Intellectual Property Specialist Student Handbook 2026/27

20. Appeals and Complaints

An appeal is the only method by which a student can request a review of a decision made by an academic body about progression, assessment and award, as well as decisions made under several other Queen Mary policies.

There are various types of appeal: 

• Academic Appeals: any appeal relating to an academic decision (progression, assessment, award).
• Administrative Appeals: any appeal about decisions or outcomes that may affect your studies or student experience, but are not academic results (for example, if you are deregistered due to unpaid fees).
• Academic Misconduct Appeals: where academic misconduct has been found to have occured, a student may appeal this decision and/or any penalty imposed.
• Student Disciplinary Appeals: where misconduct has been found to occur, a student may appeal this decision and/or any penalty imposed.

Before Submitting an Appeal

• Speak to your School or Institute first. Many concerns can be resolved informally without initiating a formal appeal.
• Your School/Institute can provide feedback on marks or degree classification and help clarify any queries.
• Note: Appeals cannot be used to request feedback on academic work.

Grounds for Appeal

Please note that appeals based on academic judgement are not eligible and will not be considered. Academic judgement is not a valid ground for appeal and cannot be reviewed under the Office of the Independent Adjudicator (OIA) Scheme.

There are two grounds on which an appeal will be considered: 

1. Procedural Error
   This means that Queen Mary processes were not followed correctly when the original decision was reached, and the error was sufficiently significant to call into question the original decision. 

2. Extenuating circumstances
   This is where the student has experienced significant adverse circumstances that negatively impact their ability to complete their studies, and where there is a good reason that these circumstances could not have been made known before the original decision was reached; or where they were raised, that they were not considered appropriately. 

Students should submit a Formal Appeal within 15 working days from the confirmed results. Where a student is unable to submit their appeal within this timeframe for good reason, they may contact the Appeals, Complaints & Conduct Office to request an extension. Appeals submitted late will only be considered where there is a good reason and supporting evidence for the delay. 

Submit your appeal via AskQM: AskQM Portal

More information: Appeals, Complaints and Conduct Office – Governance and Legal Services.

Final Review

 A Final Review is the second and final stage of the formal appeals process. It provides an opportunity for a student to request a review of the outcome of a Formal Appeal where they remain dissatisfied with the decision and meet the specified grounds for review. A Final Review can only be requested where the outcome letter for the Formal Appeal confirms that this option is available.

Student Complaints

A student who wishes to make a complaint about academic or non-academic matters they experience during their time at Queen Mary may do so under the Queen Mary Student Complaints Policy. The student complaints process is made up of two stages - Formal Complaint and Complaint Review.

1. Informal Resolution
   Queen Mary encourages students to seek an informal resolution wherever possible. Many concerns can be resolved by discussing them with a member of staff in your School or Institute. Further information on informal resolution and the complaints process is available in the Student Complaints Policy.

2. Formal Complaint
   If a concern cannot be resolved informally, students may submit a Formal Complaint for investigation under the Student Complaints Policy. Formal Complaints must be submitted through AskQM. To do this, log in to AskQM, select ‘New Enquiry’, choose ‘Appeals and Complaints’ as the enquiry category, and then select ‘Formal Complaint’ as the subcategory.

3. Complaint Review
   If a student is unhappy with the outcome of their Formal Complaint, they may request a Complaint Review. If a student wishes to submit a Complaint Review, they can use AskQM to do so. Log into AskQM, and select 'new enquiry' then choose Appeals and Complaints as the enquiry category followed by 'Complaint Review' as the subcategory.

   Please note that if you have a concern regarding assessment or progression of award, this should be submitted as a Formal Appeal. You can find information about how to appeal on the Appeals webpage. 

   Students are strongly advised to seek informal resolution of their concerns where possible.

Office of the Independent Adjudicator (OIA)

If a student remains dissatisfied after a Complaint Review, they may submit a complaint to the Office of the Independent Adjudicator (OIA). 

The OIA is the independent body that reviews student complaints for all higher education institutions in England and Wales, and is free to students. The OIA is not a further stage of Queen Mary’s procedures and is not an appeal body. 

Information about submitting a complaint to the OIA is contained in the Completion of Procedures letter issued by Queen Mary following the outcome of a Complaint Review. A complainant can also find information about how to submit a complaint to the OIA on their website: www.oiahe.org.uk.  

Independent Advice

For independent and confidential advice about their complaint, students can get advice from Annie Mitchell, who is the Advocacy and Representation Manager in Queen Mary’s Students’ Union: a.c.mitchell@qmul.ac.uk (please note Annie is a staff member of QMSU, not a student officer).