Dear Miss S. Sheth,

I am writing to acknowledge your request under the Freedom of Information
Act 2000 received by The University of Manchester on 12 November 2020, our
reference as per the subject line.

The University will respond to your request within 20 working days.

NB Due to the current situation with the Covid-19 virus and the
University’s response to it, there may be a delay in receiving your
response at this time.

Kind regards,

Liz Skae | Information Governance Officer | Directorate of Compliance and
Risk |Professional Support Services| The University of Manchester | Oxford
Road | Manchester | M13 9PL|  [1]www.manchester.ac.uk

[2]http://assets.manchester.ac.uk/logos/hi-...

References

Visible links
1. http://www.manchester.ac.uk/

Dear Miss Sheth,

Thank you for your request for information received by The University of
Manchester on 12 November 2020 which was as follows:

I am writing to you in regard of wanting to see the scoring sheets you use
for each applicant when they give an interview for the dentistry A200
course (first-year entry) used for 2018, 2019, 2020 and 2021 entry please?
If you are not allowed to provide the 2021 entry sheet can you provide
scoring sheets for 2018, 2019 and 2020 please?

The University has now considered your request and unfortunately the
information you are seeking cannot be provided at this time. This is
because it is deemed to be exempt from disclosure by virtue of the listed
exemption at Section 43 (2) – Commercial Interests. Please see the refusal
notice below for further details.

Refusal Notice

This Refusal Notice has been issued under Section 17 of the Freedom of 
Information Act (FOIA) in respect of your request for information under 
Section 1 (1) of the FOIA. The University of Manchester confirms that the
information requested may be held but we are refusing to provide it in 
response to your request as it is deemed to be exempt by virtue of the 
listed exemption at Section 43 (2) – Commercial Interests. Information  is
exempt information if its disclosure under this Act would, or would be 
likely to, prejudice the commercial interests of any person (including
the  public authority holding it).

We may rely on this exemption if the disclosure would prejudice someone’s 
commercial interests (including the University’s own).  Commercial
 interests may be prejudiced where a disclosure would be likely to:

o Damage its business reputation or the confidence that customers, 
suppliers or investors may have in it 
o Have a detrimental impact on its commercial revenue or threaten its 
ability to obtain supplies or secure finance 
o Weaken its position in a competitive environment by revealing market 
sensitive information or information of potential usefulness to its 
competitors.

Section 43 (2) is a prejudice-based exemption and therefore we are 
required to conduct a public interest test. Please see details of this 
below.

Public Interest Test

Factors in Favour of Disclosure

There is public interest in disclosing the scoring sheets as this would
ensure that members of the public would be satisfied that the University
of Manchester applies the highest standards during its admissions process
to recruit the best possible dental practitioners of the future.  It would
also allow greater understanding of the interview process.

Factors Against Disclosure

To release the scoring sheets would afford those who had seen them a
competitive advantage, potentially allowing them to advance further
through the University’s admissions process than they would have without
this prior knowledge. This in turn may undermine the University’s
admissions procedures and our ability to attract the best possible
students, thus prejudicing our commercial interests.

The University of Manchester has carefully considered the balance of
public interest in this instance and has concluded that for the reasons
outlined above, the balance lies in maintaining the exemption.

If you feel that The University of Manchester has refused access to
information to which you are entitled, or has not dealt with your request
appropriately under the FOIA, you have a right of appeal.

An appeal in the first instance should be directed to the Information
Governance Office at [1][email address]. You should include: 

·         details of your initial request

·         any other relevant information

You must make this appeal within 40 working days from receipt of your
response. We will not accept appeals received after this date, as per the
Freedom of Information Code of Practice, Section 5.3.

The University will deal with your appeal within a reasonable time, and
will inform you of the projected time scale on receipt of your complaint.
You are also welcome to contact the Information Governance Office with
informal questions about the handling of your request. 

After The University’s internal appeals procedure has been exhausted, you
have a further right of appeal to the Information Commissioner’s
Office. Details of this procedure can be found at [2]www.ico.org.uk.

Kind regards

Sharon

Sharon Glen | Information Officer | Information Governance Office |
Directorate of Compliance and Risk |Professional Services | G7 Christie
Building | The University of Manchester | Oxford Road | Manchester | M13
9PL | Tel +44(0) 161 306 7549| [3]www.manchester.ac.uk

[4]data_matters_logo2-(3)

We are all responsible for protecting personal data held by the
University, including who we share that data with. Stop and think before
you send your email.  For further guidance see:
[5]www.dataprotection.manchester.ac.uk

References

Visible links
1. mailto:[email address]
2. http://www.ico.org.uk/
3. http://www.manchester.ac.uk/
5. http://www.dataprotection.manchester.ac....

Dear Miss Sheth,

You can find information on our interview process for dentistry online at https://www.bmh.manchester.ac.uk/study/d... which covers the types of questions that you may be asked on interview and advice on how to answer.

If you have any further questions that are not covered by the website then you should email them to the admissions team at [email address].

Kind regards

Sharon

Sharon Glen | Information Officer | Information Governance Office | Directorate of Compliance and Risk |Professional Services | G7 Christie Building | The University of Manchester | Oxford Road | Manchester | M13 9PL | Tel +44(0) 161 306 7549| www.manchester.ac.uk

We are all responsible for protecting personal data held by the University, including who we share that data with. Stop and think before you send your email.  For further guidance see: www.dataprotection.manchester.ac.uk

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