Mitigating Circumstances
What are Mitigating Circumstances?
- Situations that the student could not have predicted and had no control over (e.g. serious illness, death of someone close, being the victim of a crime, family difficulties and unforeseen financial hardship).
- Situations with significant impact on the student’s ability to undertake assessments/examinations which are independently evidenced in a timely fashion; (e.g. doctor’s note during illness showing duration and level of negative impact).
- Situations that are acute or short term, the timing of which are relevant to the impact on study (normally within three weeks of the relevant assessment event or deadline).
- All mitigation for consideration must be evidenced.
What are Reasonable Adjustments?
- Reasonable adjustments are a response to circumstances we can predict, and stem from consultation with Disability Services.
- Once a student has met with Disability Services, the adviser will contact us to recommend any specific adjustments, which could be related to marking, deadlines, recording of lectures, and access to lecture materials in advance, for example.
Actions to Take
Before the main Exam Boards meet, we hold a Mitigating Circumstances Board. Mitigation is graded as severe, moderate, or weak according to the impact on the student during the exam/assessment period. Subject to the Exam Board's decision, actions include:
- Waive or reduce late penalties applied
- Permit the student to resit/resubmit capped at 40%
- Permit the student to first sit the exam (uncapped)
- Permit the student to submit a new assessment (uncapped)
- Arrange an alternative method of assessment
- Permit the student to repeat the year
- Condone failure in one or more modules, subject to the degree
- Transfer the student to a pass degree