31 July 2023
By email
: [FYI request #23346 email]
Tēnā koe Liam
I refer to your information request dated 1 July 2023 made under the Official Information Act 1982
(the Act). You have requested mark and grade distributions of all 200-level POLS papers offered by the
University of Otago in Semester 1, 2023.
Subject to the following comments, please see attached the information you have requested.
• on occasions where fewer than five students have failed a paper (i.e., received a grade of Fail
D or Fail E), we determine that it is necessary to withhold the marks and specific grades for
these students to protect their privacy and wellbeing. We consider that withholding this
information is necessary to protect against the identity of these students being determined or
inferred, and their personal information (i.e., their marks) could be disclosed. We therefore
withhold this information pursuant to section 9(2)(a) of the Act.
• in the attached grade and mark distributions, we note that students who withdrew from the
papers are excluded from the data.
I trust that this information will be helpful.
In the above cases, we consider that good reasons exist for withholding information, and this is not
outweighed by other considerations which would make it desirable, in the public interest, to make the
information available. If you are not satisfied with our response to your information request, section
28(3) of the Act provides you with the right to ask an Ombudsman to investigate and review this
response. However, we would welcome the opportunity to discuss any concerns with you first.
Yours sincerely
Kelsey Kennard
Official Information and Compliance Coordinator
Office of the Registrar