Assessment and Mitigating Circumstances

These principles inform Albion’s approach to mitigating circumstances:

Entitlement: where a student is affected by circumstances affecting their ability to complete assessment to the normal schedule, and these circumstances are unpredictable and unavoidable, the student shall be entitled to an extension on their coursework deadlines and / or a postponement of their examinations. Once assessment is completed, marks will not be adjusted to consider mitigating circumstances.

Consistency: procedures shall be applied consistently across Albion, so that students in a similar position follow the same procedural steps and are offered comparable arrangements in response to their mitigating circumstances.

Verification: a student shall provide evidence of their mitigating circumstances, certified by a person of appropriate authority and independence. Evidence shall be provided as soon as possible once the circumstances have arisen, normally prior to the assessment submission deadline / date of examination, and within published time limits beyond which a claim will not be accepted.

Timeliness: a claim shall be assessed, and the outcome communicated to the student, as promptly as possible upon receipt. A student should normally know whether an extension / postponement is approved before the date of the submission deadline / examination, and should therefore not be expected to make a decision on submission / presentation in a situation of uncertainty.

Specificity: a claim for mitigating circumstances shall specify start and end dates. A new claim is required if circumstances extend beyond the end date. Approved arrangements shall specify a new coursework submission deadline proportional to the period affected by the mitigating circumstances / a new examination period.

Efficiency: instructions for making a claim shall be clear and straightforward, specifying one “point of first call” which is accessible to all students. Assessing a claim shall, wherever possible, be conducted by staff closest to that point of first call, who shall have access to details of the assessment tasks required in order to approve appropriate arrangements. The claim outcomes shall be recorded once, in one location, stored electronically to the student record, and communicated electronically to the student and staff concerned. Evidence in support of a claim shall be stored such that it is easily accessible to relevant staff (ideally, electronically).

Independence: The procedures for receiving and assessing claims shall, as far as possible, be separated from other aspects of the assessment process. Normally the claim will be assessed by a person who is not involved in the assessment of the student’s work. The procedures shall not be used to address cases which fall more appropriately under other areas, such as arrangements for students with a disability, arrangements for students on exchange, and so on.

Definitions

Criteria for Mitigating Circumstances

Factors which affect a student’s ability to complete an assessment to the normal schedule may be defined as Mitigating Circumstances if all the following conditions are met.

1. They are unforeseen. Any difficulties which might have been predicted, such as the strain of a long commute, or the tiredness resulting from the combination of a job or raising a family with a course of study, do not constitute mitigating circumstances. There are a few exceptions in relation to foreseen absence during examinations;

2. They are unavoidable. A student is expected to prioritise their work over other commitments. For instance, being on vacation when an assessment is due (including during the reassessment period) does not constitute mitigating circumstances;

3. They fall under one of the following categories:

a. serious personal injury, such as a broken limb, or a medical condition requiring hospital attention or with an incapacitating effect.

b. An acute illness (physical or mental), such that a reasonable person would have been unable to carry out the assessment task. (Note that alternative assessment arrangements on the basis of a disability are not covered by the MC2 process-see below.)

c. Birth or adoption of a child.

d. Being the victim of a serious crime during the period immediately preceding the assessment.

e. The serious illness or death of a close relative, or attendance at a family funeral.

f. Unforeseen and unavoidable work pressures sufficiently serious so as to interfere significantly with the ability to meet an assessment deadline or physically preventing you from sitting an examination.

g. Transport difficulties of an unpredictable and uncontrollable nature, where alternative arrangements could not be made within reasonable time and where independent evidence (such as accident report) can be provided. Only applies to examinations, presentations, or time-constrained assignments.

h. Severe emotional upset.

i. Foreseen and unavoidable absence during the examination or reassessment period, when this meets certain criteria.

4. They are evidenced (except in the case of MC1s—see below). A claim of mitigating circumstances can only be accepted if independent evidence is submitted. This must be one of the following, and must include contact details for verification:

• Medical certificate.
• Police report or similar professional report.
• Letter from third party confirming death of a relative, or death certificate.
• Letter from Student Services, or a registered counsellor, or a Senior Tutor.
• Letter from an employer (note that this must indicate how work pressures are unforeseen and unavoidable.
• If the student cannot provide the above, they must have agreement on alternative form of evidence from Senior Tutor.

5. The claim is submitted on or before the coursework deadline / date of the examination and the evidence is provided on that date or as soon as possible thereafter; evidence presented after the end of the relevant semester will not be accepted. Claims which do not meet all the above criteria will not be accepted (except in the case of MC1—see below).

6. IT issues are not normally sufficient grounds for an application for mitigation.

Types of Mitigating Circumstances Claims

MC2 Most claims are made under the MC2 process. They must meet all the criteria above.

MC3 If the mitigating circumstances are of a long-term or complex nature, which will affect a student’s ability to study for a period longer than three weeks, staff will normally refer the case to a Senior Tutor who will work out the best course of action, coordinate support for the student, and review the case at intervals. This is the MC3 process.

MC1 On one occasion only each year, for one coursework extension, a student can use the MC1 procedure. This allows an emergency extension of 48 hours, for instance if they have a minor problem such as a cold. No evidence is required to support this. The MC1 is not allowed for:

• examinations or ‘tests’.
• Reassessment.
• group assignments.
• individual or group presentations.
• time-constrained assignments.
• assessment linked to a special event taking place at a particular time in addition to an MC2 or MC3 on the same module.
• Relationship to procedures for disabled students or those with a specific learning difficulty.

The Mitigating Circumstances procedures are separate from the procedures for disabled students. For the purposes of the Albion’s procedures, the procedures for disability also apply to students with a specific learning difficulty such as dyslexia, dyspraxia, or dyscalculia. A disabled student may have (for instance) an automatic extension on written coursework to consider their disability; however, they could request a further extension because of (for instance) an illness which is unrelated to their disability.

However, a student cannot claim a mitigating circumstances extension on the grounds of their disability. If their disability warrants an automatic extension, this must be arranged via the procedures for disabled students.

Assessment and Mitigating Circumstances: Foreseen Absence During the Examination Period

A student is expected to be available for assessment during the published examination periods, including the reassessment period. In addition to the standard criteria for mitigating circumstances, there are a small number of instances in which a postponement of an examination can be approved.

Postponement can be approved if the student:

• booked a holiday prior to the start of their programme of study with Albion;
• is undertaking a placement overseas, or off mainland UK (though not Isle of Wight), where the placement is a formal part of their academic programme. Note that this does not include, for instance, working at summer camps abroad, or a vacation taken before or after the formal placement; is undertaking a placement in the UK and their employer cannot release them;
• is undertaking approved Dissertation research or equivalent, where the location of research is overseas, or off mainland UK (though not Isle of Wight);
• has a scheduled commitment as a member of a national sports team or equivalent;
• is attending a job interview;
• is undertaking a significant role within an important civil or religious ceremony (e.g., bridesmaid at wedding, jury service).

The standard of evidence required to support this claim will be high, requiring third party confirmation of the position. Submission of insufficient evidence will result in a fail grade.

Coursework alternatives to examinations will not be offered.

International Students

International students are expected to make themselves available during all examination periods. A return home for a holiday or family visit is not grounds for postponement of an examination.

Students on Exchange Programmes

Students visiting Albion on exchange from another institution will be offered a coursework alternative to examinations if these fall outside the standard exchange period. However, Albion students going out on exchange will be expected to undertake any missed examinations when they next run, following the standard exchange period. They should take care to make travel arrangements to ensure they return in time; an extended stay for the purposes of vacation will not be grounds for further postponement.

Procedures for Students Assessment and Mitigating Circumstances

You are normally expected to submit your coursework by the deadline, and to attend your examinations when they are scheduled.

If you are ill, you may request an extension on your coursework. And if you are due to take an examination, you may have to request that this is postponed to the next time the examination runs. Although most Mitigating Circumstances involve the student directly (illness or injury), serious illness of a close relative may also be considered. Nonmedical problems, such as severe emotional upset, may also be thought relevant. We can only approve Mitigating Circumstances if:

• they are unpredictable and unavoidable, such as illness. See the definitions for the categories permitted for a successful claim. We will not consider any difficulties you might have which could be predicted, such as the strain of a long commute, or the tiredness resulting from the combination of a job or raising a family with a course of study. While it may be a good idea to seek advice when such events appear to affect your work, they do not constitute mitigating circumstances;
• you evidence the mitigating circumstances, following the procedures described below. If you need advice on this, contact a Senior Tutor. You need to check that your circumstances meet the criteria specified in the detailed definition. If you have mitigating circumstances, you must:

1. Send an email, you must do this on or before the date the coursework assessment is due / examination is scheduled.
2. Attach the independent evidence which supports your claim, if this is not possible by the date the assessment is due / examination is scheduled, it must be done as soon as possible thereafter, and by the end of the relevant semester at the latest.
3. Respond to any emails confirming the grant of your extension.
4. If an extension on examination is agreed, attend the examination the next time it is run. This will normally be in the Reassessment examination period.

Please note: approval of an extension to, or postponement of, an assessment is at the discretion of the Board of Examiners (and staff acting on the Board’s behalf). Submission of an email and/or evidence does not, in itself, guarantee that approval will be given. If approval is given, the Board of Examiners will approve a grade of ‘Late’ (L).