Submitting evidence of mitigating circumstances

Mitigating circumstances are any serious circumstances beyond your control which may have adversely affected your academic performance. These include but are not limited to:

  • medical conditions.
  • personal and domestic circumstances.
  • accidents and incidents.
  • disturbances during assessments.
  • serious administrative or procedural errors in relation to the delivery of assessment services

You may bring any mitigating circumstances to our attention by submitting a query using the ‘Ask a question’ button on the Home page.

You must contact us with details and supporting evidence of any mitigating circumstances you wish to be considered:

  • within three weeks of your last assessment in the session concerned
  • before the submission deadline of any assessed coursework, project or dissertation.

We will not normally consider mitigating circumstances if you do not contact us within these periods. It is important for you to provide any formal certification you may have in relation to your circumstances.
 

Outcomes
All submissions of evidence related to mitigating circumstances are acknowledged and considered but action is not always taken. Circumstances where action may not be taken include (but are not limited to):

  • ongoing medical conditions (unless they suddenly become worse). You can apply for access arrangements to be made in relation to ongoing medical conditions or issues you may have.
  • work-related assignments or postings.
  • where no official documentation is provided.
  • circumstances that are not raised within three weeks of the last assessment in the session.
  • where it is deemed that your overall position would not be improved as a result of a better performance.
  • malfunction of your computer hardware, software or internet connection before and during a coursework, project or dissertation submission deadline.

You may receive academic compensation as a result of your mitigating circumstances. This may include having an attempt at an assessment discounted without losing an attempt, or additional time to submit an item of assessed coursework, a project or dissertation.

Any significant decisions made in relation to the evidence you submit will be communicated to you, for example, via your Notification of Results document.

All matters related to the submission of evidence of mitigating circumstances are treated confidentially and are reported anonymously to the Boards of Examiners.