Extensions and Extenuating Circumstances

• You are encouraged to meet published coursework deadlines. However, we appreciate that there may be circumstances that arise where you are unable to submit a piece of coursework by the published deadline.  For example, illness, injury, bereavement or the exacerbation of a disability.  

  You may apply for a coursework extension of 5, 10 or 15 working days. You should be able to cite a valid reason and, where possible, provide appropriate accompanying evidence.

  For dissertations and extended essays, extensions of up to 20 working days may be available in exceptional circumstances (similarly supported by a valid reason and evidence).

  Please note that it may not always be possible to provide the length of extension requested for pedagogical reasons. In such cases you may be offered the opportunity to defer the assessment to the supplementary period.

  How to request an extension

  1. Please submit your extension request by completing online form. If you are unsure about the options and implications of applying for an extension, please contact the Wellbeing Officers.

  2. Please do not apply for an Extension if the deadline has passed. These requests will be automatically rejected. If the deadline has passed, you should instead apply for Extenuating Circumstances instead.

  3. For an extension request, you will be notified of the outcome of your request via your university email address, within 5 working days.

  4. Once an extension has been approved, coursework submitted before the extended deadline date will not incur late penalties. From the extended deadline date, the usual late penalties will apply.

  5. If you submit your work after the original published deadline, your work may not be marked and returned within the timeframe of the standard marking turnaround and you may wait longer for feedback.

  Please note that for extensions to coursework set in semester 2 and particularly dissertations and extended essays, requests for extensions may result in a delay to the release of results and your graduation.

  Frequently Asked Questions

  I want to request a five working day extension... 

  You will need to complete online form. Please note that once you have requested the extension, you cannot update this and / or request a further extension on top of this. As such, please think carefully about the length of time that you need.

  What counts as a ‘valid reason' to support a 5 working day extension request?

  The reason given must be valid according to the list of reasons that is published in Section 2 of the Student Guidance on the Code of Practice for Extenuating Circumstances.

  Extenuating circumstances (ECs) are situations that: i. You could not predict what would happen; ii. You had no control over; iii. Have seriously affected your ability to study or do your assessment.

  I want to request a 10, or 15 working day extension, or for dissertations a 20 working day extension... 

  You will need to complete online form. Please note that you will need to: 

  i) Clearly explain the reason for your request, indicating the circumstances and their impact upon your ability to make the submission by the published date or by using the five working day extension.   

  ii) Provide third party evidence that clearly confirms the circumstances that you are describing, is commensurate in time with the circumstances you are describing, is signed, dated and either on headed paper and / or has an institutional stamp.  

  If the circumstances you have encountered mean that:

  • you will not be in a position to submit in the maximum time allowed 

  OR  

  • you reach the end of the period of extension that you have applied for and been granted and are not in a position to make your submission,

  then you will need to apply for a First Sit Opportunity using the Extenuating Circumstances Process on the link above. 

  I have an academic plan in place - can I request an extension on the deadlines it contains?

  No, as you cannot request an extension on an extension. In these cases, you should submit an Extenuating Circumstances request instead, to ask for Waive Late Penalties or request a Further First Sit opportunity (which may necessitate an alternative assessment). 

  I have submitted an extension request close to the original deadline, should I submit the work if I have not yet received the outcome?

  This is a personal decision and will vary depending on how confident you are that you have met the criteria listed above. As per the Extensions guidance, students can have an extension of 5 working days on an original deadline without providing supporting evidence, providing a clear reason is given that meets the requirements published in section 2 of the Student Guidance on the Code of Practice for Extenuating Circumstances. 

  How will I know if I’ve been granted an extension...? 

  Once we have received and assessed your application, we will communicate back to you in writing (by email) within 5 working days. Providing you have submitted your request at least 24 hours in advance, we will consider your application.   

   

   

During your period of study, any number of circumstances may affect your ability to perform well in assessments (this includes essays, class tests and final examinations).

"Extenuating circumstances" is the process of informing your School of circumstances that have affected you throughout the year. Depending upon the nature and severity of these circumstances your School may wish to take them into account when the Board of Examiners meet to decide what your progress decision should be.

Please refer to the Extenuating Circumstances Procedure Intranet page for further details.

You are encouraged to speak to a Wellbeing Officer to discuss the range of support available in regards to your extenuating circumstances.

Please complete your Extenuating Circumstances request form

If you experience a sudden or unexpected circumstance that will impact your assessments you can apply for Extenuating Circumstances by completing the form. Your extenuating circumstances form should be submitted no later than 24 hours before the scheduled end time of the exam.

Students who have an ongoing health condition or impairment are encouraged to seek support via reasonable adjustments in advance of the examination period and speak to the Wellbeing Service before submitting an Extenuating Circumstances request.

The deadline for applying for reasonable adjustments is 20th October 2023.

Students who require temporary exam arrangements, such as due to an injury, should contact the Wellbeing Officer. To access temporary exam arrangements you will need to provide appropriate evidence of your circumstances. 

When requesting an Extenuating Circumstance you will be asked to select an outcome. You can use this guidance for a list of possible outcomes and what they mean.

Extenuating Circumstances Panel Dates

The outcome of your Extenuating Circumstances request will be communicated after review by your programme’s Extenuating Circumstances (EC) panel. These panels convene around official assessment periods to ensure timely decisions.

Below are the approximate dates for upcoming Extenuating Circumstances panels. Please note that these dates are subject to change:

January Assessment Period: Week commencing 27^th January 2025

June Assessment Period: Week commencing 9^th June 2025

August Supplementary Assessment Period: Week commencing 1^st  September 2025

All other Extenuating Circumstances Requests - will be considered by an Extenuating Circumstances Panel, these take place once per Semester so there may be a delay from when you submit your request to when you receive the recommendation of the EC panel. 

EC Panel recommendations from Semester 1 and 2 are presented to the Main Board of Examiners to be considered.

EC Panel recommendations from the Supplementary period (August resits) are presented to the Supplementary Board of Examiners.