What are Exceptional Circumstances?
- fail to meet submission deadlines, and/or
- fail to attend a fixed-timed assessment or engage with a fixed-window assessment, and/or
- be adversely affected by an incident or issue occurring during those assessments.
In general, exceptional circumstances, will be of an acute medical or personal nature significantly affecting the student at or during a relevant period of time and/or during the assessment period and which can normally be corroborated by independent evidence.
Students wishing to claim exceptional circumstances must complete an EC application via MAP Task. More information on the EC process can be found below.
Long-term or ongoing health conditions are only usually considered if there has been an unexpected worsening at the time of the assessments in question. This is because there are other processes for supporting students with disabilities, long-term and ongoing health conditions which can be discussed with the
Disability and Academic Support (Student Hub).
What should I do before deciding to submit an application for exceptional circumstances?
- If you think you need to apply for exceptional circumstances to request an extension or to defer an assessment due to other circumstances, read the information below and the Guide to Exceptional Circumstances to check whether you are likely to meet the criteria and what evidence is usually required.
- Understand the University’s Fit to Sit Policy means that if you attend an examination or other fixed time assessment, you will be considered to have declared yourself ‘Fit to Sit’ the assessment and made a valid attempt at the assessment, subject to consideration of factors affecting performance which may arise subsequent to beginning the assessment. This means if you sit an exam any mark you gain is likely to stand even if you submitted an EC application. Therefore you need to decide whether you are well enough to sit the exam or not. This includes whether you were or will be well enough to sufficiently revise and prepare for the assessment. If you are unable or not well enough to attend an exam you should inform your School as soon as possible and complete an EC application.
- Claims/evidence for exceptional circumstances should be made after the relevant assessment deadline, but cannot be accepted after the published exceptional circumstances deadlines unless you can provide good reason why you were not able to submit them earlier. You should note that this is not a basis for making an appeal.
How do I apply for ECs?
Applications for exceptional circumstances must be submitted online via MAP Task. The University’s Guide to Exceptional Circumstances provides detailed guidance on what circumstances are likely to meet and the evidence required.
In summary, you will need to explain how your circumstances are exceptional, the significant impact on you and your academic work and also the time period you been or are likely to be affected which must be relevant to the dates of the assessment. Try to provide as much detail as possible about how your circumstances have been affecting you. It may help to think about how your ability to study, prepare and complete your assessment(s) have been affected. Your circumstances must be relevant to the time period of the assessments. In order to support your application you will also need to provide evidence that confirms your circumstances.
What Evidence Do I Need?
You also need to provide evidence of your exceptional circumstances that must confirm your circumstances, how they affected you and your studies and it should also include the period of time you were affected. The University’s Guide to Exceptional Circumstances provides detailed guidance on what circumstances are likely to meet the EC criteria and the evidence required.
| Circumstance |
Supporting Documentation |
| Illness which prevented you from attending an exam/ assessment or occurred after the start of an examination or assessment |
- Letter/certificate from a health professional/counsellor confirming any health circumstances, the impact on your studies and the period of time you have been or will be affected.
- Hospital appointment letters, a copy of prescription or medicine labelling may also be considered.
- If your illness is a self-limited, common ailment not requiring medical attention, you should be aware that this will not normally qualify as an Exceptional Circumstance warranting an extension for written assignments. If such an illness affects your attendance at an examination, oral assessment or other form of test, you should inform your School as soon as possible and seek their guidance on how best to provide the necessary evidence. Please also see the paragraph on weighting of evidence in The University’s Guide to Exceptional Circumstances.
|
| Illness which prevented you from completing an assessment (coursework) on time – see section on late submission |
- Letter/certificate from a health professional/counsellor confirming any health circumstances, the impact on your studies and the period of time you have been or will be affected.
- Hospital appointment letters, a copy of prescription or medicine labelling may also be considered.
|
| Unforeseen major travel disruption which caused you to be late/miss an exam |
- Letter from transport company.
|
| Legal matters |
- Letter/documents from court/solicitor.
|
| Personal/domestic problems which occurred in the period leading up to an examination/assessment deadline |
- Letter from someone who has direct knowledge of the problems and/or has been involved in supporting you (e.g. religious leader, student finance advisor, employer, chaplaincy, Student Services Adviser, an adviser from the Union’s Advice & Representation Centre).
|
| Bereavement |
- Death certificates; supporting evidence of effect of bereavement from parent/guardian, doctor or counsellor.
|
| Jury Service |
- Official letter from the court requesting your attendance.
|
For long term issues, such as on-going health/personal/financial issues, which affect your ability to study or your ability to perform generally, would not usually be accepted as exceptional circumstances by the University.
EC applications would not usually be accepted for students with long-term chronic long term health conditions, disabilities or learning differences unless there was evidence of a sudden, unexpected temporary flare up or worsening of the condition. This is because there is support for students with significant ongoing long term health conditions or disabilities which affect their studies that can be accessed through the University’s services such as the Enabling Team who can potentially arrange for support such as reasonable adjustments for study and assessments to be put in place.
If you will not be able to obtain the evidence before the deadline for submitting the EC application, you must still submit the EC application on time and let your School know the evidence will be provided later.
When is the Deadline for Submitting an EC application?
Deadlines for each School are listed on the University’s Exceptional Circumstances webpage. If you are unsure you should contact your School as soon as possible for this information.
If you will not be able to obtain the evidence before the deadline for submitting the EC application, you must still submit the EC application on time and let your School know the evidence will be provided later. However, please note that EC applications and evidence for exceptional circumstances will not usually be accepted after the published deadlines unless you can provide good reason why you were not able to submit them earlier.
Where do I submit the EC application?
Applications for exceptional circumstances must be submitted online via MAP Task. Should you require information from your School, the email addresses for each School can be found on the University’s Exceptional Circumstances webpage. You will need to scroll down the page until you find your School who will have listed an email address for who to contact should you have any questions or require any support regarding your application.
What happens after I submit the EC application?
The Exam Board, or more often, the Exceptional Circumstances or Absence Panel (ECAP), will recommend whether your claim of exceptional circumstances meets University regulations or not.
The ECAP will consider what you include on the form and the evidence you provide to:
- determine if the circumstances are, in its opinion, exceptional,
- decide whether they are likely to have affected your ability to take an assessment in the way you have described
- consider the weight of supporting evidence
If your claim meets University Regulations the Board of Examiners has a number of options open to it. These do not include raising the marks for an assessment or module.
- If your EC request is accepted you will either receive a replacement attempt without penalty (I.e. it will not be capped unless it was already capped due to failure in a previous attempt) or any late work submitted will be marked without a late penalty.
- If your EC request is rejected, the mark you were awarded for completing the assessment or a 0 for non-completion will stand. Any resubmission opportunities would depend on whether it was a first or second attempt at the assessment. Any resubmission would then be capped at the pass mark.
Who can I talk to at University if I am experiencing difficulties?
- SU Advice Service (That’s us!) – Confidential advice service, we provide advice on the options available and provide advice on submitting an Exceptional Circumstances application.
- Personal Tutors/Advisors/Programme Directors (In your School). If your School are aware they can potentially provide support including allowing you a break from your studies until the issue is resolved
- The Student Hub - provides advice on various issues which includes student finance, fees, funding and visas. You can also access Student Welfare Services such as:
- Mental Health and Wellbeing Team - Provide effective and specialist support to the University’s students, to meet their basic mental health and wellbeing needs, giving them the best opportunity to successfully complete their studies and have a positive student experience.
- Counselling Team - Qualified counsellors/psychotherapy practitioners suporting students with a wide range of issues. Whether you’re just embarking on university life or you’re further along with your studies, they can help work through whatever’s troubling you.
- Disability and Academic Support - Advice and support for students with disabilities, including ongoing health conditions and learning differences.
- Chaplaincy (MLK Multi-faith Centre) - The Centre caters for those of all faiths or of none, and the Chaplaincy team is experienced at listening and offering pastoral and spiritual guidance, prayer, support and friendship to all – regardless of background.
- Residence Advisors (Aston Student Village) – Resident Advisors are volunteer postgraduate students who make sure students living in Aston Student Village are receiving the pastoral and welfare support they need