First Semester, subject to the maximum length of the program, i.e. six years.
2.7.6         Re-admission in Program is only allowed once.
2.7.7         A student who gets re-admission in the program shall get exemption for the course(s) which he/she has qualified with grade equal to or higher than C+. Such student shall have to complete the Degree within Six years from the first admission to the program.
2.7.8         A student who scores F grade in any course(s) in a Semester, shall have to get re-admission in the concerned course(s) along with the forthcoming semester when these course(s) are offered by the University, provided that he/she is not debarred under Regulation 2.1.5.
2.7.8.1      In case of change/revision in course(s) of study for the Program, the student shall have to get Re-admission in the changed/revised course(s) in lieu of course(s) in which he/she has scored F grade.
2.7.8.2      A student shall be given Only One chance to pass the F Grade of a course. In case he/she fails to qualify the course, he/she shall have to get Re-admission in the Program, i.e. First Semester, subject to the maximum length of the program, i.e. six years.
2.7.9         A student can be given only one chance to improve a course with grade less than C+. The improvement is only possible by repeating the course(s) along with the forthcoming semester/summer semester which offers the course(s), provided that he/she is not debarred under Regulation 2.1.5.
2.7.9.1      In case of change/revision in course(s) of study for the Program, the student shall have to study the changed/revised course(s) in lieu of course(s) with grade less than C+.
2.7.9.2      In case a student repeats one or more course(s) in order to improve the grade and fails to improve the grade, then the grade scored previously by the student may be retained.
2.7.10       A student, who remains absent or fails to qualify all the courses of a semester, will not be allowed to continue in the next semester. Such student may be allowed to rejoin the same semester along with the following session only, subject to the maximum length of the program, i.e. six years.
2.7.11       A summer semester of 08 (Eight) weeks duration may be scheduled during summer vacations, after the approval of the University. There will be guided study in subject(s) offered during the summer semester. However, quizzes, assignments, semester tests, etc. will be held as usual. A student may register for a maximum of 09 (Nine) credit hours during summer semester. The summer semester will be allowed to those students who have failed to qualify a course or want to improve grade.

2.8            PROJECT/INTERNSHIP REPORT
2.8.1         Project/Internship/ Dissertation is a compulsory requirement for the degree of Hons.
2.8.2         The Project/Internship/ Dissertation shall be of 06 Credit Hours.
2.8.3         The Topic of Project/Internship Report/ Dissertation along with the name of Supervisor shall be approved by the Departmental Board of Studies at the beginning of semester-VII and the students shall have to submit the Project/Internship Report/ Dissertation within one month after the last day of Final Examination of Eighth Semester.
2.8.4         In case, a student fails to submit the Project/Internship Report or Dissertation within the stipulated time due to some genuine problem, an extension of maximum Three months can be granted. The applications of such students will be forwarded by the Principal/ Director of the concerned Institute through the Dean of respective Faculty to the Vice Chancellor for approval and the Dean will notify the extension, if granted.
2.8.5         50% marks are required to qualify the Project/Internship Report or Dissertation.
2.8.6         The Board of Examiners for Viva Voce of Project/Internship Report or Dissertation will comprise of Internal Examiner (Supervisor), External Examiner and Convener (Chairperson of the concerned department). The External Examiner for each Project/Internship Report or Dissertation will be appointed by the Controller of Examinations on the recommendation of Departmental Board of Studies.
2.8.7         A candidate shall submit Three Copies of the Project/ Internship Report or Dissertation to the Controller of Examinations, to be forwarded to Internal and External Examiners, in strip/tape binding.
2.8.8         A Board of Examiners shall evaluate the Project/Internship Report or Dissertation in a Viva Voce (Oral Examination). In case the Project/Internship Report or Dissertation does not meet the minimum standards, the Board may recommend revision and one time re-submission of the Project/Internship Report or Dissertation.
2.8.9         The cover of the final copy of Project/Internship Report or Dissertation should be Dark Maroon and hardbound.
2.8.10       The Project/Internship Report or Dissertation, which is accepted after evaluation, shall become the property of GC University, Faisalabad. One copy shall be kept in the concerned Departmental Library and one by the Convener.

2.9            DEGREE REQUIREMENTS
2.9.1         A student has to complete 124-136 credit hours study, out of which 06 Credit Hours are of Project/Internship Report or Dissertation, subject to the passing of all the courses offered by the University for the particular Program, for the completion of Degree.
2.9.2         He/she has to score at least 2.30 CGPA at the end of program for the award of Degree.
2.9.3         In case a student does not have 2.30 CGPA at the end of Semester-VIII, he/she may be allowed to get re-admission in one or more courses, in which his/her Grade is below C+, along with the forthcoming semester, provided that he/she is not debarred under Regulation 2.1.5.
 
3                VICE CHANCELLOR'S AUTHORITY IN SPECIAL CASES
                  Notwithstanding anything contrary to these Regulations, the Vice Chancellor shall have the powers to issue orders, directions or instructions in connection with the smooth working of the Examinations where the Regulations are silent and in cases of any hardship as regards the interpretation/operation of these Regulations, the decision of the Vice Chancellor shall be final.