12 July 2023
By email
: [FYI request #23367 email]
Tēnā koe Grace
I refer to your information request dated 4 July 2023 made under the Official Information Act 1982
(the Act). You have requested mark and grade distributions for the following papers offered by the
University of Otago in 2021 and 2022:
• BIOL112
• GENE221
• NEUR301
• PHAL211, PHAL303
• PHIL222, PHIL312
• PSYC211, PSYC319
• STAT110
• ZOOL223, ZOOL314
Subject to the following comments, please see attached the information you have requested. Please
note that there are two pages in the attached spreadsheet (one for each year).
• on occasions where fewer than five students have failed a paper (i.e., received a grade of Fail
D, Fail E, Failed Compulsory Assessment or Failed Terms), we have determined 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.
• please note that PHIL312 was not offered in 2021.
• we note that students who withdrew from the papers, or received an Aegrotat Pass (where
students do not receive a grade or mark), are excluded from the data.
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
