Extenuating Circumstances

Before Extenuating Circumstances - Extensions
Definition of Extenuating Circumstances
What does ‘manifestly prejudiced’ mean?
What can an Extenuating Circumstances claim achieve?
Should I submit an Extenuating Circumstances claim?
I’m worried that an Extenuating Circumstances claim might cause me problems?
How do I submit an Extenuating Circumstances Claim?
How do I explain my situation?
Extenuating Circumstances and Long Term Conditions (NOT Registered with Disability Services)
Extenuating Circumstances and Long Term Conditions (Registered with Disability Services)
What evidence do I need?
When should I submit my Extenuating Circumstances claim?
What if my Extenuating Circumstances claim is refused?
Support to Study
More useful information about Extenuating Circumstances

Before Extenuating Circumstances - Extensions

If you are approaching a deadline and have suffered from adverse circumstances or illness, keep in mind that you are able to ask for an extension of up to 5 working days via a request to your course convener, adviser of studies or staff noted in your course handbook. This may be enough additional time for you to submit your work without the need for an Extenuating Circumstances claim. You can see more information on this here.

Definition of Extenuating Circumstances

The University defines Extenuating Circumstances within the Code of Assessment as:

‘‘Extenuating Circumstances’ shall mean circumstances affecting a student which would reasonably result in components of a student’s programme of assessment not being completed.

Extenuating Circumstances include situations where the student is unable, through no fault of their own, to fulfil the requirements of the scheme of assessment appropriate to their programme of studies, or situations which clearly result in the student’s performance in summative assessment being adversely affected, except where that assessment is the independent work required for the award of a classified honours degree or postgraduate taught Masters degree.

You can see from this that Extenuating Circumstances is a two-stage process – firstly you must have had illness or other personal circumstances, and secondly your illness/circumstances must have resulted in either non-completion of the assessment, or clearly demonstrate that your academic performance has been adversely affected..

The University has a comprehensive FAQ page on Extenuating Circumstances.

We felt it would be helpful to highlight a few common questions students ask about Extenauting Circumstances.

What does ‘ adversely affected’ mean?

When looking to see whether your performance was ‘adversely affected’ by your Extenuating Circumstances, the Univesity would be checking whether your performance in that exam or assignment was clearly worse than your usual standard. If the University feel that, despite your adverse circumstances, you still performed pretty much as normal, they can refuse to accept an Extenuating Circumstnaces claim on that basis. This is to save you having to do unnecessary re-sits in some cases.  

What can an Extenuating Circumstances claim achieve?

It is important to understand that a successful Extenuating Circumstances claim will not simply raise your grade in the assignment or exam, but it can allow other solutions, such as:

A fresh attempt to complete the assignment or exam at the next opportunity. If the assignment or exam was a 1st attempt, it will be treated as a 1st attempt again with no cap.
A longer assessment extension than the usual maximum of 5 working days (keep in mind though that some work will have a limit as to how long this extra time may be)
The removal of late penalties from a piece of work
For Honours students, removing the affected assessment from your final degree calculation (depending on how much work you have submitted).

In many cases a successful Extenuating Circumstances claim will require you to complete a new piece of work at a later date. You need to take this into account when deciding whether it is worth submitting a claim or not.

There are also special considerations relating to Extenuating Circumstances for dissertations, which is covered within this link.

The University has also created an outcome flowchart here summarising these possibilities.

Should I submit an Extenuating Circumstances claim?

Firstly, it’s always a good idea to make contact with your adviser of studies to talk through your own specific situation and take their advice on your options. Each student’s circumstances are unique, so receiving accurate advice depends on understanding your individual situation.

Generally, if you think that an assessment or exam has been affected by health or personal circumstances, and you have a strong sense that you didn’t perform to your usual standard, then the short answer is, yes, you likely should.

This is especially the case where the piece of work carries a significant weight or bearing within your course and you don’t have any further resit opportunities to recover from a poor grade.

This is less relevant if the piece of work constitutes a small percentage of your course, if you have the opportunity to re-sit, or if you're not concerned about its impact on your progression.

An alternative way to assess the situation is to ask, "What are the consequences of not submitting an Extenuating Circumstances claim?". This can be a significant risk, particularly if you believe your performance was genuinely affected. If you're fortunate, you might still receive a passing grade or just enough to progress in your course. However, for any student who receives a poor grade that impacts their progression and could have submitted an Extenuating Circumstances claim but chose not to, the way back from this is neither easy nor straightforward.

If you did not submit an Extenuating Circumstances claim and the resulting lower-than-usual grade prevents you from progressing, your only option for challenge would be an Academic Appeal. In such cases, the University would require you to provide a strong justification for why an Extenuating Circumstances claim was not submitted at the time it could and should have been. This can be a challenging requirement to meet, and many appeals are rejected each year for this reason alone, as students often cannot provide a compelling justification

The University expects all students to be aware of the Extenuating Circumstances regulations. Unless the circumstances you went through prevented you from submitting an Extenuating Circumstances claim, further appeals will likely fail, and progress may not be achieved.

I’m worried that an Extenuating Circumstances claim might cause me problems?

Some students may worry that submitting an Extenuating Circumstances claim could lead to delays in graduation, extend their studies, or result in additional work later in the year. These concerns can often trigger further anxieties related to visa status, accommodation, finances, and more. Our advice is to consult with your Adviser of Studies, explain your specific situation, and consider their guidance. It's better to have an informed conversation and make a decision based on your unique academic circumstances, rather than avoiding the Extenuating Circumstances claim and potentially finding yourself in a more difficult academic position later on.

If you want to talk your situation and options through with staff in the Advice Centre, please do get in touch with us.

How do I submit an Extenuating Circumstances Claim?

An Extenuating Circumstances claim should be submitted via MyCampus. Check the University's How To Guide for Extenuating Circumstances which will walk you through the process.

How do I explain my situation?

Within the Extenuating Circumstances MyCampus form, there are a number of pointers explaining what your School is looking for. We recommend you consider the following:

Focus on Assessments
The Extenuating Circumstances rules are set up to deal with problems affecting your assessments, rather than problems affecting your learning earlier in the course. For example, if you say ‘I couldn’t concentrate on my lectures because I suffer from anxiety‘ this is unlikely to be accepted, as there is no evidence of any exacerbation surrounding the assessment. However, a situation such as ‘I have underlying anxiety and had a panic attack just before my exam and was unable to focus on the exam questions properly‘ is more likely to be considered, as this shows that there has been some exacerbation at the point of assessment.

Relevant Detail
Use specific and relevant detail, like within the 2 examples underneath, to improve your chance of having your claim accepted.

Example 1:

I suffer from generalised anxiety disorder
On the advice of my GP, I was given different medication in the days leading up to my assessment deadline
I subsequently had a bad reaction to this new medication
I wasn't able to get an appointment with my GP until after the deadline
My elderly brother, who lives with us, also has complex PTSD and my recent home environment has been very challenging
As a result of my reaction to this new medication and having to cope with the challenges at home, i was not able to focus or concentrate on this assignment and my performance was affected

Example 2:

Three days before the exam, my child came down with a stomach bug
As I am a single-parent and could not source alternative childcare, I had to care for my child in the lead-up to the exam
I had very little sleep for three nights and was worried about my child
As a result, I struggled with my preparation and concentration during my exam
I believe my performance was affected

Other examples might include a flare-up of a physical or mental health condition, or some other kind of family, financial or accommodation emergency close to an exam or deadline.

Don’t just say “I spoke to my School about the problems I was having”. Again, do be specific: When did you do this? Who did you speak to? What advice did they give you?

Try your best to present your Extenuating Circumstances claim in a logical order with as much clarity as you can. Unless complex, an Extenuating Circumstances claim should be able to be presented in no more than say 1 side of A4 (500 words).

A second opinion
If you think there’s a chance your Extenuating Circumstances claim might not be easily understood, it can be useful to have someone else read it over before you submit. The SRC Advice Centre team are happy to read over any draft Extenuating Circumstances claim, so please let us know if you would like help with that.

Extenuating Circumstancesand Long-Term Conditions (NOT registered with Disability Services)

The Extenuating Circumstances process is not designed to make allowances for a long-term or chronic condition. This is because the University expects students with long-term health conditions to register with the Disability Service so that any reasonable adjustments and support can be given during the academic year.

However, Extenuating Circumstances can take account of a sudden worsening or flare-up of a long-term condition, so if this applies to you, you can still claim for Extenuating Circumstances. Just ensure that you make clear that it is the flare-up that you are citing as Extenuating Circumstances, rather than simply the underlying condition itself. Rather than say 'i have anxiety', be specific and highlight what the circumstances were that triggered an exacerbation in the anxiety at the time of assessment, e.g. slow access to GP support, change in medication, specific circumstances or events taking place etc.

Please see this section here for a further discussion on this and contact the SRC Advice Centre for further advice if you need to.

Extenuating Circumstances and Long-Term Conditions (Registered with Disability Services)

Disabled students who are making an Extenuating Circumstances claim relating to flare-up of a relapsing and remitting condition no longer need a bespoke letter from Disability Services to support their application.

Instead, they can request a template letter from the Disability Service which confirms that they are registered with the service and are applying due to a flare-up of a long-term condition they have already notified the University of.

This means that disabled students do not need to repeatedly evidence any conditions they have already declared to the University. You can find more information on this process here.

What evidence do I need?

Ideally if the matter relates to a health condition, it would be preferable to submit supporting evidence from a medical professional if you can, but the University recognises that this isn’t always possible. For other non-medical adverse circumstances, it is helpful to submit something to verify the situation, even if this is just a letter from a family member or other relevant person who was aware of your situation at the time.

Please read over the University's Extenuating Circumstances FAQs for a more detailed discussion of this here. If you are unsure if your evidence is relevant, then please get in touch with the SRC Advice Centre who may be able to advise further.

When should I submit my Extenuating Circumstances Claim?

You must submit no later than 5 working days after the assessment was due or the exam date. It is extremely important to ensure that these time limits are followed. If it was not possible to submit an Extenuating Circumstances claim within this 5-day period, a late Extenuating Circumstances claim (also known as retrospective Extenuating Circumstances) may be allowed if you can show a good reason as to why you didn’t submit in time (for example, you might have been in hospital without access to the MyCampus system).

The reason there are strict time limits is to ensure that grades are not released to students before all Extenuating Circumstances claims are considered.

If you are making a late request we would advise you to contact your course leader or Head of School to discuss this first rather than just submitting a MyCampus request. As part of a late request, in addition to explaining what your adverse circumstances were, you would also have to explain in detail why it was not possible to submit your claim within the required 5-day period. It is crucial that you cover this aspect or your claim is likely to get rejected. Staff reviewing your claim need to see a tangible reason as to why you couldn't follow this 5-day rule. For further advice on this please contact the SRC Advice Centre.

What if my Extenuating Circumstances claim is refused?

If your Extenuating Circumstances claim is refused, you should take the following steps:-

If you were simply told it was not accepted, reply, asking to see what the specific reason for this was
If you disagree with this, you should put your thoughts back to academic staff and ask them to review this (you may wish to speak to the SRC Advice Centre for guidance on this)
If you feel that you rushed the Extenuating Circumstances claim, omitted important information, or have sensitive information within your Extenuating Circumstances claim, again, speak with academic staff about this and see if the decision can be discussed and reviewed

If your informal attempts to resolve this fail, you may be able to submit a formal academic appeal if you have grounds to do so.

If the refusal was because the University felt that in fact your performance was not ‘manifestly prejudiced’ (i.e. your work was comparable with your usual standard) then you will not be able to appeal against their academic judgement, and so you might be happier to just accept that result.

For a fuller explanation of appeals and grounds of appeal, please read over the Advice Centre’s academic appeal page. For further assistance with this again please contact the SRC Advice Centre.

Support to Study

It might be useful for you to be aware that the University has a specific policy aimed at supporting students with more significant health or personal challenges, which are greatly affecting their ability to study and engage in wider University life. You can read more about this policy here.

You should not be fearful of this policy, as it is a process designed to support any student who is experiencing a broader and often more complex range of challenges, which the Extenuating Circumstances process is not designed to address. If you feel that challenges you are facing are complex, potentially long-term and that multiple Extenuating Circumstances claims are not the answer for you, please have an initial conversation with your adviser of study to talk this all through and make yourself aware of all options. It may be that the Support to Study process forms part of these discussions. If you do end up being referred to this process, the SRC Advice Centre can support you with this.