Extenuating Circumstances: a guide for students

Extenuating Circumstances (ECs) are significant and unforeseen circumstances that are outside your control and have negatively affected your ability to undertake or complete an assessment.

To be considered an EC, a circumstance would normally be:

• Beyond your control
• Unexpected or unforeseen
• Significant rather than minor
• Serious enough to affect the validity of your assessment result as a measure of your achievement

Examples may include:

• Significant illness or injury
• Bereavement
• Serious family emergencies
• Unexpected caring responsibilities
• Other exceptional personal circumstances that have affected your assessment

ECs are generally intended for short-term circumstances that affect a particular assessment or assessment period.

The following would not normally be accepted as ECs:

• Normal exam or assessment stress
• Having several deadlines close together
• Employment commitments
• Academic workload pressures
• Planned holidays or events
• Arriving late to an assessment
• Missing a deadline due to poor time management
• Computer failure or loss of work where appropriate backups were not maintained
• Uploading the wrong version of an assignment
• Planned religious observance where arrangements could reasonably have been made in advance

This list is not exhaustive. Each case is considered on its individual circumstances.

You should consider submitting an EC claim if:

• Your assessment has already been affected
• You expect your assessment to be affected
• You are unable to complete or submit work on time because of circumstances beyond your control
• You are unable to attend an examination or assessment due to unexpected circumstances

If you are unsure whether your situation qualifies, seek advice as early as possible.

Self-certification allows students to submit certain EC claims without providing evidence.

Key points:

• Self-certification covers short-term circumstances only.
• Self-certification claims can cover a period of up to 7 calendar days.
• Students may self-certify up to two separate incidents during an academic year and only once during an examination period.
• The University may still request additional information where necessary.

If your circumstances are likely to last longer than 7 days, you should normally submit a standard claim with supporting evidence.

A standard EC claim usually requires supporting evidence.

Examples include:

• Medical certificates or fit notes
• Hospital documentation
• GP letters
• Appointment letters
• Documentation from online medical services
• Death certificates
• Police reports
• Confirmation from an appropriate support agency
• Other independent evidence relevant to your circumstances

Evidence should:

• Be relevant to the circumstances described
• Cover the period affected
• Be from an appropriate independent source
• Be in English, or be accompanied by an authorised translation where required

Do not wait to submit your claim.

If you are still waiting for evidence, submit your claim within the relevant deadline and select the option to upload evidence later.

Evidence must then be uploaded within the required timeframe.

Your claim should clearly explain:

• What happened
• When it happened
• Which assessments were affected
• How your circumstances affected your ability to complete the assessment

You do not need to write a long statement, but you should provide enough information for your claim to be assessed fairly.

Coursework

Claims should normally be submitted no later than 7 calendar days after the submission deadline.

Examinations

Claims should normally be submitted no later than 3 calendar days after the end of the examination period.

Important

Submit your claim as soon as possible.

If exceptional circumstances prevented you from meeting the deadline, explain this in your claim and provide supporting evidence.

Applications are made through the Extenuating Circumstances task in MySIS.

Steps:

1. Log into MySIS
2. Open the Extenuating Circumstances task
3. Select the affected assessment(s)
4. Explain your circumstances
5. Upload evidence, or indicate that evidence will follow
6. Submit your claim
7. Monitor your University email and MySIS for updates

Important

Submitting an EC claim does not automatically pause an assessment deadline.

Where possible, continue working on your assessment while your claim is being considered.

Your School or Institute will review your claim and any supporting evidence.

You may be contacted if further information or clarification is needed.

Once a decision has been made, the outcome will be communicated through MySIS.

Schools aim to process claims as quickly as possible. Most claims are normally processed within 5 working days. Claims relating to examination periods may take longer and are usually processed after the examination period has finished.

Where a decision is delayed, you should be informed of the reason and any expected timescale.

Outcomes depend on the nature of your circumstances and the assessment involved. An approved claim does not automatically mean a particular outcome will be granted.

Possible outcomes may include:

• An extension
• Removal of a late submission penalty
• Rearrangement of an assessment
• A replacement attempt
• Other adjustments permitted under University regulations

If you are too unwell to sit your examination, you should normally not proceed with the assessment and should submit an EC claim instead. 

If you become ill during an in-person exam, notify an invigilator immediately.

If you become ill during an online exam, follow any instructions provided by your School and submit an EC claim as soon as possible.

Queen Mary operates a Fit to Sit principle.

This means that when you submit coursework or sit an examination, you are normally declaring that you are well enough to undertake that assessment.

If you complete and submit an assessment, it will usually be marked and counted. Claims seeking to invalidate a completed submission will only be considered in exceptional circumstances.

If serious circumstances affect you before an assessment, seek advice and submit an EC claim as early as possible.

Long-term conditions are normally supported through the Disability and Dyslexia Service (DDS). 

However, if an unexpected episode, change in circumstances, or change in treatment affects your assessment, you may still be eligible to submit an EC claim.

If you are unsure which process is appropriate, contact DDS or seek advice from your School.

If your claim is not accepted:

• Read the outcome carefully
• Consider the reasons provided
• Seek advice if you do not understand the decision
• Contact the Students' Union Academic Advice Service for independent support
• Consider whether you may have grounds under the Academic Appeals process

Support is available from:

• Your School or Institute
• Your Academic Adviser
• Students' Union Academic Advice Service
• Student Wellbeing Services
• Disability and Dyslexia Service
• Advice and Counselling Service

If you are unsure whether to submit a claim, seek advice as early as possible.