Apply for extenuation
Sometimes your studies will be affected by unexpected events or illness. This could include bereavements, accidents, flares up of long-term health conditions, difficult family or personal circumstances or major household incidents such as fires or flooding.
As a result, you may need more time to complete an assignment which is when we recommend applying for extenuation.
How do I apply?
You apply for extenuation via an online form. You will need to provide information on each assessment you are applying for and provide a detailed explanation of your circumstances and how they have prevented you from submitting or negatively impacted your performance during the assessment.
You will also need to provide evidence in support of your claim. This should be submitted via your student portal following your online application. This might be in the form of a doctor’s letter, hospital discharge papers, an eviction notice or a death certificate. Generally, anything which can support the circumstances you talk about in your application. Documents such as prescriptions or appointment letters will not be accepted by the University. You can find examples of acceptable evidence to give in your claim here. We have also written a guide for medical professionals writing support letters for extenuation claims.
When do I apply?
Generally, you should apply as soon as you realise that your ability to submit your work on time is being impacted, however we find that applications that are submitted too far in advance of submission deadlines are more likely to be rejected. Sending in the application around 2-3 weeks beforehand should be fine. You can also submit a claim after your assessment deadline has passed.
There are deadlines each academic semester/year by which you need to submit your extenuation applications. These vary depending on your year level.
Semester A (autumn): 23 January 2023
Semester B (spring): 29 May 2023
Semester B (spring) re-sits: 31 July 2023
Semester C (summer): 25 September 2023
If you miss these deadlines but still need to apply for extenuation for an assessment you can do so via the appeals process. However, it is harder to have extenuation granted via that process, so it is strongly recommended that you try and meet the above deadlines as much as possible.
What does extenuation get me?
If your extenuation claim is accepted by the University, you will be able to submit your work at the reassessment deadline without your mark being capped.
If extenuation is granted at the resit, then you will be able to defer the assessment and re-register for the module again. This may only be possible where students have not exhausted all assessment attempts. In these circumstances, the re-registration of the module may incur tuition fee costs.
If you have extenuation granted on your resit attempt but not the initial attempt, then your repeat module will be capped. If you have had extenuation granted on both your initial and resit submissions, then your repeat module will be uncapped.
Updated extenuation guidelines
Under the new extenuation guidelines, there is no longer an option to submit your work within seven days of the initial deadline with a successful extenuation claim. Instead, students can apply for an automatic seven calendar day extension. You can find details of how automatic seven calendar day extensions work here.
Different situations can affect your claim for extenuation. Find out more below.
I am pregnant
Generally, pregnancy does not fall under the criteria for extenuating circumstances, as a pregnant student or expectant parent should have completed a Maternity, Paternity and Adoption Support Plan to minimise the impact of a student’s pregnancy on their studies. However, if you are suffering from a pregnancy-related illness which has impacted on your studies this could count as extenuation. You should say this in your application, along with how this has impacted on your studies. Your evidence should confirm that you have been experiencing this illness and not simply confirm that you are pregnant.
My extenuating circumstances are connected to a long-term illness or disability
On-going medical circumstances and disabilities are not normally considered for extenuation as the impact of those is often foreseeable and the University expects you to seek appropriate support from the Disability and Dyslexia Team (DDT). However, students in such situations can apply for extenuating circumstances if they can demonstrate that they have experienced a ‘flare-up’ of their condition or symptoms that has had a serious impact on their ability to do their work.
I want to apply for extenuation for my dissertation/thesis
The University consider it to be 'unusual' for a student to submit an extenuation for a dissertation or thesis. They say that this is because a dissertation/thesis is “planned and written over a long period of time”. If you do submit extenuation for a thesis or dissertation you must supply evidence from your supervisor showing that you were making “satisfactory progress” with the work before your circumstances occurred, and if it were not for the circumstances taking place you would have submitted on time. You could also submit examples of your feedback on drafts or supervision records to show you were on track until the circumstances occurred.
My extenuation claim has been rejected
If your claim has been rejected, please complete our contact form to let us know. We can get in contact with the Extenuation Panel to find out why exactly your claim was rejected. We can then provide advice on what you can do to strengthen or claim or what additional evidence you may need to provide in order to increase your chances of a successful claim. Please do not book an appointment with us as we will need to look at your form before we can provide you with advice.
Where do I find my component code and module code for my extenuation application?
The component code is a three-digit code in the form of 001, 002, 003 etc which relates to a specific component on each of your modules. They typically follow the order that the assessments take place in the module. So, the first assessment scheduled is 001, the second is 002 and so on. You can find the component code on the Turnitin link for that assessment or in your assessment guide.
The module code is the specific code related to your module at UEL, for example HR7006 or LA4001. They can be found in your module and course guide, on Moodle, UEL Direct and Track My Future.
I have not received an outcome for my extenuation claim and my deadline is coming up. What should I do?
It can take 3-4 weeks before you will receive an outcomes from your extenuation claim. If you have not received an outcome for your extenuation claim by your assessment deadline there are several options available to you:
- If your work has reached a point where you believe it is of an acceptable quality to submit, you could submit your work by your assessment deadline. Please note, however, that if extenuation is granted, this assessment will be marked as zero and you will move to the next opportunity uncapped. If this is a resit, having a mark of zero may affect your progression decision. If, after receiving the mark, you would rather progress without retaking the assessment, you will need to notify the Hub and explain the extenuation request was made in error. This is sometimes referred to as rescinding the extenuation.
- You could also choose to submit your work within 24 hours of the initial assessment deadline, and it will be accepted and marked, although it will incur a 5% deduction to the mark. If extenuation is granted this mark is reduced to zero and you move to the next eligible opportunity uncapped.
- Your third option is to choose one component (if you had requested extenuation for more than one assessment) and request an automatic extension before the assessment deadline. You can then submit this piece of work within seven days of your assessment deadline. A successful extenuation claim will reduce this mark to zero. If you wish to keep the mark, you will need to rescind the extenuation request for this component only. Please note if extenuation has already been granted prior to an extension request, the extension will not be accepted.
- If your extenuation claim is not accepted, or the submitted work fails, then your work will be recorded as 'NS' (non-submission). You will receive a mark of zero and you will move to your next assessment opportunity; your mark will be capped at the resit. If your extenuation claim related to your initial submission deadline, the 'next opportunity' will mean your resit attempt. If it related to your resit submission, then the 'next opportunity' will likely need to be accessed by repeating the module.
All of the above options have certain risks to them and you will need to consider which is the best one for you given your circumstances, taking into account how ready you are to submit your work, how much of an impact a lower mark might have on your overall average and how strong you believe your extenuation claim to be.
All students are given a second opportunity to submit their work if they are not able to submit (or submit but fail) at their initial attempt.