Failure in Imperial Master Viva: Resits, Caps, Appeals and the MPhil

Failure in an Imperial master’s viva is not automatically the end of the degree. On a taught MSc or MRes, Imperial’s 2026/27 regulations give a student who fails a module at least one further attempt, and the reassessed module mark is capped at the pass mark of 50.00. An MPhil viva follows separate research-degree rules with five possible outcomes.

The detail depends on which rulebook covers you, which module the viva belongs to, and whether something outside your control affected the day. This guide walks through each, quoting Imperial’s own regulations, and ends with a plan for the first week.

Which Imperial rulebook covers your viva

Start here, because the answer changes everything below. Imperial’s regulations index says students “will be governed under separate academic regulations” depending on their programme and start date.

For taught students there are two sets:

• Regs A, under Imperial’s 2026-27 Regs A page, govern “All new and continuing taught programme students” apart from those under Regs B. The Regulations for Taught Programmes of Study 2026/2027 apply to undergraduate and postgraduate taught programmes, MRes included.
• Regs B cover, among others, part-time postgraduates who started in 2022/23 or earlier and have not moved to a later curriculum.

If you are on an MPhil, neither applies. Your viva sits under the research regulations, covered further down. If you are unsure, the index says to check your programme specification, your handbook or your programme team.

Where the viva sits in an Imperial master’s

In these examples from Imperial’s own pages, the viva is one part of a project assessment, not a separate exam:

• The MRes in Molecular and Cellular Biosciences assesses each research project by a report (40%), an oral presentation (10%) and a viva (30%).
• The Molecular Biology and Pathology of Viruses MSc assesses the project by a 10,000 word thesis and an oral viva examination.
• The Pure Mathematics (Formalisation of Mathematics) MSc assesses its project by a written report and an oral examination.

Imperial’s guide to choosing a postgraduate course also warns applicants they may undergo a viva on their work. The 2026/27 taught regulations (paragraph 192) require oral assessments to be open double marked unless a durable record of the assessment is kept.

The practical point: the taught regulations set rules for modules. When a viva is one weighted part of a project module, ask first whether the module failed, and by how much. Your module leader or programme handbook can tell you how the components combine.

What happens after a failed module on a taught master’s

These are the rules in the 2026/27 taught regulations, with the paragraph numbers printed in the document.

• The pass mark: 50.00 for graded modules at Level 7, the master’s level (paragraph 138).
• A further attempt: a student who fails a module will be permitted at least one further attempt, subject to the maximum number of attempts (paragraph 156).
• The form of the attempt: the Board of Examiners can set a re-sit of the assessment components without attendance by a specified date, or a re-take of the whole module with attendance the following year (paragraph 157). A footnote adds that re-takes are normally only available on undergraduate programmes.
• The cap: after reassessment, the overall module mark is capped at 50.00 for Level 7 modules (paragraph 158).
• The timing: the regulations describe a re-sit before the start of the following academic year, usually between June and September (paragraph 216). Imperial’s resitting examinations page says taught postgraduates usually resit in the following academic year and that arrangements vary by course. Ask your department for your date in writing.

Can a failed module be compensated

Sometimes. A Level 7 mark from 40.00 to 49.99 can be compensated, but compensation cannot be offered for a core module. On postgraduate programmes it also needs an overall weighted average of at least 50.00 (paragraph 150). A master’s allows up to 15 ECTS credits of compensated passes, and a compensated module cannot then be reassessed (paragraphs 154 and 155). If your project is a core module, compensation is not available for it.

When the attempts run out

The Board can require withdrawal when a student has used the maximum permitted attempts at a module (paragraph 171). It will give a relevant exit award where the student meets the criteria (paragraph 172). The table sets the two postgraduate exit awards (paragraphs 247 and 248) beside the master’s degree itself (paragraph 240):

The regulations do not print the maximum number of attempts themselves. They point to the Board of Examiners Policy, so ask your department for the number that applies to your module.

Mitigating circumstances: the route to an uncapped attempt

If illness or another circumstance affected your viva, read this section first. Under the taught regulations, a deferral is only possible because of an accepted mitigating circumstances claim (paragraph 161), and a deferral of a first attempt is not capped.

Imperial’s mitigating circumstances page sets out how it works:

• Deadline: submit as soon as possible, normally within 10 working days of the affected assessment.
• Process: your department sets it.
• Accepted claim after a fail: the Board may grant a deferral. It is uncapped if the previous attempt was uncapped.
• Rejected claim after a fail: any further permitted attempt is capped at the pass mark.

If you are on the older rulebook (Regs B)

Continuing students on a pre-curriculum-review version of their programme follow the Examination Regulations for Master’s Level Degrees 2025/2026. They work differently:

• All elements must pass: an element can be a dissertation or the combined written or viva voce examined element (paragraph 54).
• One more go: a candidate may re-enter each failed element on one occasion only (paragraph 73).
• Attendance: a candidate who does not attend without a medical certificate or prior deferral is deemed to have failed the whole programme (paragraph 76).

If your viva was for an MPhil

The MPhil is examined by thesis and viva under the Regulations for Research Programmes of Study 2026/2027. Paragraph 110 lists five outcomes:

1. Pass, with typographical amendments within one month.
2. Pass subject to minor amendments within six months.
3. Not pass, further viva required: the thesis meets the criteria but the viva did not satisfy the examiners, so you re-present the same thesis at a further viva within six months.
4. Not pass, major amendments: resubmit within 12 months for the same examiners. This outcome is only available at the first examination.
5. Outright fail, with no reassessment opportunity.

Outcome 3 covers a thesis that meets the criteria after a viva that did not, and it keeps the thesis intact. If you entered for your final examination before the 2026/27 rules took effect, the 2025/26 regulations apply instead. For the doctoral version of these rules across several UK universities, see what happens after a failed PhD viva.

Appealing the result

An appeal checks the process, not the marks. Imperial’s Academic Appeals Procedure for Taught Programmes accepts these grounds (paragraph 2.4.2):

• a material procedural irregularity in the conduct of the assessment;
• a material procedural irregularity in the mitigating circumstances procedure;
• procedural unfairness.

It does not accept appeals that challenge academic judgement (paragraph 2.3). The appeal must arrive within 15 working days of the formal publication of the result, and a check of the arithmetic of a mark has a 10 working day limit. After the internal process ends, Imperial issues a Completion of Procedures letter that explains your right to take the case to the Office of the Independent Adjudicator. Our guide to the viva voce appeal process covers what the OIA can and cannot look at.

A plan for the first week after a failed viva

1. Note the date the result was published. Your 15 working day appeal window and any mitigating circumstances deadline run from fixed dates, so write both in your calendar today.
2. Find your rulebook: Regs A, Regs B or the research regulations. Your programme specification or handbook names it.
3. Ask your department three questions in writing: did the module fail or only the viva component, what form does the next attempt take, and what is the deadline.
4. If something affected you on the day, submit a mitigating circumstances claim with evidence. It is the only route to an uncapped attempt.
5. Ask for the examiners’ written comments, and turn each one into a question you must answer at the next attempt.
6. Rehearse those answers out loud. The groups in our MSc viva questions guide show what master’s examiners test, from method to judgement.

What Thesisroom does with this

If your next attempt includes another oral, Thesisroom’s Defense Practice room asks questions of the kind an examiner or committee would ask, each anchored to a specific passage of your own report, and you can answer in writing or out loud. It does not write or rewrite any part of the report.

Frequently asked questions

Can you resit a failed master’s viva at Imperial?

On a taught master’s under the 2026/27 regulations, a student who fails a module is permitted at least one further attempt. The viva is usually one component of a project module, so the module rules decide the resit. On an MPhil, the examiners can require a further viva within six months.

Is a resit mark capped at Imperial?

Yes. After reassessment, a Level 7 module mark is capped at the pass mark of 50.00. The exception is a deferral granted through an accepted mitigating circumstances claim on a first attempt, which is not capped.

What is the pass mark for an Imperial master’s module?

The pass mark for graded modules at Level 7 is 50.00, under paragraph 138 of the 2026/27 Regulations for Taught Programmes of Study. Check your programme specification for any programme-specific rules.

Do I get a degree if I fail my master’s project at Imperial?

Not the master’s, unless the project is passed on a later attempt or compensated. If you meet the criteria for a lower award, the Board will give an exit award: a Postgraduate Diploma needs at least 60 ECTS and a Postgraduate Certificate at least 30.

How long do I have to appeal an Imperial result?

Fifteen working days from the formal publication of the result, under the Academic Appeals Procedure for Taught Programmes. A request to check the arithmetic of a mark has a 10 working day limit. Appeals cannot challenge academic judgement.

What happens if I fail my MPhil viva at Imperial?

It depends on the outcome the examiners choose. If the thesis meets the criteria but the viva did not, you re-present the same thesis at a further viva within six months. Other outcomes are major amendments within 12 months or an outright fail.

Sources

• Imperial College London, Regulations index
• Imperial College London, 2026-27 Academic Regulations A
• Imperial College London, Regulations for Taught Programmes of Study 2026/2027
• Imperial College London, Examination Regulations for Master’s Level Degrees 2025/2026
• Imperial College London, Regulations for Research Programmes of Study 2026/2027
• Imperial College London, MRes Molecular and Cellular Biosciences programme specification 2025-26
• Imperial College London, Molecular Biology and Pathology of Viruses MSc
• Imperial College London, Pure Mathematics (Formalisation of Mathematics) MSc
• Imperial College London, How to choose a postgraduate course
• Imperial College London, Mitigating Circumstances
• Imperial College London, Resitting Examinations
• Imperial College London, Academic Appeals Procedure for Taught Programmes

How this guide was made: Thesisroom drafted this guide with the help of AI writing tools. Every fact, figure and source in this post was checked against its original source before publishing.