What information should I include in my narrative about my circumstances?
The information you provide in your supporting narrative is used to inform an administrative decision about whether to award you an extension or deferral. You should focus on outlining your circumstances, the impact that these would have/have had on your affected assessment(s), and the dates concerned.
There’s no need to include graphic accounts of challenges or issues that you’ve experienced, though we invite you to register with King’s Student Services if you’d like to receive support around those issues, from specialist practitioners.
Information confidentiality
The University will treat the information you provide as confidential in line with the University's Data Protection Policy and Student Data Collection Notice. Information will only be shared with staff who have a legitimate need to access the information in order to consider your request or to provide you with support.
Your requests for mitigating circumstances may be shared with staff (e.g. Student Support & Wellbeing Services) who aren't directly involved in the mitigating circumstances process for the purpose of providing additional support.
Falsification
If it's suspected that you've submitted a mitigating circumstances request that isn't in good faith or that evidence has been falsified, the case will be considered in line with both the Academic and Non-Academic Misconduct Policies and Procedures.
What photos can I include?
The only photographic evidence we accept is:
- Photos/screenshots of IT issues, not including screenshots of blank screens
- Photos of documents (in lieu of a scan).
Please don’t provide photos of anything that doesn’t fall within these categories - this includes photos of medication.
The file names for photos should indicate the type of evidence that they include, for example, “photograph of X document”. Staff members may not review evidence where file names don’t clearly indicate the contents.
Are there any general requirements for my supporting evidence?
The supporting evidence you provide must be:
- In writing.
- Written by an independent third party, such as your personal doctor - your documents can’t be produced by you.
- Supportive of your claim and provide evidence of the circumstance that you’re submitting.
- Signed and dated by the person who wrote the document.
- The date relevant to the period that your circumstances were affected.
- Written in English or be an original document in another language accompanied by a translation in English. Information about the source of your translation must also be included.
Important to know: Please make sure that all of the files you submit are labelled. If you need a scanner, you can find one in our libraries.
Exactly what evidence do I need to provide?
The type of evidence you will need to provide depends on your specific circumstances, as follows:
Physical ill health
Please provide the names of the illness or condition, the impact the illness would have/has had on the affected assessment(s) and the dates concerned.
This should be supported by an original medical certificate from an appropriately qualified medical practitioner. Additionally, this also applies to cases of Covid-19. Photos of Covid-19 test results are no longer acceptable as evidence.
Medical certificates are acceptable, but photos of medication are not acceptable. However, if the impact on your physical ill health is significant (e.g. requiring multiple assessment adjustments, or delay to your progression), then we may wish to see further evidence, including evidence of in-person medical evaluations.
The medical certificate must be dated and apply to the time period that your circumstances were affected. The certificate must also be provided in English or with a translation. Please indicate whether the translation has been done by an individual or online. If you're unable to obtain a medical certificate, ZoomDoc and similar sources are also normally acceptable.
If you already have Personalised Assessment Arrangements (PAA) in place, please use the “Extension given by PAA” category. You do not need to provide evidence if you have a PAA. Note: this is just to request a short extension, extensions of longer than one week will require you to submit evidence under a different MCF category (with evidence).
Mental ill health
Important to know: If you're not already engaged with our Counselling & Mental Health Support Service, please don't register to receive support with your evidence. The service might not be able to meet with you before your evidence deadline, so we recommend you reach out to your doctor or another service who already knows about your mental health difficulties.
Please provide the name of the illness or condition, the impact the illness would have/has had on the affected assessment(s) and the dates concerned.
Please also confirm if you are receiving support, from Counselling & Mental Health Support, other King’s support services, or external support services.
This information should be supported by:
- Correspondence from King’s support services who have been actively supporting you; or
- Correspondence from external support services who have been actively supporting you; or
- Medical certificates are acceptable. However, if the impact on your mental ill health is significant (e.g. requiring multiple assessment adjustments, or delay to your progression), then we may wish to see further evidence, including evidence of in-person medical evaluations. The medical certificate must be provided in English or with a translation. Please indicate whether the translation has been done by an individual or online. If you're unable to obtain a medical certificate, ZoomDoc and similar sources are also normally acceptable.
If you already have Personalised Assessment Arrangements (PAA) in place, please use the “Extension given by PAA” category. You don't need to provide evidence if you have a PAA. Note: this is just to request a short extension, extensions of longer than one week will require you to submit evidence under a different MCF category (with evidence).
Please read our article Support for students with mitigating circumstances for guidance on looking after your mental health and wellbeing.
Long-term medical condition or disability
Please provide a King’s Inclusion Plan (KIP) that confirms the medical condition or disability and explicitly states that the KIP may be used as evidence to support mitigating circumstances.
If your KIP explicitly states that it can be used as evidence to support mitigating circumstances, then you can upload it at the ‘Upload Supporting Evidence’ stage of a new mitigating circumstances request on Student Records.
Most KIPs will not have this explicit statement. If your KIP does not, please follow the procedure above for physical or mental ill health.
You can discuss your future requirements directly with Disability Support; take a look at our article How can Disability Support assist me with my disability?
If you already have Personalised Assessment Arrangements (PAA) in place, please use the “Extension given by PAA” category. You do not need to provide evidence if you have a PAA. Note: this is just to request a short extension, extensions of longer than one week will require you to submit evidence under a different MCF category (with evidence).
Computer system or network issues
These aren’t normally considered as mitigation, but certain circumstances might be considered.
In cases of internet outage or computer failure, please provide evidence as to why you were unable to use alternative facilities, such as University library computers to submit your work. In cases where work is lost, please explain why your work was not stored and backed up securely.
If appropriate, please provide meaningful screenshots of your issue(s) - a screenshot of a blank screen is not sufficient as evidence. Remember to include the time and date and, in your summary of circumstances, describe the impact on your affected assessment(s) and the dates concerned, e.g. what prevented you from submitting. A screenshot of a blank screen, for example, will not be sufficient as evidence.
For network issues, please ensure that you’ve done all that you can to check that your internet connection is working and to fix any issues locally (e.g., restart your router or contact your internet service provider).
For systems issues (for example, problems related to KEATS), please make sure that you’ve contacted King’s IT to look into the issue.
Hospitalisation
Please provide confirmation of your illness, the impact the illness would have/has had on your affected assessment(s) and the dates concerned.
This should be supported by an original medical certificate from an appropriately qualified medical practitioner.
The medical certificate must be provided in English, or with a translation.
Family illness
Please provide confirmation of the family illness, the impact that this would have/has had on your affected assessment(s) and the dates concerned.
This should be supported by:
- Statement of support from King’s staff member who is already familiar with the circumstances and has ongoing knowledge of the issue about which the application for mitigation is being made, such as Personal Tutor, or the module lead for the impacted assignment; or
- Statement of support from King’s Student Services who have been actively supporting you; or
- A letter from external support services who have been actively supporting you; or
- Medical certificates are acceptable. However, if the impact on ill health is significant (e.g. requiring multiple assessment adjustments, or delay to your progression), then we may wish to see further evidence, including evidence of in-person medical evaluations. The medical certificate must be provided in English or with a translation. Please indicate whether the translation has been done by an individual or online. If you're unable to obtain a medical certificate, ZoomDoc and similar sources are also normally acceptable.
Bereavement
Please tell us about your circumstances, the impact the bereavement would have/has had on your affected assessment(s) and the dates concerned. It’s helpful if you can include some information about the closeness of your relationship with the individual who has died.
If applicable, please also provide details – with appropriate evidence – of any ongoing support you’re receiving from King’s or external support services.
Pregnancy-related issues
Please follow the requirements for mental or physical ill health hospitalisation or other appropriate circumstance if there’s a specific incident during pregnancy, including pregnancy loss.
Religious observance
King's fully supports students who commit to religious observance, and we understand that it can affect your studies. However, religious observance, in itself, isn't considered grounds for mitigating circumstances.
Students who feel that religious observance has significantly impacted their ability to attend or complete assessments might consider submitting a mitigating circumstances form.
Please provide a full description of the impact that this has had on you and include any supporting documents you may have.
For more guidance specifically about Ramadan, have a look at our article Where can I get support during Ramadan?
Caring responsibilities
Please provide confirmation of your circumstances, the impact that these would have/have had on your affected assessment(s) and the dates concerned.
This should be supported by:
- Medical evidence of impact, e.g., letter from a doctor or another medical practitioner; or
- Written evidence to support your claim or explain your situation, for example, a message from a caring provider stating that the provision isn’t available; or
- A statement of support from a King’s staff member who is already familiar with your circumstances and has ongoing knowledge of the issue about which the application for mitigation is being made, such as your personal tutor, or the module lead for the impacted assignment(s); or
- Statement of support from King’s Student Services who have been actively supporting you.
Housing or student accommodation issues, including homelessness
Please tell us about your circumstances, the impact that these would have/have had on your affected assessment(s) and the dates concerned.
This should be supported by:
- A statement of support from a King’s staff member who is already familiar with your circumstances and has ongoing knowledge of the issue about which the application for mitigation is being made, such as your personal tutor, or the module lead for your impacted assignment(s); or
- A statement of support from King’s Student Services who have been actively supporting you; or
- A letter from external support services who have been actively supporting you.
Financial issues and hardship, including the impact of part-time work
Please tell us about your circumstances, the impact that these would have/have had on your affected assessment(s) and the dates concerned.
This should be supported by:
- A statement of support from a King’s staff member who is already familiar with the circumstances and has ongoing knowledge of the issue about which the application for mitigation is being made, such as your personal tutor, or the module lead for your impacted assignment(s); or
- A statement of support from King’s Student Services who have been actively supporting you; or
- A letter from external support services who have been actively supporting you.
Visa issues (e.g., DBS checks, refugee status)
Please provide confirmation of your circumstances, the impact that these would have/have had on your affected assessment(s) and the dates concerned.
This should be supported by:
- Evidence of your visa issues; or
- A statement of support from King’s Student Services who have been actively supporting you.
Placement issues
Please provide confirmation of your circumstances, the impact that these would have/have had on your affected assessment(s) and the dates concerned.
This should be supported by:
- A statement of support from King’s staff member who is already familiar with your circumstances and has ongoing knowledge of the issue about which the application for mitigation is being made, such as your personal tutor, or the module lead for your impacted assignment; or
- A statement of support from King’s Student Services who have been actively supporting you.
Crime
Please tell us about your circumstances, the impact that these would have/have had on your affected assessment(s) and the dates concerned.
Please provide a police report that includes a crime reference number, or confirmation that you’ve reported the incident through Report + Support.
If the incident has resulted in you seeking medical attention, then the requirements for mental or physical ill health should be followed.
Road traffic incident or other accident
Please tell us about your circumstances, the impact that these would have/have had on your affected assessment(s) and the dates concerned.
If you’ve been involved in a road traffic incident, either as a passenger or as the driver, or another accident, please provide evidence detailing the time and place that the incident occurred, including for example:
- A police report that includes a crime reference number; or
- An insurance reference number/record of the event.
If the incident has resulted in you seeking medical attention, then the requirements for mental or physical ill health should be followed.
Representing the university or your country at a significant or prestigious event
Please provide confirmation from the relevant organising body and a supporting statement from the student and/or member of staff explaining why the event should be considered significant or prestigious.
Student athletes with an international commitment (such as an international training camp or world-standard competition) should supply appropriate third-party evidence of the commitment.
Jury service or attendance at a court or tribunal
For jury service, please provide a letter from the court.
If you’re required to attend a tribunal or court as a witness, defendant or plaintiff, please provide a solicitor’s letter including the dates of the legal proceedings and the requirement for you to attend.
Deployment or active duty with armed forces
Please provide confirmation of your circumstances, the impact that these would have/have had on your affected assessment(s) and the dates concerned.
Please also provide evidence of your deployment/active duty.
Arrest or being held in custody
Please provide confirmation of your circumstances, the impact that these would have/have had on your affected assessment(s) and the dates concerned.
This should be supported by evidence of your arrest/being held in custody.
War, political unrest or natural disaster (e.g., earthquake, tropical storm) in a country in which I am resident or domiciled
Please tell us about your circumstances, the impact that these would have/have had on your affected assessment(s) and the dates concerned.
Extension given by Personalised Assessment Arrangements (PAA)
You don’t need to provide any further evidence if you have a PAA in place.
For more information, please read How can I apply for 5 working day extensions for coursework assessments (including essays and dissertations)?