Illness or Other Circumstances Affecting Assessment (Examination/Coursework)
When to Report Special Circumstances?
If you are not able to attend an examination or in-course assessment (e.g. assignments, projects, essays, etc.) contributing a weighting of 20% or above to the assessment of a course due to extenuating circumstances such as illness, hospitalisation, accident, family bereavement or other unforeseeable serious personal or emotional circumstances, you need to inform your home academic unit offering the programme in which you are enrolled.
Action Required
Following the procedures described below, present your case to your home academic unit in AIMS as soon as possible but no later than 5 working days of the scheduled date for completing the affected examination or assessment. If you are a student of the College of Business, please use the College of Business Online Mitigation Request System.
- Login to AIMS with your EID and password.
- Select the Student Record menu.
- Click My Applications (for Undergraduate and Master's (Taught Postgraduate) Programmes).
- Select Mitigation Request Related to Assessment.
- Read the Notes to Students carefully.
- Fill in the required fields of the form and upload documentary evidence* to support your case.
- Submit your request.
- An email will be sent to you to acknowledge receipt of your request.
* The ORIGINAL of all supporting documents (uploaded with your request or not) must also be submitted to your home academic unit no later than 5 working days of the examination, or the scheduled date for completing the in-course assessment, otherwise your request will not be considered.
Accepted Evidence
Examples of accepted evidence for each kind of reported extenuating circumstances are given below. This is for general guidance only and is not intended to be exhaustive or definitive. The University considers each individual case on its own merits.
| Long Term Illness | An original letter or certificate from a registered medical practitioner confirming the nature of the illness and the likely impact it had on the student’s ability to undertake assessment. |
|---|---|
| Short Term Illness | An original letter or certificate from a registered medical practitioner. A short term illness such as cold, headache, upset stomach, etc., will not normally be regarded as an extenuating circumstance with regard to assessed coursework, where the student is given a number of weeks/months to complete and submit such work. |
| Hospitalisation | An original medical letter/certificate from the relevant hospital confirming the period of hospital confinement and the nature and severity of the student’s circumstances and the likely impact it had on the student’s ability to undertake assessment. |
| Bereavement | A death certificate and supporting documentation where there is a demonstrably close relationship between the student and the deceased. |
| Serious Personal or Emotional Circumstances | An original letter or certificate from an appropriate professional confirming the nature and severity of the student's circumstances and the likely impact it had on the student's ability to undertake assessment. |
Examples of Unacceptable Circumstances
Examples of circumstances that are normally not considered as acceptable claims of extenuating circumstances are given below.
| Transport issues | It is the students' responsibility to ensure that they arrive at the examination on time, irrespective of the form of transport used or relied upon. |
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| Misreading the examination timetable | It is the students' responsibility to ensure that they know and remember the location, time and duration of all formal assessments. |
| Stress | Stress as a result of examination pressure is a common experience of many students and is not considered to be an acceptable extenuating circumstance. |
| Holiday and family events | - |
Possible Outcomes
- The home academic unit will investigate your case and convey it to the Assessment Panel(s) of the concerned course(s) for decision if your presented circumstances are substantiated.
- The Assessment Panel will determine whether to offer you a make-up examination, coursework or other alternative assessment. The Panel may also adjust your grade as appropriate.
- You may view the status of your request in AIMS > Student Record > My Applications (for Undergraduate and Master's (Taught Postgraduate) Programmes) > Mitigation Request Related to Assessment. Your home/course-offering academic unit will also notify you of the outcome in writing.
Academic Regulations on Illness or other Circumstances Affecting Assessment
Refer to Academic Regulations 10.1 – 10.3 for the arrangements for students to report extenuating circumstances.