Modern European Languages and Politics year abroad assessment
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How will I be assessed?
Students registered for a joint honours degree in a Modern European Language (MEL) and Politics are assessed on the basis of year abroad marks translated into Edinburgh marks.
This means the year abroad will count in classifying your degree.
Politics or International Relations courses
Politics or International Relations courses should contribute credits as follows:
- If you are going on exchange inside Europe, you will need to obtain a minimum of 50 ECTS credits during your exchange, of which at least 20 ECTS credits must come from Politics or International Relations courses.
- If you are going on exchange outside Europe, the number of credits that you need to obtain at your institution can be found on the SWAY website . Of those credits, at least one third must come from Politics or International Relations courses.
If you are not studying for credit
If you are a Modern European Language and Politics joint honours student and will not be studying courses for credit - for instance if you are going on a work placement or working at a language school - your Politics credits will come from the Politics Year Abroad Assessment (PYAA) essays. These will be two assessed essays, each of 4,000 words, one per semester. Your essays will be supervised remotely by a Politics and International Relations member of staff, who will be allocated to you on the basis of your proposed essay title.
Essays
Essays should be written in English and will be assessed on the same basis as essays submitted in Edinburgh.
Both essays should relate to the domestic or international politics of the country in which the exchange is taking place.
The second essay may relate more narrowly to a placement topic - for example, a case study of the work of an NGO.
The essays should also demonstrate a link to the wider academic literature, including the literature studied in Politics or International Relations courses in years 1 and 2.
Essays should use a wide variety of sources, and you are encouraged to use sources in the language of the country you are visiting as well as English sources. Bibliographic references to these sources should be listed in the original language.
Help and guidance on essay writing
For more information on writing your Politics Year Abroad Assessment (PYAA) essays and what to expect from your supervisor, see the PYAA Handbook, available via the course Learn page.
If you have any other queries, please contact the Politics and International Relations International Exchange Coordinator, Dr Patrick Theiner:
2025-26 submission deadlines
There are deadlines are for submitting your proposed essay topics in both semesters, and then for submitting your essays in both semesters as well. It is your responsibility to make sure you meet all of these deadlines.
Essays should be submitted via the PYAA course Learn page.
Standard Politics and International Relations penalties apply for work submitted late.
Deadlines for 2025-26 will be published at the beginning of the academic year.