It’s important that, wherever possible, you meet your assessment deadlines to help manage your workload and ensure your timely progression to your next level of study or the completion of your award. However, we understand that sometimes you’re unable to submit your work on time or do well in your exams due to unexpected events which are short-term in nature and beyond your control.
The extenuating circumstances process, which exists to support taught students who find themselves in such situations, is being streamlined and will be relaunched from 20 June ahead of the next round of end-of-Semester assessments for Calendar B1/B2 students.
The key changes will be:
- eligible students will apply using new online forms rather than the current paper versions
- the process is being re-named exceptional circumstances to better reflect that a coursework extension or the chance to re-take an exam is not an automatic right. To ensure fairness and transparency, exceptional circumstances requests will only be approved if they are submitted on time, in response to a situation that is beyond the student’s control, and – where relevant – include appropriate professional evidence.
Year-round support for your studies
Don’t forget there’s a wide range of support available throughout the year to help with your studies and enable you to complete your assessments on time.
- Your course/module handbooks include schedules of assessment activities and submission dates to help you plan.
- Your Personal Academic Tutor (PAT) can support you with your studies in general, while your module leads are able to answer questions specific to individual modules.
- Student peer mentors can give you the benefit of their first-hand experience.
- You’ll find lots of digital and print resources in the library – from e-books, online journals and video streaming platforms to research materials, digital newspapers, print books and more.
- There is a wealth of resources available to you via the Learning skills hub. Key assessment-related modules include time management, managing anxiety around academic tasks and writing skills.
- If you experience a medium-term or long-term personal difficulty (not related to disability), a Temporary Learning Agreement (TLA) might help you to manage your learning so you can successfully complete the current academic year. Your PAT can support you with this.
- If you have a recognised disability and/or long-term or serious medical or psychological condition that you have not yet disclosed to the University, you might be eligible for a Learning Support Plan (LSP). Contact the Student Support Advisers for more information.