Inspection and subsequent corrections

Every examinee has the right to inspect his or her examination documents. For the time being, you can still find the relevant information regarding access to individual exams here. For more recent exam review dates for which you cannot find information at the link above, the rules listed below apply.

The Examination Committee has adopted the following binding regulations on inspection and requests for subsequent corrections:

The regulations listed under Nos. 1 to 17 concern examinations taken in the form of a written examination. Regulations for other forms of examinations can be found under No. 18.

1. Inspections must be conducted promptly after the results are announced, but no later than during the lecture period of the following semester. All students who have taken an exam must be informed of the procedures promptly after the respective department has submitted the exam results to the Examination Office via the Campus Management System (KLIPS). This email must include the following information: the registration period, the date for inspection (or, if individual appointments are scheduled, the date on which the individual appointment will be announced), the approximate time frame for review appointments, and the registration and inspection procedures. Whenever possible, the approximate date for inspections should be announced at the beginning of the course.
2. Any information regarding the inspection may also be posted on the website of the relevant department. Information regarding the specific dates for the inspection (see No. 4) must be posted on the department’s website, on ILIAS, or via email.
3. Students must be given a registration period of at least seven business days. It is not permissible to require that registration be done only in person at the department. When designing the registration process, the relevant data protection regulations must be observed. Registration via the ILIAS system has proven to be particularly suitable. If this system is to be used, the corresponding link must be sent to students in the notification email. The department may also choose not to require a registration process.
4. If students are not informed of the location and time of the inspection session at the time of registration, this information must be provided at least one week before the inspection session begins.
5. Only students who have registered in advance may participate in the inspection session. If the department waives the registration requirement, all students who have taken the respective exam may participate in the inspection session.
6. Before the exam materials are handed out, the identity of each student must be verified. To do so, the student must present a photo ID along with their student ID card or a certificate of enrollment (digital or in paper form). If a representative is to inspect the materials, that representative must present their own photo ID as well as a corresponding power of attorney or the student ID or a certificate of enrollment (digital or in paper form) of the student who took the course exam.
7. Only one person at a time may inspect each exam. This may be either the student themselves or a person authorized by them.
8. During the inspection, persons appointed by the department must supervise the process to prevent, for example, students from making subsequent additions to their answers. The number of students reviewing the exam at any given time, as well as the size of the room used, should therefore be chosen so that this supervision by the persons present can be ensured. Altering or adding to answers during a review constitutes an act of academic dishonesty and will be sanctioned by the examination committee.
9. To prevent any additions after the fact, the inspection session will take place under exam conditions. Folders, bags, and jackets must be set aside and may not be taken to the seat. Students should be seated with spaces between them, as in exams. To avoid disturbing those present, conversation should be avoided. Students are permitted to use their own notepaper as well as any sample solutions that may be provided. Students may use their own pens only if the department does not provide pens.
10. Students will be given at least 10 minutes to photograph or photocopy their own exam materials. The use of cell phones and tablets is permitted for this purpose.
11. If a person who is qualified to provide information regarding questions about the grading of the exam is present, the inspection period is extended to 20 minutes. As a rule, this qualified person should be the research assistant who performed the preliminary grading.
12. Only the examiner may make a final decision regarding a change to the grade.
13. Students are permitted to photograph or photocopy their own exam; the department organizing the review session decides which of these two options will be granted to the students. This also applies to the examiner’s correction notes and the exam questions, but not to any sample solution that may have been provided. Under no circumstances may other attendees be disturbed.
14. Photographing or copying is permitted solely to allow students to review their own exam performance for possible grading errors even after the review period has ended. The exam questions and the examiner’s corrections are protected by copyright and may therefore be used exclusively for this purpose. Disclosure to third parties or publication - for example, on the Internet - is therefore not permitted and may result in legal consequences in the event of a violation. Notwithstanding the foregoing, legitimate interests in legal protection remain unaffected, such as the disclosure of materials to a retained attorney.
15. Questions regarding grades should be addressed directly during the inspection period whenever possible. If no knowledgeable person was present during the inspection, students must be given the opportunity to ask questions about their grades immediately after the review. If a consultation hour is offered after the inspection on a specific date, that date must be announced at least two weeks in advance. If, in individual cases, students wish to submit a written request for reconsideration of their grade, this request must be substantiated with valid reasons and clearly identify any alleged grading errors. This appeal must be submitted to the department no later than two weeks after the grade review session. The examiner’s written response may only address the clearly identified grounds for the appeal. The examiner’s response must be sent to the student no later than two weeks after the request is submitted. If a student wishes to maintain their appeal even after that, a written objection to the assigned grade—which must also be supported by valid reasons—must be submitted to the Office of Academic Examinations within one week of receiving the examiner’s response.
16. Notwithstanding the provisions mentioned above, inspections may also take place exclusively in electronic form. In this case, it must be ensured that all students who wish to do so, or all students who have taken an exam, receive their respective exam papers electronically. If registration is required for this procedure, the requirements listed in Nos. 1 through 3 apply. The relevant data protection requirements must be met.
17. Any change to a grade must be communicated in writing to the Examinations Office by the examiner. Notification of the grade change to the student is provided exclusively via the campus management system.
18. If a student wishes to review the materials used to evaluate an exam (other than a written exam) or a thesis that he or she has taken, he or she must submit a request to the examiner within 14 days of receiving notification of the grade. The same applies to the parts of a combined examination that are not written exams. Thereafter, a date for inspection will be arranged promptly. Students are permitted to photograph the completed examination, the examiner’s corrections, and the evaluation report. The same deadlines as those specified in No. 15 apply to a reconsideration procedure. For a written exam that is part of a combined exam, the provisions of Nos. 1 through 18 apply. Examiners may allow students to review the other components of a combined exam at the same time as the “written exam” component. In this case, students must be informed of this via the email mentioned in No. 1. In such cases, students are not required to submit an individual request for review.

If an examiner adjusts a grade following a reconsideration process, the corrected grade will be posted in the Campus Management System.