Miss Zoe Allwood
FOI Manager
Ciara Aberdeen
By email
Reference: FOI-2021-899
17 December 2021
Dear Ms Aberdeen,
Your request was received on 19 November 2021 and I am dealing with it under the terms of the
Freedom of Information Act 2000 (‘the Act’).
You asked:
Please may I have the mark schemes for Parts IA, IB, II of the Mathematical Tripos for the
2016, 2017, 2018 and 2019 examinations.
This information is refused under section 43(1) of the Act as it constitutes a trade secret (within the
meaning of this term in the Act). These materials are protected under the copyright and intellectual
property rights of the University and the individual academics involved in creating them. They are made
available in specific ways to registered students on the course, with whom they are used under specific
pedagogical conditions. As this is a qualified exemption, the University has considered whether, in all
the circumstances of the case, the public interest in maintaining the exemption outweighs the public
interest in disclosing the information. The University is aware of the general arguments concerning
transparency in its teaching and examination arrangements. However the need to maintain teaching
standards and quality assurance in certain courses through the dissemination of copyrighted materials
at a time (and to the audience) of the University’s choosing is considered to be a decisive factor in
favour of the maintenance of the exemption in this case.
If you are unhappy with the service you have received in relation to your request and wish to make a
complaint or request an internal review of this decision, you should contact us quoting the reference
number above. The University would normally expect to receive your request for an internal review
within 40 working days of the date of this letter and reserves the right not to review a decision where
there has been undue delay in raising a complaint. If you are not content with the outcome of your
review, you may apply directly to the Information Commissioner for a decision. Generally, the
Information Commissioner cannot make a decision unless you have exhausted the complaints
The Old Schools
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procedure provided by the University. The Information Commissioner may be contacted at: The
Information Commissioner’s Office, Wycliffe House, Water Lane, Wilmslow, Cheshire, SK9 5AF
(https://ico.org.uk/).
Yours sincerely,
Zoe Allwood