Exceptional circumstances affecting assessment
Student support plans
Student Support Plans (SSP) for students with a disability sometimes have the option to request an extension on a piece of work as part of their plan's adjustments, or to defer an examination attempt.
The way to request such an extension or exam deferral is to use the form in e:vision. This is located in the Your Study page, in the same place as your individual adjustments/arrangements. Do not use self-certification for conditions which are addressed in your SSP.
Acceptable exceptional circumstances
Circumstances that may fall into this category of exceptional circumstances are:
- Physical and mental illness or health emergencies (including treatment that has had a sufficient impact on the ability to undertake the required assessment activities and which cannot reasonably be changed or delayed).
- Disabilities for which a Student Support Plan is not yet in place.
- Bereavement by reason of the recent death of a person to whom the student can show a close relationship. This can be assumed in relation to close relatives or persons with whom the student is living and inferred in relation to other persons with whom the student appears to have a close relationship.
- Being a victim of crime or otherwise involved in criminal or other legal proceedings.
- Disruptions to transport or travel beyond what might be reasonably anticipated and accommodated within plans to complete the assessment at the time or to the deadlines.
- IT difficulties beyond what might reasonably anticipate and accommodated within plans to complete the assessment at the time or to the deadlines (including use of University facilities, the backing up of work, etc).
- Unavoidable commitments and obligations that could not reasonably be delayed or deferred or accommodated within plans to complete the assessment at the time or to the deadlines.
- Any other situation or condition that is shown to be temporary or short term, sufficiently impactful on the student’s ability to complete assessments and for which they could not reasonably have made adjustments.
Circumstances not (usually) considered exceptional
Academic studies are challenging and everyday life is full of ups and downs. We expect you to use the appropriate support services to help you develop strategies for managing normal difficulties. Your supervisor, college staff, or other members of the academic community can help you access these.
We also expect you to prioritise assessment activities. This does not mean that you cannot do other things but, if you do, they should be accommodated around a plan that prioritises completing assessments to specified deadlines or on scheduled dates.
The following is not likely to be accepted as exceptional circumstances on their own:
- loss of work not backed up or printing problems
- accidental submission of an incorrect document (eg an assignment from another module or an incomplete earlier draft of the assignment
- submitting the wrong file type or a corrupted file
- late submission where the upload started after the deadline has passed
- late submission due to slow uploading of electronic assessments unless there is clear evidence of a power outage or local internet failure where the student lives or a system failure on either the VLE or the University network
- misreading of the examination timetable
- English not being a first language
- deadlines for work or exams being set close together.
Inadmissible exceptional circumstances
The following are unlikely to be accepted as bases for claim on their own without additional evidence (depending on the type of claim) of their impact on physical or mental health or wellbeing or that the situation could not be reasonably anticipated, avoided or factored into overall planning to complete the assessment:
- weddings
- constraints arising from paid employment (full-time students)
- holidays
- relationship breakdown
- moving house
- disabilities for which reasonable adjustments have been made
- financial difficulties
- planned health appointments
- slow internet access or uploading speeds.
View the Exceptional circumstances affecting assessment policy 2025/26 for further clarification.
Further guidance
Self-certification of assessment
Not to be confused with self-certification of illness; if you are ill during semester time and miss teaching.
You can make a self-certification of assessment claim using the Exceptional Circumstances form in e:vision.
This process means a student may either defer or have a short extension to an assessment without the need for evidence - this is suitable for short-term, acute illnesses or short-term unforeseen circumstances prior to submission of an open assessment or commencement of an examination. Students may use self-certification a maximum of three times per academic year. Assessments that are bunched, ie more than one assessment in a 72 hour period, will be treated as one use of self-certification.
Assessment types permitted for self-certification (see exceptional circumstances for details).
This may apply to the following assessment types:
Deferral - only before the start of the exam window
- Closed examinations
- Aural examinations (Listening tests)
- Online examinations
- Open examinations up to two weeks of various durations
Four calendar day extension - only up until the submission deadline.
- Coursework/essay
- Postgraduate taught dissertations
- Undergraduate projects
Grounds for self-certification
When a student asks for self-certification, approval will be automatic, as long as the criteria are met and the request is made on time. Students will be required to state the reason for the claim, ie one of the following:
- Exceptional medical circumstances (physical health)
- Exceptional medical circumstances (mental health)
- Exceptional medical circumstances (physical and mental health)
- Exceptional personal circumstances
- Inadequate IT resources
Knock-on impact of extensions and deferrals: Students must be aware of the impact of using self-certification on a number of assessments. If you use self-certification, this may have a knock-on effect on assessment and progression.
For example:
- If you defer an examination and then fail the Sit “as if for the first time” (SAIFFT) in the summer, then you may have to take a Leave of Absence before the next assessment opportunity.
- A four-day extension on an assessment may mean you are working on an assessment when other assessments, classes or other responsibilities must be met.
Please only use self-certification where you have exceptional circumstances, and it is absolutely necessary and appropriate to do so.
Submitting a claim
All self-certification claims must be submitted before the relevant deadlines.
Adjustments equivalent to self-certification
Although not strictly self-certification, you can use the Exceptional Circumstances affecting assessment policy 2025/26 to get self-certification adjustments (ie a deferral or extension depending on the assessment) in each of the cases set out below. You will need evidence to back up each type of claim and must apply before the deadline for which an adjustment is requested. For details, see the relevant section of the exceptional circumstances (EC) policy specified:
- If you are in one of a number of groups of students who, by reason of their circumstances, are entitled to see more than the usual three self-certification adjustments. You will have received a letter if this applies to you (but see EC 3.3.9.2 for more details).
- To regain the use of a ‘wasted’ self-certification. This only applies if you previously used one of your three self-certifications but that situation was also found to be a valid Exceptional Circumstances claim. So long as you can show that you made an EC application in good time on that first occasion, you can make an EC application to ask for another self-certification adjustment (see EC 3.3.9.3).
Monitoring: Schools/departments will track usage of this system for signs of abuse or students who may need further support to manage their studies. Fabrication of exceptional circumstances using self-certification will be treated as academic misconduct.
Evidenced claims
Evidenced claims are made using the Exceptional Circumstances Claim Form in e:Vision.
In certain cases, self-certification may not be possible due to the severity of the circumstances/impact on assessment or the deadline/exam has passed or due to the assessment type. Students may then submit exceptional circumstances (EC) claims to a departmental Exceptional Circumstances team.
These claims must be evidenced (see EC3.2 for details). Evidence is preferably submitted with the claim, but a decision may be made ‘subject to evidence’. In that case you should submit the evidence as soon as you reasonably can so that your case can be finally resolved and, in any event, you must submit all evidence before your school's/department's Module Board that takes place after the Summer exam period (see EC4.4.2 for details).
Claims should be made before the assessment deadline or date of the examination. If you apply later than this, your claim will only be accepted if you can show good reasons for not applying earlier.
If you do not make an application for an extension at least two days prior to an assessment deadline, your department may not be able to confirm your application before the relevant deadline. We recommend that you submit an assessment by the deadline, just in case your claim is rejected. Your department will respond to your application as soon as they can.
Adjustments available for an exceptional circumstances application form claim:
- SAIFFT - Sit “as if for the first time” (EC2.1)
- Extension
- Alternative assessment
- Additional work to reach learning outcomes
- Aegrotat degree
- Waiving on up to 20% of module assessment
- Up to 40 credits of SAIFFT at end of stage
Long-term conditions or circumstances
For more long-standing conditions and circumstances you will be expected to use the appropriate support services provided by the University (eg Disability Services) in order to have relevant adjustments made, and/or to develop coping strategies which will see you through your study.
Submitting a claim
You must submit a claim before the deadline for the assessment (or date of the exam) if possible. You must also check your school/departmental guidance on deadlines for submission of a claim.
Adjustments equivalent to self-certification
You may also get an adjustment you might get under the self-certification process (ie a four-day extension or deferral as appropriate depending on the particular assessment) rather than one of the above outcomes in certain situations:
- For students in particular vulnerable categories who have received a letter informing them of their entitlement to seek such extensions.
- Where a student previously had to use self-certification for an assessment for which exceptional circumstances were also granted (but only if the student can show that they acted promptly and reasonably in seeking both self-certification and exceptional circumstances for the same assessment).
In these situations, students may be entitled to a self-certification (rather than any other) adjustment but will need to apply using the EC form and produce some evidence to support their request (See EC 3.3.9 for detail of what needs to be shown).
An application on these three grounds must be made before the exam start/submission deadline. Work submitted despite an exam/online exam deferral will not be marked.
Online examinations
Students are allowed to submit an exceptional circumstances claim (ECA) citing any of the circumstances or any circumstances normally covered by the exceptional circumstances policy.
Before the start of the examination, use self-certification or an exceptional circumstances application and after the start of the examination, make an exceptional circumstances application.
- A student who does not submit the online exam can submit an ECA claim if the non-submission is as a result of exceptional circumstances.
- A student who submits the online exam can also submit an ECA claim if they believe that exceptional circumstances have affected their performance in the exam.
- The ECA claim should ideally be made before the end of the submission window, unless a good reason for applying later is set out as part of the application.
- The outcome of a successful claim would be the opportunity to sit the affected assessments(s) 'as if for the first time' (sometimes referred to as SAIFFT) at the next opportunity. You will not be granted an extension to complete the work.
Deferring assessments does create risks to your chances of progressing, so should only be used when really needed.
Although you may be able to make further uses of self certification or ECA applications in relation to the deferred assessment, if those assessments are similarly affected, or students fail to meet the progression criteria at the delayed attempt at the assessment, it is unlikely that they will be able to retake or pass the assessment in time for progression or graduation.
For undergraduate students, it is very likely that you will need to take a Leave of Absence for the following academic year.