Academic Orientation New Examination Format School of law Date 20th June, 2025, Time 1700 1800 2

Summary

The orientation explained how School of Law students should access and complete the new online examination format, what to expect during the exam, and how to structure long-answer legal responses.

1. Checking Exam Access and Financial Clearance

The exam portal displays the subject, an action, a financial status, the exam date and start time, and the exam duration. Students were advised to check the portal regularly and resolve any financial-status issues before exam day.

The action labels mean:

• Not available: The exam is scheduled for a future date or time.
• Not ready: The exam is scheduled for that day, but its opening time has not arrived.
• Take exam: The exam is open and can be accessed.
• Exam closed: The exam period has ended and the paper can no longer be accessed.

If the portal shows Not ready or Not available at the scheduled exam time, students should contact the university promptly. Once an exam closes, it cannot be reopened.

2. Exam Format and Timing

The described law exam consists of:

• 20 multiple-choice questions
• Five short-answer questions, worth four marks each
• Three long-essay questions, worth 20 marks each

The exam window lasts three hours. It is tied to the scheduled start and end times shown in the portal, rather than being a flexible three-hour period that students can begin whenever they choose. Students who start late have less time remaining. There is no extension, so students should check their timetable and be ready before the exam opens.

The presenter suggested allocating roughly two hours to the long essays, 40 minutes to the short answers, and 20 minutes to the multiple-choice section. Students should manage their time according to the marks and demands of each question.

3. Accessing and Completing the Online Exam

The demonstration covered these steps and precautions:

• Log in to the student portal and select Take exam when the paper becomes available.
• Read the instructions before starting. The Start online exam button can be clicked only once, and the timer cannot be paused.
• Check that the internet connection and device are reliable before starting. Microsoft Edge or Google Chrome were recommended.
• Note the rejoin code before proceeding. If the connection drops, the code can be used to return to the exam.
• Enter the requested student details and image text accurately.
• Respond to questions and submit each answer as directed.

The exam is monitored. Leaving the exam screen, opening another tab, or trying to copy or paste can trigger a warning and may terminate the exam. The presenters said that the timer continues during a disconnection. Rejoining should return students to where they left off, but time will have elapsed.

The system submits automatically when time expires or if a technical issue prevents manual submission. Students can also submit the exam themselves when they finish.

4. Question Order and Submissions

Students must work from the first question through to the last. They cannot jump ahead, skip a question and return to it later, or review or revise answers after submitting them. Students should check each answer before submitting it.

The three long-essay questions are compulsory; students do not choose from a larger set. The system may assign different questions to different students.

5. Answering Long Essays: The IRAC Method

Dr. Timbo presented IRAC as the required structure for long legal answers:

• I — Issue: Identify the legal issue or question the court must decide. Read the scenario carefully and identify all relevant issues.
• R — Rule: State the relevant legal rules, principles, statutes, and case law. Keep the law accurate and relevant.
• A — Application or analysis: Apply the rules to the facts. Explain the arguments and consider both sides where appropriate. The presenter emphasized that this section carries substantial marks and should be developed rather than replaced with a brief statement of the law.
• C — Conclusion: Answer the issue directly and state a clear position, supported by the preceding analysis.

Additional guidance included:

• Use paragraphs for each issue. Headings such as “Issue” or “Rule” may help organize the answer.
• Avoid irrelevant facts or law, and do not rush straight to a conclusion.
• Support the analysis with relevant case law and research, and ensure that cited cases are real and accurately described.
• An answer may discuss arguments for both sides, but the conclusion should take a position.
• Short-answer questions do not require the same IRAC structure.

The examples included a contract question involving a 17-year-old seeking to avoid a motorbike purchase and a reward question about someone who returned a lost dog without knowing a reward had been advertised. These examples illustrated how to identify the issue, state the rule, apply it, and reach a conclusion.

6. Permitted Reference Materials and Course Scope

The guidance was that students must not leave the exam window to search online or open soft-copy materials, as this may trigger exam termination. After clarification, the presenters said students may consult printed Acts and type relevant material into their answers. Students may refer to law and cases from their own jurisdiction, provided the references are accurate and verifiable.

For Environmental Law, Dr. Timbo advised students to prepare using both the material taught by the lecturer and the module while updated materials were being developed. He said the legal principles would be relevant across jurisdictions, though multiple-choice questions might draw more directly from the module.

A student raised concerns about unclear course communications. The response acknowledged the concern and said clearer information would be needed. The format for non-law modules was not confirmed during the session.

Speakers and Sources Featured

Presenters and University Representatives

• Madame Huda — Demonstrated the portal and explained exam access and technical procedures.
• Dr. Timbo — Explained the IRAC method, long-essay expectations, and course-related questions.
• Madame Natasha — Clarified timetable, exam-window, printed-material, and reconnection procedures.
• Madame Rachel — Raised a question about whether non-law modules would follow the new format.

Students Heard During the Q&A

• Augustine
• Edson Banda
• Quintin Shamba
• Bruno
• Habakook (name as heard in the subtitles)
• Gracious
• Samson
• Brandon (name as heard in the subtitles)
• A participant whose name was rendered uncertainly as “Madame Get/Groot”
• Other participants whose names were not clear in the auto-generated subtitles

The presenters also referred students with financial-clearance concerns to Madame Melo and her team. She was mentioned as a contact but was not clearly heard speaking.