If you have submitted a Freedom of Information request please accept this
email as acknowledgement that your request has been received. You should
expect a response from us within 20 working days. 
For details on how we use your personal information, please see UCL's
general privacy
notice: [1]www.ucl.ac.uk/legal-services/privacy/general-privacy-notice
Data Protection Office
Office of General Counsel 

References

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Dear Choo

Thank you for your Freedom of Information request of 24^th March 2023. 

We have completed the compilation of information in response to your
request for information about the average grade/ratio of first and second
class and failed of the following UCL modules in the past three years:

• BIOC0017
• BIOL0022
• BIOL0027
• CELL0002
• CELL0012
• CELL0016

We can confirm that we do hold some information of the description
specified in your request and this information is provided in the attached
spreadsheet.

Please note: 

• Modules are not graded in terms of first or second class etc.  We have
therefore assumed 70+% for a 1:1, 60-70% for a 2:1, 50-60% for a 2:2,
40-50% for a 3, and <40% for a fail.
• The percentages provided of students achieving a mark within a
particular range do not include those who received zero marks due to
absence etc.

As you will see within the attached spreadsheet, we have withheld the
following:

• The average grade where this is based on a group of 7 or fewer
students taking a particular module within a particular academic year
(represented as ≤7); and
• The percentage of students achieving a particular grade range where
this is based on a group of 22 or fewer students taking the module
within a particular academic year (represented as ≤22).

This information has been withheld because, with such low numbers, even
providing this information on an anonymised basis, there is a risk the
individuals may be identifiable which means that these are personal data
of third parties, or if linked with other personal identifiers in the
public domain, would be likely to become personal data.  This information
has been withheld under Section 40(2) of the Freedom of Information Act
2000 (FOIA) by virtue of Section 40(3A)(i).

Section 40(2) of the FOIA allows a public authority to withhold
information under the FOIA where (i) the requested information is personal
data relating to someone other than the requester, and (ii) its disclosure
would breach any of the Data Protection principles.  In this case, we
believe that the requested information could relate to and identify
individuals and therefore would be personal data.  The disclosure of these
personal data would not be within the reasonable expectations of the
individuals concerned and it would be unfair to do so; this therefore
breaches the first Data Protection principle.

As the Section 40(2) exemption is an absolute one, there is no need to
conduct a public interest test.

You are free to use any information supplied for your own use, including
for non-commercial research purposes. The information may also be used for
the purposes of news reporting. However, any other type of re-use, for
example by publishing or issuing copies to the public, will require the
permission of the copyright owner.

If you are unhappy with our response to your request and wish to make a
complaint or request a review of our decision, please email
[1][email address]. Emails should include the words ‘Internal
Review’ in the subject and be marked For the Attention of the
Vice-President (Operations), alternatively you should write to:

Vice-President (Operations)

University College London

Gower Street

London

WC1E 6BT

Please note, complaints and requests for internal review received more
than two months after the initial decision will not be handled.

If you are not content with the outcome of the internal review, you may
apply directly to the Information Commissioner at the address given below.
You should do this within two months of our final decision.

If you have any queries or concerns, please contact me using the details
provided in this letter and including the request reference number.

Further information on the Freedom of Information Act is available from
the Information Commissioner’s Office:

Wycliffe House

Water Lane

Wilmslow

SK9 5AF

01625 545700

[2]www.ico.org.uk

[3][email address]

Kind regards,

Janine Small

Data Protection and Freedom of Information Adviser

University College London

Legal Services

Data Protection: [4][email address] FOI: [5][UCL request email]

References

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