The outcome of the viva

Find out the possible recommendations examiners can make on your thesis and what to do in each case.

The outcome of the viva is normally given informally to you immediately and by no later than 24 hours after the viva has taken place. Please see the Guide to the thesis submission process on the Research student guidance page of the For Students website for more information on the processes explained on this webpage.    

Possible recommendations 

After the viva, your examiners produce a joint report which outlines their recommendation. The recommendation of the examiners is subject to final approval by the Graduate Board's Progress and Examinations Group, which must consider the examiners’ report at its next meeting. The examiners will inform you of the recommendation they are sending forward on your thesis. The possible recommendations are: 

Pass

Where your thesis satisfies the requirements for the award and no further corrections are required. You will need to submit your final eThesis to the University within one month of the viva date. 

Pass (subject to the correction of ‘editorial and presentational corrections’)

Where your thesis satisfies the requirements for the award of the degree but is found to contain minor editorial and presentational errors (trivial errors, typographical errors, simple mistakes of fact or the insertion of headings or other ‘signpost’ material for the sake of clarity).  Your corrections must be completed and returned to your internal examiner for approval within four weeks from the viva.  

Pass (subject to the correction of minor deficiencies)

Where your thesis satisfies the requirements for the award of the degree but is found to contain minor deficiencies (rewriting of sections, correcting calculations or clarifying arguments and the correction of minor typographical errors).  Your corrections must be completed and returned to your internal examiner for approval within 12 weeks from the viva.  

Referral

Where your thesis is potentially of a standard to merit the award of the degree, but it does not, at this stage, satisfy the requirements for award. You will be required to revise your thesis, which may entail further research, or any other activity required by the examiners, and resubmit this for re-examination. Please see the Referral and resubmission page of the For Students website for further guidance. 

Fail

If the examiners recommend that your thesis be failed there is no further opportunity to revise and resubmit the work.   

MPhil award on PhD submission

For candidates submitting for PhD only, the examiners may recommend the award of MPhil (with or without minor corrections) in cases where the thesis fails to achieve the standard for the award of a PhD but does satisfy the criteria for the award of the degree of MPhil.  

Appealing 

In some circumstances, you may wish to appeal against an adverse academic decision. You will receive details of the appeals process in an email sent to you notifying you of the outcome of your viva, so please read it carefully. You can also read further details of the procedure governing the consideration of postgraduate researcher appeals on the  Academic appeals page of the University of Leeds Secretariat website. If you are considering an appeal against the outcome of the examination, you are strongly encouraged to seek independent advice and support from the Leeds University Union Student Advice team. You should also speak to your supervisory team and your Graduate School.