We understand that your performance in an assessment may have been affected by adverse circumstances. You may want to make an academic appeal for the following reasons:
You were unable to submit a mitigating circumstances form at the time of your assessment
You want to challenge the outcome of a request for mitigating circumstances
You believe that procedural errors by the university have impacted on your results
Important to know: Appeals which are based on a challenge to the academic judgment of the examiners will not be considered.
In this article:
As stated within the Academic Regulations, you may appeal on either or both of the following grounds:
Where there is evidence that assessment(s) may have been adversely affected by mitigating circumstances which the student was unable, or for valid reasons unwilling, to make known before the original decision was reached.
Where there is clear evidence that assessment(s) may have been adversely affected by a significant administrative error on the part of the University or in the conduct of the assessment.
You are expected to inform the university of any mitigating circumstances by submitting a Mitigating Circumstances Form (MCF) as soon as possible either before an assessment, or within 7 days of it.
If you submit an appeal which involves the retrospective disclosure of mitigating circumstances, you will need to demonstrate why you didn't make a disclosure earlier.
If you have submitted a mitigating circumstances form and it is rejected, you can appeal against this decision once your results have been ratified.
This can be on either or both of the following grounds:
- There is new evidence that could not have been, or for good reason was not, made available at the time of the submission of the mitigating circumstances form, and that sufficient evidence remains that your mitigating circumstances warrant further consideration
- That evidence can be produced of significant procedural error on the part of the university in the consideration of the mitigating circumstances, and that sufficient evidence remains that the original mitigating circumstances warrant further consideration
The appeals process involves two stages:
Appeals concerning decisions of the Faculty Assessment Board (FAB). This is known as a Stage 1 appeal.
Appeals made to Student Conduct & Appeals; this is known as a Stage 2 appeal.
You will only need to submit a Stage 2 appeal if you are not satisfied with the outcome of your Stage 1 appeal.
Important to know: If the Faculty Assessment Board rules to remove you from your course of study due to lack of academic progress, there is a separate appeals process. For more information, please refer to How can I submit a progression appeal at King's?