We are currently second year students at Westminster Business School (WBS) and have been happy with all assessment which has so far taken place in our degree. The students making this petition are all taking the module 'The Global Markets' (BMT506.1). This module is a core option to the second year students on our course and similar courses at WBS.

The module, despite being one semester long, is taught both in semester one and semester two, with the exam (which accounts for 70% of the final module grade) taking place during the summer, straight after semester two. Therefore, those students studying the module during semester one are forced to wait four to five months to take the exam, whereas those taught in semester two have the chance to be assessed straight after teaching has finished.

The unequal assessment on this module is unacceptable and detrimental to our learning. It is much more beneficial to take the exam post learning the module content, when knowledge is current, rather than after a time delay. Therefore, students taught in semester two have an advantage which makes assessment unequal.

Moreover, those students who completed the module during semester one will have one more module to effectively relearn, which can reduce time spent revising for other modules and can have a negative effect their outcomes.

The issue has been raised with our course representatives and individually with the module leader, yet all attempts for change have been ignored.

It is a two hour and fifteen minutes exam which is a small timeframe for the University, and could be offered in January and the summer. This is a small change for the organisation of the exams, but for a student, it is a significant factor which impacts upon their academic achievement.

It was very interesting to learn that for those exchange students taking this specific module during semester one, who will not be able to take the exam in the summer are offered an alternative assessment. This petition proposes that this alternative assessment apply to all students taught during semester one for this academic year, as a temporary solution. Although following this academic year, we propose that assessment is equalised and exams take place at each module end.

We are paying £9,000 to £11,000 a year and it is vital we are accommodated in getting the best education we can at the University.