Extenuating Circumstances and Submission Extension Regulations

A student who registers for a module is deemed to have registered for its assessments unless they have formally withdrawn through the system. Missing an assessment will result in a mark of 0%, except in cases of intermission or extenuating circumstances. Starting an assessment, such as an exam or presentation, will be considered as having completed it, and the School's policies, including those on extenuating circumstances, will apply. Submitting a coursework late and the effect of extenuating circumstances is dealt with by the Assessment Regulations. 

Extenuating circumstances (EC) refer to unforeseen issues beyond a student's control that hinder their ability to complete or perform well in an assessment. Students can apply for EC in cases of:

• Absence from an assessment
• Non-submission of assessed assignments
• Late submission of assessed assignments
• Unrepresentative performance in an assessment

The School's regulations address EC requests after the assessment. Requests for extensions or other adjustments before an assessment come under different frameworks, including learning support plans and requests for submisison extensions. 

Valid extenuating circumstances (ECs) typically include:

• Serious personal illness
• Major accident, injury, or hospitalisation
• Worsening of a long-term health condition
• Death or serious illness of a family member or close friend
• Unexpected and unavoidable caring responsibilities for a dependent
• Significant adverse personal, family, or psychological issues

Circumstances not normally accepted for ECs, even with documentation, include:

• Paid employment commitments for full-time students
• Known ongoing issues (e.g., a long-term medical condition with existing adjustments)
• Minor personal disruptions (e.g., car breakdown, missing transport, moving house, job interviews, holidays, minor illnesses)
• Study-related issues (e.g., misunderstanding the timetable, equipment problems, poor time management)
• Circumstances that seem foreseeable or preventable

Applications for extenuating circumstances (ECs) must be submitted via the AGS. Students can submit either a:

• Self-certified EC application; or a
• Full EC application.

• Self-certified EC requests must be submitted within 7 calendar days after the assessment date.
• Full EC applications can be submitted up to 2 weeks after the results are released by the Module Assessment Board, and must include a rationale if submitted after the results.

Students needing additional support with an EC application should contact their module leader, Personal Academic Tutor (PAT), or the Student Success Team

All EC applications and records are confidential and will not be disclosed to unauthorised individuals. The School's data retention and privacy policies apply.

A self-certified EC application can be made under exceptional circumstances that significantly impact the student but do not require medical intervention. This applies:

• Only if the student was prevented from taking a time-limited assessment.
• When obtaining evidence is difficult or unreasonable.

Supporting documentation is not needed for self-certified ECs, which can be used only once per semester. Applications must be submitted within 7 calendar days of the assessment date. After this deadline, a Full EC request must be made.

Self-certified EC requests must be submitted via AGS, which will automatically verify:

• Submission within the 7-day deadline.
• No other self-certified request has been made by the student in that semester.
• The assessment task does not prohibit self-certified ECs.

If validated, the request will be forwarded to the EC Committee (ECC) for consideration.

A full EC application requires students to upload supporting evidence to AGS. If supporting evidence is unavailable, students must explain why and provide any relevant information to substantiate their reasons.

Supporting evidence for a Full EC request must be from a professional source and cover the relevant time period. Examples include:

• A medical certificate or letter from a doctor.
• Official documents, such as a MATB1 maternity certificate.
• A letter or form from a counsellor or School support services.
• A supporting statement from a Personal Academic Tutor.
• Third-party confirmation, such as a police report.

Students must ensure that their supporting evidence is appropriate and substantiates their request. If the request or evidence is unclear or inadequate, the student will not usually be given the benefit of the doubt, to ensure fairness to all students. For complex cases, students should consult their Personal Academic Tutor, module leader, or the Student Success Team for advice on the required evidence. Translation of evidence into English is the student's responsibility.

Full EC requests will be presented to the EC Committee (ECC) for review.

All valid self-certified and full EC applications are reviewed by the Extenuating Circumstances Committee (ECC).

The Extenuating Circumstances Committee (ECC) will consist of:

• A Programme Leader as Chair
• One member of academic staff
• Member of the Student Success Team

Extenuating Circumstances (EC) applications may be considered through:

• An Initial Assessment Process
• A Full Committee Meeting Process

The ECC will appoint a member as the initial assessor to review all EC requests.

• If the initial assessor determines that the application is straightforward, they will make a decision without further ECC consideration. This decision will then be sent to the Module Examinations Board for ratification. Initial assessments must occur after the assessment periods and before the Module Examinations Board meetings.
• If the initial assessor feels a full ECC review is necessary, they will refer the application to the next stage.

All non-straightforward EC cases must be reviewed at a full ECC meeting, which will take place after the assessment period but before the Module Examination Board meeting. The ECC will consider all applications forwarded by the initial assessor. The ECC may use additional methods to gather evidence and determine the impact of extenuating circumstances, including:

• Viva voce examination
• Additional assessment tasks to demonstrate module outcomes
• Review of previous work
• Standard assessment at the next available opportunity

Both the initial assessor and the full ECC will base their decision on the following principles for accepting an EC application:

• The request must be submitted according to the guidelines and deadlines.
• Determine if self-certification is appropriate or if a Full EC request with supporting documentation is needed.
• Assess the severity of the circumstances and whether they reasonably prevented or significantly impacted the student’s performance.
• Evaluate the time period affected and the likelihood of performance impact.
• Consider if the circumstances were foreseeable or avoidable by the student.
• Ensure the application is backed by objective and authoritative evidence (e.g., from a qualified medical practitioner).

If a student seeks to defer part of an assessment, they must provide evidence to justify this split. The initial assessor and full ECC must ensure that the integrity of the assessment process is maintained and that no unfair advantage is gained.

The initial assessor or full ECC will decide whether an EC application is upheld or rejected, with possible outcomes including:

• Maintaining the original mark for late submissions, with or without classification.
• Setting a new deadline if an extension is granted.
• Offering a deferred assessment if applicable.

Decisions on all EC applications will be inputted to the AGS so that the Module Examination Board is aware of the decision.

The Module Examination Board will then review and ratify the decision and determine actions.

The Module Examination Board (MEB) will make a final decision of all EC decisions communicated to it, such as:

• Whether to maintain the original mark for late submissions, with or without classification.
• Whether to approve a new deadline if an extension is granted.
• Whether to offer a deferred assessment.

These decisions and their rationale will be recorded in the minutes. Students will be notified of the ECC's decisions within 5 working days of the MEB meeting. They will be informed of the reasons for any request denial but not of detailed discussions. The student will be provided with information on requesting an Outcome Review.

Deferred assessments replace all or some of the original assessments. If a deferred assessment is offered:

• The AGS will show a defer mark.
• The final module mark or grade will be based on the performance in the deferred assessment(s), using the original weighting.
• If the original assessment cannot be replicated (e.g., a group project), a moderated substitute assessment of the same weighting may be provided, with approval from the Director of Education and discussion with the external examiner.
• The first deferred assessment is considered a first attempt.

Please refer to the Module Results and Award Conferment Regulations for more details.

If an EC application is refused, a student may request an outcome review via AGS on the following grounds:

1. EC processes were not properly followed.
2. The ECC did not fully consider the request or overlooked relevant information.
3. The ECC failed to provide reasons for their decision.
4. The student has new supporting documents that were not available at the time of the initial application.

The limits on an outcome review are as follows:

• A resubmission of the original application is not valid grounds for an outcome review.
• An outcome review cannot be requested due to dissatisfaction with the design, curriculum, or delivery of the assessment; such issues should be addressed through the Student Complaints Resolution Procedure.

Requests for Outcome Reviews must be submitted within 2 weeks of the outcome being sent to the student. Late requests will be rejected unless a valid reason for the delay is provided. Late requests will be kept on file for a further 2 weeks before being closed if no additional information is received.

Applications for an Outcome Review will first be reviewed by the Director of Education. The Director will decide whether to:

• Forward the request to the Chair of the ECC and Examination Board for a decision, or
• Reject the application.

All decisions will be recorded on the AGS, and the Director of Education will communicate the outcome within 5 working days. Students may then use the School's complaints mechanism if dissatisfied.

If a student is not satisfied with the outcome review, no further internal review options are available. The student will be informed of their right to submit a complaint to the Office of the Independent Adjudicator for Higher Education (OIA), including the time limit for doing so.

In inclement weather, students should make every reasonable effort to attend scheduled examinations, presentations, or submit work, without putting themselves at risk. If prevented from attending or arriving late, students must inform the School immediately and submit a self-certified extenuating circumstances request for severe weather disruption. Technical issues or less severe weather are covered by other School regulations.

In the event of adverse weather causing the closure of a School site, notifications will be sent via the AGS. Cancelled examinations and presentations will be rescheduled either at the earliest opportunity or during a term/semester week (excluding holidays). Students must attend the rescheduled exams as they would the original dates. Work or assignments due on the closure day should be submitted via the AGS or on the next working day the site is open. If AGS submission was available but not used, an application for extenuating circumstances must be submitted explaining why.

Extenuating circumstances apply after an assessment deadline has passed. If a student anticipates missing a deadline due to extenuating circumstances, they should apply for a submission extension in advance. This applies also to students with Learning Support Plans (LSPs).

Students must apply for a submission extension via AGS and provide supporting evidence. If the assignment was set well before the deadline (e.g., two weeks or more), students may need to submit a draft or notes, or in some cases, a final draft that hasn’t been corrected. For brief extensions due to sudden illness, evidence is essential to ensure fairness. Supporting evidence must come from an independent, professional source and cover the relevant period. Acceptable documentation includes:

• A medical certificate or letter from a doctor
• Other certificates, such as a death certificate
• A letter from a counsellor
• Third-party confirmation, such as a police report

If circumstances are complex, students should seek advice from their Personal Academic Tutor, Module Leader, or Student Success Team. Extensions should be requested at least one working day before the deadline. Requests will only be granted with acceptable evidence; if evidence cannot be provided in advance of a deadline, an EC application must be submitted. Translating supporting documentation into English is the student's responsibility.

The module leader is responsible for granting extensions to deadlines for assessed work. When considering extension applications, the module leader must:

• Ensure fairness, taking into account other students who have not requested extensions.
• Record the extension details and reasons on the student’s AGS profile.

Extensions should generally:

• Last no more than one or two weeks.
• Reflect the time lost due to the unforeseen circumstance, not administrative deadlines.
• Be set before feedback is given to avoid the student gaining an unfair advantage.
• Allow time for the mark to be considered by the Module Examination Board to prevent issues with progression and reassessment.

If an extension would provide an unfair advantage or if the nature of the work makes rescheduling impractical, the request should be refused, and normal extenuating circumstances rules will apply.

For calculating penalties and late marks, the new deadline will be used, and the work will be marked as if it were submitted on time. The module leader must include details of extensions in their notes for the Module Examination Board and in their report.

If the student believes the extension did not sufficiently address their circumstances, they should submit an extenuating circumstances request, detailing how the extension was insufficient.

Valid grounds for requesting an extension typically include:

• Serious personal illness.
• Serious accident, injury, or hospitalisation.
• Death or serious illness of a family member or close friend.
• Significant adverse personal or family circumstances or psychological issues.

Requests for extensions will generally not be granted for:

• Commitments related to electioneering for a Students' Union position.
• Poor time management or workload from other modules.
• Minor illnesses.
• Avoidable personal circumstances or commitments, such as holidays.
• Paid employment commitments for full-time students.
• Part-time students in full-time employment must prioritise School deadlines.

Exceptions may be considered if work commitments change unexpectedly due to circumstances beyond the student's control. In such cases, particularly for modules taken as professional development, the module leader should review applications sympathetically if supported by appropriate documentation, such as a letter from the student's line manager.

If a student frequently applies for extensions due to outside commitments, the module leader and the student should assess whether the current mode of study is suitable. The module leader and/or Personal Academic Tutor may suggest changing the mode of study or taking a break until conditions are more favourable for study.

The processes for reviewing extenuating circumstances (above) also apply to the review of submission extensions.