Applying for late extenuation
Extenuating circumstances are circumstances outside of your control which prevent you from being able to perform effectively in an assessment. You can find out more about what qualifies, and what extenuation actually gives you, on our Extenuating Circumstances page.
Each semester there are deadlines for applying for extenuation. We always recommend that people apply for extenuation before these deadlines. If you miss this deadline, it may still be possible to get extenuation, but it has to be done via the appeals process.
This process is more challenging, because you will need to prove that you had extenuating circumstances at the time of the assessment and that you were unable to apply for extenuation before the deadline.
How do I apply?
To submit a late extenuation appeal, you will need to complete the University’s Appeal form. You will have to fill in information about yourself and your extenuating circumstances. You will also need to explain why you are applying after the extenuation deadline. Appeals are much more likely to be considered if you can provide evidence for both.
When do I apply?
Because you are appealing against a result, you will need to wait until your result is published on UEL Direct. The deadline for your appeal will be ten working days after the results are published. You can submit late, but again, you will have to explain why you could not appeal in the designated appeals window.
How do I fill in the form?
Personal Details
This section asks you for your personal details, then asks you if you are submitting an appeal or a complaint. Select ‘appeal’, and this will open the remainder of the form.
Appeal Details
You will need to add all of the modules covered by your extenuating circumstances separately, filling out every question.
- Click +ADD and fill in all the relevant details.
- For your component code, include all of the components covered by your circumstances. If this is all components, just put all.
- In ‘Grade or Award’ you should put whatever shows up in the ‘Grade’ column on UEL direct. This is likely to be NS or F.
- For late extenuation appeals, the grounds will be ‘there is evidence that the extenuating circumstances were so severe as to have prevented the student from making an informed decision at the time as to whether to attempt an assessment or to apply for extenuation’. Read more about what this ground means here.
Once you have filled in the information for a module, click +ADD at the bottom of the page. You will then be returned to the form, and you will be able to add any other modules that may have been affected by your circumstances.
Are you submitting a late appeal?
Click ‘Yes’. You will then be provided with another box where you can explain why you were unable to apply for extenuating circumstances before the extenuation deadline. Not knowing the deadline or not understanding the process will not be considered an acceptable reason for submitting a late appeal.
Do I need to provide evidence?
Appeals are very unlikely to be accepted without evidence, so we always recommend that people include as much evidence as they can in their appeals. This evidence should cover your extenuating circumstances at the time of your assessment, as well as the extenuation deadline. You can upload 5 documents as part of the form. Any extra pieces of evidence can be emailed to appeals@uel.ac.uk once you have submitted your appeal.
If you would like one of our advisors to provide feedback on your draft responses, please email them to studentadvice@uel.ac.uk and complete our Contact Form. We cannot provide specific advice without the contact form, as you will need to accept our user agreement.
Do not miss the deadline to submit your appeal because you are waiting on a response from us. The University will not accept this as a reason for submitting late and the Students’ Union expects all students to take responsibility for ensuring that their appeal is submitted on time.
What happens next?
Your appeal will be referred initially to the Appeals team, who will assess whether your appeal meets the grounds. After this:
- You may be referred to a different procedure, such as a complaint.
- You may be requested to provide additional explanation or evidence.
- Your appeal may be moved to formal consideration.
If your appeal is moved to formal consideration, it will be sent to a Chair. They will give you an outcome, which will either be to add extenuation to the modules or to reject your appeal.
Can I ask for a review of the decision?
There is one final review stage if you believe that the Appeal outcome is incorrect or unreasonable. This is called a Panel Review. You can request this if you believe that the outcome was unreasonable, or if there is new evidence that you were reasonably unable to provide earlier. If you go through this process, the Appeals team will again undertake an initial assessment, and then your appeal will be considered by an independent panel of University staff. You may be requested to attend a hearing at this stage. Once this stage is complete, you will be sent a final decision and a Completion of Procedures letter.