Practical tips for studying in Uppsala

Each course has a syllabus, a formal course document. It states the study level, main study field, grading system, aim, requirements, learning outcomes, content, instructions and examination of the course. The course syllabus can be found under each course at the main University course catalogue.

Examinations

At a university examination in biology in Sweden, you are supposed to show that you have learned facts and models, that you have understood the processes and that you can solve problems using your new knowledge. The most important part is to be able to apply your knowledge and use it to solve problems, using the models and facts that you have learned.

When answering the examination questions, make sure to give answers relevant to the questions. You will not get any points if you write an essay about something that was not asked for. The credit you get for your answer does not reflect how much you have written, but how correct your answer is and if you have covered the whole question.

Your teacher or a teacher assistant will visit each examination a while after it has started to see that all students understand the questions. If you do not understand what the teacher is asking for you may take the opportunity to ask for an explanation.

Grading criteria

Most biology courses at Uppsala University are graded with U (fail), 3, 4 and 5. Grades are given based on the level of understanding a student shows for the course content during the examinations. Grades are never relative. This means that there is no limitation to the number of students that can obtain the different grades on a course, nor are the students ranked within a group. Normally, for a written exam, the grade 3 limit is around 50% of the maximum points. Degree projects are graded only with G (pass) or U (fail).

Grades of examinations and courses are given by the course leader. Course grades are based not only on the written examinations, but also on compulsory course parts such as seminars, written and oral reports, practical abilities, reasoning abilities etc. The grading criteria should be presented to the students at the course start and be available on the course pages in the Student Portal. If you experience problems with the grading, please contact the course leader or the Director of Studies.

When you have completed a course, the course leader will report the result and the grades to the IBG administration and your results will be registered in the University’s documentation system.

You can see your results in Ladok. There you can print a copy of your records. You can also print an official transcript of records. If you need a more specialised transcript, please visit the IBG administration. You can also send an e-mail to info@ibg.uu.se and ask for an official transcript of your records to be sent to you. Remember to write your full name, your civic registration number and your address. Your transcript will be sent to you by mail or e-mail within a few days.