The Examination Period
In my experience, the exam period is quite long – it will of course depend on the modules you are taking, and the exam dates put forward by your lecturers. I was quite lucky to have taken modules where the first pre-term exams were available in December 2019 and in mid-January 2020. Also, given my selection of modules in the second semester, my lectures don’t start until 3 March 2020, so I have a long holiday now! The disadvantage is, however, that some exams in the second semester might be taking place in late June or in July 2020, which means that the summer holiday might be shorter for me. Let’s hope for the best!
Assessment grades
Italian universities use a special scheme; grades are commonly given on a 0-30 scale where 30 corresponds to or 100% . Below is a summary of the grades you can achieve in Italy:
| UniPd grades | Percentage (ECTS) |
| 30 (30L) | 100% (A) |
| 29-27 | 97%-90% (B) |
| 26-24 | 87%-80% (C) |
| 23-20 | 77%-70% (D) |
| 19-18 | 63%-60% (E) |
| ≤ 17 | ≤ 57% (F) |
As you probably noticed, there is an extra ‘L’ you can get when you do really well – this stands for con lode, which could be translated as ‘with distinction’ and is awarded to students who show a level of knowledge that exceeds the required criteria. On the other hand, the Italian system requires at least 3/5 (60%) on any given exam to pass, compared to the more lenient criteria for undergraduate psychology students that need to achieve at least 40% to get a Third and therefore pass. I was quite successful in the first semester; I received the grades of 30L, 30, 27, and a pass on a pass-fail exam in Italian.
What if I don’t like my grades?
As you can see, the grading scheme is a bit harsher than ours, but the Italian students have many more attempts (appeli) they can sit; often, there is a pre-term exam available for students who wish to finish as soon as possible and have revised (or feel confident). Then, there are often 1-2 attempts in the semester examination period and 1-2 attempts in the examination period of the following semester, which leaves the students with 4-5 attempts overall. Once the results are available, they appear in the Exam Results section in the student web interface where students have 7 days to decide whether they wish to reject the grade. If they do, they can sign up for the following attempt. If they don’t, the grade will be accepted and copied into the students’ Transcript of Records.
Credit transfer to UoL
If you are a Psychology student like me, then you don’t really have to worry about the grades you got as long as you pass all your modules. The ‘Study Abroad’ module at UoL is a pass/fail one. UniPd however provides a grade breakdown and grading system description; this is especially important to those who will have their grades transferred over to UoL.
