Here are some of our most Frequently Asked Questions about Extenuating Circumstances.  If you can’t see your question answered – or would like more specific advice on your personal situation – please don’t hesitate to contact us at the Advice service at UWTSD Students’ Union.  We’re independent of the University, and won’t discuss your case with them without your permission.

If you’re not able to do your best work before the deadline, and this is because of – for example – a health problem, or something happening in your personal life, you should consider applying for Extenuating Circumstances.

If you’re eligible to apply for Extenuating Circumstances, it’s in your interests to do so. If you apply for Extenuating Circumstances, and your application is accepted, then you have the following choices:

I don’t think I can get my work done by the deadline

You can hand in the work in any way

1. If you pass it and you’re satisfied with your score, then that’s great – if you don’t pass it, or if you’re not satisfied with your score, you’ll have the right to re-sit it without any additional penalty.
2. In other words, if it’s your first attempt, then the re-sit will also be treated as a first attempt – if a second attempt, the re-sit will also be treated as a second attempt, and so on.

You can hand the work in up to one week late

1. The ‘late submission penalty’ will then be lifted.
2. In other words, if this is a first attempt and you submit up to 1 week late, the score would usually be ‘capped’ at the pass mark (40 for undergraduate, 50 for postgraduate). However, with Extenuating Circumstances accepted, that ‘cap’ would be lifted and you’d get the ‘full score’.
3. If this is a re-sit and you submit up to 1 week late, the score would usually be an automatic 0. However, with Extenuating Circumstances accepted, that penalty would be lifted, and you would be able to score up to 40 (undergraduate) / 50 (postgraduate).
4. In other words, if it’s your first attempt, then the re-sit will also be treated as a first attempt – if a second attempt, the re-sit will also be treated as a second attempt, and so on.

You can choose not to hand the work in

1. You’ll then have the right to submit the work for a new deadline.
2. Bear in mind, though, that this deadline is likely to be in the next term or semester. This means that you might be delayed in progressing to the next level or in graduating – so it might be worth getting advice on this option from your lecturers.

You can apply for Extenuating Circumstances on MyTSD (under ‘Data Changes’), up to 3 weeks after the assignment deadline. Don’t forget that:

1. You’ll need to provide independent evidence (usually from a professional) to support your claim.
2. You have to apply for Extenuating Circumstances yourself – a member of University staff can’t generally do this for you. Simply mentioning to a member of University staff what you’re going through isn’t generally enough – the University will expect you to complete the form.

I missed the deadline for my assignment

You can still apply for Extenuating Circumstances up to 3 weeks after the deadline. If you managed to hand the work in up to one week late, and you have Extenuating Circumstances accepted:

1. The ‘late submission penalty’ will then be lifted.
2. In other words, if this is a first attempt and you submit up to 1 week late, the score would usually be ‘capped’ at the pass mark (40 for undergraduate, 50 for postgraduate). However, with Extenuating Circumstances accepted, that ‘cap’ would be lifted and you’d get the ‘full score’.
3. If this is a re-sit and you submit up to 1 week late, the score would usually be an automatic 0. However, with Extenuating Circumstances accepted, that penalty would be lifted, and you would be able to score up to 40 (undergraduate) / 50 (postgraduate).
4. In other words, if it’s your first attempt, then the re-sit will also be treated as a first attempt – if a second attempt, the re-sit will also be treated as a second attempt, and so on.

If you didn’t manage to hand the work in at all, and you have Extenuating Circumstances accepted:

1. You’ll then have the right to submit the work for a new deadline.
2. Bear in mind, though, that this deadline is likely to be in the next term or semester. This means that you might be delayed in progressing to the next level or in graduating – so it might be worth getting advice on this option from your lecturers.

Of course, the sooner you apply for Extenuating Circumstances, the better. That way, you’ll have the ‘peace of mind’ of knowing that they’ve been accepted. If you weren’t able to apply for Extenuating Circumstances by 3 weeks after the deadline – say, because you were in hospital the whole time – you would need to provide evidence to show why you weren’t able to. The University won’t usually accept not knowing about the Extenuating Circumstances process, as you will have been told about Extenuating Circumstances in your induction.

What counts as valid Extenuating Circumstances

Section 14 of the Mitigating Circumstances Policy explains the criteria for Extenuating Circumstances. The key point is that you have to provide ‘independent documentary evidence’ that your studies have been affected by something specific in the run-up to, or at the time of, the assessment in question.

Usually, this means providing a letter or a statement from a professional, such as a Medical Certificate or Statement of Fitness to Work from a doctor for a medical condition. Letters should come from an official e-mail address (not a personal one), or on headed paper.

The evidence that you provide has to verify that what you’re claiming your Extenuating Circumstances for definitely happened. For instance, if the letter from your doctor simply states that you told your doctor about an illness, but the doctor didn’t actually diagnose this illness, this won’t be accepted. Or, if someone you were close to has passed away, you’d usually be expected to provide an Order of Service from a funeral or a copy of the Death Certificate.

The Case Officer considering your Extenuating Circumstances application has to be able to see that there was an impact on your studies, and see that this impact falls within the time period around (or in the run-up to) the assessment. As a result, evidence such as a photograph of medicine you’ve been prescribed by a doctor won’t be accepted, as it doesn’t provide this information.

There are also specific things that don’t count as Extenuating Circumstances, because the University views these as things you can manage in your day-to-day life as a student. These include, for instance, forgetting to back up your assignment on your own device (though the University might accept it if it’s a University device that had problems), moving home, or experiencing temporary financial difficulty (for example, if you’re a little short of money in the final week of term).

The University won’t usually accept Extenuating Circumstances based on having to work long hours – unless your studies and your work are closely connected (for example, if your employer is sponsoring you, or if you’re on a Degree Apprenticeship, or similar).

Similarly, if you had a very minor illness (say, caught a cold), this is unlikely to be accepted unless you can show that the impact was more severe than you might expect.

Finally, the Extenuating Circumstances system isn’t the right way to get support for a disability – Extenuating Circumstances are intended to address the impact of temporary health and personal issues on your studies. If you have a long-term condition, you should speak to Student Services about ‘reasonable adjustments’ and (if suitable) a Statement of Compensatory Measures.

If you’re unable to provide any of the evidence suggested above, but still believe you have a case for your Extenuating Circumstances to be recognised, there is another option – you can approach a Learning Support Manager in Student Services, and ask them to provide a ‘University Confirmation of Extenuating Circumstances Form’. You can read more about this below.

I'm having trouble providing evidence

To identify a suitable professional who might be able to evidence your Extenuating Circumstances (‘ECs’), it might be worth ‘thinking outside the box’. For instance, if you’ve been supported by a social worker or a charity who can verify what you’ve been going through, the University might be able to recognise an official e-mail or letter on headed notepaper from them.

If there really is nobody who can do this for you, there is another way. This is to approach a Learning Support Manager in Student Services, and ask if they can provide a University Confirmation of Extenuating Circumstances. This Confirmation can be used as evidence for an Extenuating Circumstances application. The Learning Support Manager will want to understand what’s happened (and why you can’t provide ‘independent documentary evidence’).

Hwb, or your campus’ Student Services team, will be able to signpost you towards the right Learning Support Manager.

You’re also welcome to contact us for suggestions on how you might be able to find suitable evidence for your Extenuating Circumstances application.

Don’t forget that you have to apply for Extenuating Circumstances yourself – a member of University staff can’t generally do this for you. Simply mentioning to a member of University staff what you’re going through isn’t generally enough – the University will expect you to complete the form.

My application for Extenuating Circumstances was refused - how could this have happened?

You should have received an e-mail from the Academic Office explaining why your Extenuating Circumstances weren’t accepted. Here are some possible reasons:

1. Did you apply more than 21 days after the assignment deadline, but without providing additional evidence to explain why you’re applying late? If so, your Extenuating Circumstances won’t be considered unless you can provide that additional evidence.
2. Was the evidence you provided in Welsh or English? If not, you’ll need to provide a translation before it can be considered.
3. Was the evidence from a medical doctor, on headed paper or from an official e-mail address? The University won’t generally recognise anything unofficial, or evidence from a non-medical health practitioner (for instance, an alternative health practitioner).
4. Are you applying for Extenuating Circumstances based on a long-term condition or a disability that you’re already receiving support for? If you have a Statement of Compensatory Measures from Student Services (which gives you up to a one-week ‘differentiated deadline’ for assignments), the University has already given you extra time in recognition of your condition. You’d therefore need to show in your Extenuating Circumstances application why this extra week hasn’t been enough for you for this assignment.

What can I do if my Extenuating Circumstances application is rejected

There is one final opportunity to make the case to the University - this is called the 'Review of Outcome' stage. You have 21 days to apply for this after your Extenuating Circumstances application outcome is sent to you. Contact us as early as possible for advice and support with this stage.

If you apply for a Review of Outcome, the Academic Office will ask a new Case Officer to investigate. Bear in mind that the 'grounds' for applying for a Review of Outcome are different from the grounds for applying for an Academic Appeal. In simple terms, to 'win' the Review of Outcome stage, you have to demonstrate one of the following:

• 27.2.1. “irregularities in the conduct of the appropriate procedure, which are of such a nature as to cause reasonable doubt whether the same decision would have been reached had they not occurred” - You can apply for a Review of Outcome if the procedure followed by the Case Officer investigating the Extenuating Circumstances case was incorrect, and this might have resulted in them reaching the wrong decision.
• 27.2.2. “the existence of relevant evidence and there are compelling reasons why this evidence was not provided earlier in the process” - You can apply for a Review of Outcome if there is new evidence that you can provide towards your Extenuating Circumstances. However, to ask for a Review of Outcome on these 'grounds', you have to show that there's a good reason why you couldn't have provided this evidence for your Extenuating Circumstances application in the first place.
• 27.2.3. “the decision was not reasonable given the circumstances of the case” - You can apply for a Review of Outcome if the Case Officer's decision is unreasonable, given the facts of your case.

To apply for a Review of Outcome, you'll need to complete Form SC11, which you can find here. Once you've applied for a Review of Outcome, you should receive the University's final response within 28 days. Keep an eye on your e-mails in case the Case Officer contacts you for more evidence or clarification.

There is one more option if your Review of Outcome is also rejected, or if you can't meet the 'grounds' for Review of Outcome but still believe that you've been treated unfairly. This is to submit a Complaint to the Office of the Independent Adjudicator for Higher Education, which is a national body that can investigate English and Welsh universities. You have up to 12 months to do this from your case closing at UWTSD. To do this, you'll need to request a 'Completion of Procedures' letter from the University, and follow the instructions here. Again, the Students' Union can help you with this part of the process, so please contact us for further support and guidance.