Exceptional Circumstances
If there is something affecting your ability to study for, or to complete an assessment (i.e. an exam, coursework, presentation or placement) then you can ask the University for either more time to complete it or to take the assessment at a later date. Under the University’s regulations if you don’t hand in a piece of work or attend an exam when you are supposed to it is counted as a fail and you will lose one of your opportunities at the assessment.
How do I make a Claim?
You need to complete a
Request for Consideration of Exceptional Circumstances Form. You can get these from the
Advice Centre, your Faculty Office, Student Services or from your College Office. Alternatively you can download the Procedure, Notes for Guidance and Form
from the
Exceptional Circumstances page on iCity.
When do I need to make a claim?
As soon as you are aware there is a problem you should try and tell the University. Ideally this should be at least seven working days before the assessment deadline as this guarantees that you will know the outcome of your claim before you are supposed to submit the work. If you tell them after this you might not get an answer before you are supposed to take the assessment or hand in your work.
If the assessment submission date has already passed you could still put in a claim (for a deferral – you can’t ask for an extension at this point) but you will need to show good reasons for not having told the University earlier. Some examples where this would be possible include: being taken ill in the middle of an exam or at the last minute, being in hospital or out of the country.
Should I ask for a deferral or an extension?
Coursework extensions:
You can ask for an extension for assessments where this is possible. In most cases this would be for coursework. If an extension is granted you are allowed an extra ten working days to hand the work in. This is about two weeks as weekends and bank holidays are not counted in the ten days. If you are granted an extension you cant then go back and ask for a deferral at a later date so if you don’t think you will be able to complete the work with ten working days it may be worth applying to defer the assessment instead.
You need to apply for an extension and supply evidence of your circumstances before the coursework deadline. If you apply for an extension after the deadline your request will automatically be rejected.
Deferring an Assessment:
You can ask the University to allow you to delay an assessment until the next time it takes place. This is called a deferral and can be requested for any type of assessment - coursework, examination, test, presentation, viva, recital or a placement.
Completing the Exceptional Circumstances form
There are four sections that you need to complete:
1. Your personal and course details
This is so they know who you are, how you can be contacted and what course you are studying. You also need to sign a declaration to say that the information you have supplied is genuine.
Once a decision has been made about your claim you will be contacted by email in the first instance and this will be followed by a letter. It is therefore important that these details are correct and that you can easily access your email and post at the addresses you have given.
2. The assessments which are affected and whether you request an extension or deferral for them
You need to need to give details of which assessments are being affected and chose either an extension or a deferral. You can only choose one of these options so if you request an extension for an assignment you can’t then ask to defer it. You can only ask for an extension if you apply before the deadline and if it is possible for the deadline to be extended.
The number of times that you have been registered to take the assessment is the number of times (including this one) where there has been an opportunity for you to take the assessment and not just the number of times you have taken it.
3. An explanation of the circumstances
When your request for an extension or a deferral is considered the only information they have about you circumstances will be what you have submitted. The person looking at your form will need to see that your circumstances are not something that could have been anticipated or planned for and that it would make sense that this would be affecting your ability to study.
Don’t leave information out but try not to waffle. Stick to the facts and make sure someone who knows nothing about you will be able to understand your circumstances and why that means you need the deferment or extension. If it makes it easier to read, type your and enclose it with the form. Keep a copy of what you write.
4. A list of supporting evidence that you have
Your claim will automatically be rejected if you don’t supply evidence to prove your circumstances.
Evidence must be in writing and from an independent person or organisation such as a GP, a counsellor, a solicitor, the Police or a hospital. It needs to be on official, headed paper or bearing an official stamp. The evidence needs to be in English, or with an English translation by an appropriate person.
You need to submit the original document, not a photocopy. Where this isn’t possible you should take the original to the Academic Registry who will photocopy it and give the original back to you.
It is very important that the evidence shows that it is for the date(s) of the period which you are saying is affected by your exceptional circumstances.
If you are waiting for evidence at the time you submit your form you will need to explain why you can’t provide the evidence at the time. If it is accepted that there is a good reason for the delay an initial judgement will be recorded which will be confirmed after your supporting evidence has been considered.
If you are requesting an extension you must provide your evidence by the published assessment deadline. Evidence received after that point will not be considered and your request for an extension will be refused.
If you are requesting a deferral you must provide your evidence within 10 working days of submitting your form. There may be certain circumstances when evidence cannot be provided within this timescale e.g. obtaining a death certificate from overseas. In such cases this deadline may be extended.
What happens after I submit my claim?
Staff approved by the University’s Student Complaints, Appeals and Discipline Committee (SCAD) will consider your request and decide whether it will be upheld or not. They will have no prior knowledge of your case and will not be from your Faculty or College. If you hand in your claim at least seven working days before the deadline you will be given a decision within five working days. The decision is initially sent by email to the address you put on the form so check your email regularly. It is then sent to you by post. Your claim will either be upheld (you can defer the work or have the extension) or rejected.
What do I do next.
If your claim is upheld:
If you requested an extensions you will need to complete the work and submit it within ten working days of your original deadline.
If you asked for a deferral you do not need to submit the work but you should find out when the next attempt will be.
If your claim is rejected
If your request was not agreed you will be expected to submit the work as usual. If you miss or have missed the assessment it would count as a fail. The only exception to this would be if it was a first attempt at coursework and you handed the work in within five working days of the deadline. In this case the coursework mark would be capped at the pass mark.
The decision letter will explain why your claim was not agreed. In certain circumstances you can appeal the decision. If you want to appeal, please contact the Advice Centre.
The advice centre can help you make a claim of exceptional circumstances or make an appeal if your claim is turned down. If you would like to make an appointment to see an adviser or to speak to someone on the phone contact the Advice Centre on 0121 331 6801.