Cardiff University student Mared Foulkes found dead hours after failing exam

A student died within hours of being told she had failed a crucial exam despite the fact it was later updated to a pass by the university.Mared Foulkes, who was a pharmacy student at Cardiff University, never saw the updated mark and within twelve hours of receiving the initial results, she was found on rocks under Britannia Bridge over the Menai Strait.Her family described her as a “loving daughter” and an “amazing friend and sister”.A coroner held a pre-inquest hearing in Caernarfon on Friday to deal with preliminary matters with the family's lawyer and a full inquest into the 21-year-old's death will be held in October.Kate Sutherland, acting senior coroner for North West Wales said the death of Miss Foulkes, of Menai Bridge, Anglesey, was reported to her as having occurred on July 8 2020.

The pre-inquest heard that Mared had been working in a pharmacy on the day she received the result by email.Ms Sutherland said that Mared had driven her car onto Britannia Bridge and "had left the engine running" before leaving the car.The coroner and family lawyer Chaynee Hodgetts said the family believe there was a link between Mared's initial exam result and her actions.She told the pre-inquest: "It's the family's position that the result she received from Cardiff University, shortly before proceeding to the bridge, is directly relevant.

"She received her exam result saying she had a critical fail of 1 per cent in the relevant module and proceeded to the bridge before it was corrected later."Tragically, she never found out."The coroner said she was persuaded that the mark Mared received within twelve hours of her death was relevant to the case.She accepted the family's request for a representative from Cardiff University to attend the full inquest in person, unless COVID-19 related issues prevent them coming to Caernarfon.The university representative will be the Head of School, Professor Mark Gumbleton.The coroner added: "He will be asked to take us through the report about how the (exam) results were reached."I won't be able to consider a Prevention of Future Deaths report without someone from the university to help me understand the results system and how results are shared."Professor Gumbleton will also be given time to obtain Mared's "personal tutor record" and other documents.Ms Sutherland said the full inquest would be held in Caernarfon and take up to two days.