Extenuating circumstances - commonly referred to as ECs -
are "circumstances
that are outside a student's control which may have a negative impact on a
student's ability to undertake or complete any assessment so as to cast doubt
on the likely validity of the assessment as a measure
of the student's achievement," (Academic
Regulations 2020/21, 3.49). Students are strongly advised to
read the Advice and Counselling Extenuating Circumstances Guide.
Extenuating circumstances may include medical and personal
circumstances such as bereavement, but do not include events
such as holidays, mis-reading timetables, workload (academic work, and formal
employment), computer problems, or not being aware of rules, regulations or
procedures.
Please
note IT issues and submitting the wrong version of an assignment, are not
acceptable grounds for applying for ECs.
The core principle behind the extenuating circumstances policy
is the 'fit to sit' rule. By taking an assessment, a student declares
themselves fit to take it; any claim for extenuating circumstances relating to
that assessment shall not normally be considered.
The Extenuating Circumstances policy is to help students where
circumstances are beyond their control. It is a short term measure and claims
for extenuating circumstances are not automatically approved. Students need to
explain the reason for the claim and provide appropriate documentary evidence.
If you are experiencing any difficulties, you must tell someone
at the time in order to get the appropriate advice and assistance. Normally
this would be the student support officer or your academic advisor, however
there are other sources of advice and support available to you which can be
accessed through the Advice and Counselling Service.
Anything that a student tells a member of staff will be treated as
confidential.
Please note: Unless
students report their extenuating circumstances formally at the time then it is
very difficult for QMUL to help them in terms of their studying. QMUL does not
accept retrospective claims for extenuating circumstances so students need to
tell someone about their problems as soon as possible.
How do I make an Extenuating Circumstances claim?
The Extenuating Circumstances task on MySIS allows you to register
extenuating circumstance claims against summative assessment elements/modules
where it is felt that illness or other circumstances led to non-attendance or
non-submission. The task can be found on MySIS under its own section entitled
Extenuating Circumstances. Any student registered for assessments will automatically
have access.
To add a claim, log in to your MySIS account and
click on Extenuating Circumstances in the menu bar at the top of the screen.
This will bring up a summary showing your personal details, details of your
programme and various headings denoting different stages of the claim process.
To add a new claim, click on the New Claim button.
To help you navigate the claim process there is a PDF
'Extenuating Circumstances Student Guide'. You can find this via the MySIS
extenuating circumstances home page.
QMUL requires students to submit appropriate
documentary evidence to support claims for extenuating circumstances. The
evidence must support the claim and the requested length of extension e.g.
‘fitness to work’ note, letter from a doctor or counsellor, copy of a death
certificate, letter from a solicitor.
QMUL will allow students to ‘self certify’ on three
occasions during the academic year. This means that students are not required
to submit evidence. However, the Senior Tutor will decide whether the claim is
approved. 'Self certified' claims cannot be granted for a period longer than 7 days.
EC Coursework Applications:
Students are expected to submit assignments by the stated
deadlines. If you are experiencing difficulties, you should contact the Student
Support Officer. If you miss a deadline, SPIR advises students to submit claims
as soon as possible after the submission deadlines. This will allow SPIR to
support students who are experiencing difficulties and minimise the risk to
students falling behind with their studies and their assignments.
All Coursework-related EC applications are considered by the
Student Support Team and you will receive a decision notification email when
your form has been processed. You should hear a decision within 1-2 weeks of
submitting your application, this time may vary depending on the volume of
applications received.
We cannot grant immediate decisions, therefore you are
advised to inform us immediately once you are aware of any problems outside of
your control that will affect your ability to submit work on time. You must
CONTINUE TO WORK on your coursework while you are awaiting a decision and
submit your work as soon as it is complete to QMplus or via email to spir-assessments@qmul.ac.uk if
you cannot submit via QMplus. Therefore any delays you experience in the EC
application process cannot be used as a justification for further EC claims.
If you submitted your coursework late while awaiting a
decision and your application becomes approved, then some or all of any late
penalty you incurred may be removed.
It is possible to claim retrospectively for extenuating
circumstances, where it was not possible for you to have submitted the claim at
the time, and if your applications is received within the EC deadline (before
the end of the relevant semester). If approved, some or all of any late penalty
you incurred may be removed
Exam related EC applications.
Exam related applications will be considered before the
final meeting of the Subject Examination Board by the Extenuating Circumstances
Sub-committee. All discussions on this
committee are strictly confidential and student names are not used. You will
receive a decision notification email from the Student Support Manager shortly
after the Examination Board has met to consider your application.
If you have taken any examination/s, Queen Mary considers
you to have been fit to do so.
Please note that we cannot accept any applications or
additional documentation after examination boards have met.
NOTE
EC deadlines for
2021- 2022:
Thoughout the year submit your EC claim form prior to the assessment deadline/examination or as soon as possible after the submission deadline
Jan 2022 examinations - TBC for consideration by the SPIR EC Sub-board
May 2022 examinations - TBC for consideration by the SPIR EC Sub-board
Late
summer resits (assignments and examinations) - TBC for consideration by the SPIR Late summer resit EC Sub-board.
Special note for Joint Honours Students
Students
with the Schools of Economics & Finance, Law and Geography should
submit their application to their home School regardless of which School
runs the affected module.
Students
with the Schools of History and Languages, Linguistics and Film should
submit EC claims to the School that runs the affected module.
Students taking Politics with Business Management should submit all EC claims to the School of Politics and IR.
Joint Honours
Students MUST refer to the Student
Handbooks of their other School for
guidance on policies and procedures. If you
are unsure of any procedures speak to either
School Office.
