Section J: Appeals against Assessment Board Decisions

Link to: The "i": Assessment & Exams for Appeals Documentation

Academic Regulations and Appendices (pdf for printing)

• J1 Principles
• J2 Grounds for Appeal Against Assessment Board Decisions
• J3 First Stage Appeals
• J4 Second Stage Appeal
• J5 Final Appeal

J1 Principles

J1.1 An appeal cannot be made against the academic judgement of the examiner(s), properly exercised.  Appeals on this basis will be ruled invalid.

J1.2 Appeals received outside the stated timescales will be ruled invalid.

J1.3 Requests for appeals must be in writing and must state the ground(s) for the appeal.  Documentary evidence should be provided.

J1.4 Students have a right to be accompanied by a representative or friend at any hearings in the Appeals process.

J1.5 A student whose case is under consideration via an appeal shall have the right to continue with his/her course (provided s/he is in good standing with the University) until such time as a decision is reached.  This right is designed solely to ensure that a student whose appeal is upheld is not academically disadvantaged and it shall not be interpreted as acceptance of a failed student on a subsequent stage of the course.

Detailed procedures governing the appeals process are given in Appendix 10.

J1.6 The appeals procedure is also to be used for Professional awards in the fields of medicine and dentistry and Taught/Professional Doctorates for appeals against the decision(s) of an Assessment Board relating to the taught component of the award (for appeals concerning the research element of the award refer to Regulation M8).

J2 Grounds for Appeal against Assessment Board decisions

J2.1 A request for an appeal against an Assessment Board decision shall be valid only if it is based on one or more of the following grounds:

1. that an Assessment Board has given insufficient weight to extenuating circumstances;
2. that the student’s academic performance has been adversely affected by extenuating circumstances which the student has, for good reason, been unable to make known to the Assessment Board:
3. that there has been a material administrative error at a stage of the examining process, or that some material irregularities have occurred;
4. that the assessment procedure and/or examinations have not been conducted in accordance with the approved regulations.

J3 First Stage Appeals

J3.1 First Stage Appeals must be lodged with the Chair of the Assessment Board within 7 days of the official publication of pass/results lists on noticeboards.

J3.2 The Chair of the Assessment Board hears the appeal and is responsible for arranging a time with the student, usually within 14 days of receipt of the request for appeal.

J3.3 The Chair of the Assessment Board is responsible for ensuring the student is informed both verbally (at the meeting) and in writing of the outcome of the appeal which may be:

1. The appeal is upheld and referred back to the Assessment Board for reconsideration
2. The appeal is upheld and the Chair of the Assessment Board takes immediate action on behalf of the Assessment Board
3. The appeal is turned down

J3.4 Where a first stage appeal is turned down, the student has a right to a second stage appeal if he/she is dissatisfied with the outcome.

J3.5 A second stage appeal will not be called if a first stage appeal has not been held.

J4 Second Stage Appeal

J4.1 Requests for second stage appeals must be made in writing to the nominated Appeals Officer within 14 days of the first stage appeal hearing.

J4.2 Extenuating circumstances which were not declared either at the time of the Assessment Board meeting or at the first stage appeal will be ruled invalid.

J4.3 Stage two appeals will be heard by an Appeals Panel of the Academic Board with the following composition:

Chair: 
A Deputy or Pro Vice-Chancellor
Members: 
An academic staff member of the Academic Board
A student member of the Academic Board
No member of the Appeal Panel will have a direct interest in the appellant’s case.

J4.4 The powers of an Appeal Panel are:

1. to determine the validity of the grounds for the appeal.  The appeal will not proceed if the panel does not deem the grounds to be valid;
2. to uphold the appeal based on the evidence presented and to refer the matter back to the Assessment Board;
3. to turn down the appeal and to uphold the original decision of the Assessment Board.

J4.5 The nominated Appeals Officer is responsible for ensuring that the appellant and the Chair of the Assessment Board are informed in writing of the decision of the Appeal Panel and the reasons for the decision, within 5 working days of the appeal being held.

J4.6 The Chair of the Assessment Board is responsible for arranging a meeting of the Assessment Board, or taking immediate action to reconsider an appeal which has been upheld by the Appeal Panel and for notifying the student and the nominated Appeals Officer of the outcome within 15 days of the appeal hearing.

J4.7 If an Assessment Board does not modify its decision when an appeal has been upheld by the Appeal Panel on the grounds of procedural or other irregularities, the Academic Board has the power to annul the decision and to make alternative arrangements for the assessment of the student.

J4.8 Where an appeal is turned down at the second stage, the student has a final right of appeal to the Vice Chancellor (or nominee) on any remaining point of dispute on procedural issues.

J5 Final Appeal

J5.1 Final appeals must be made in writing and must be received by the Vice-Chancellor within 28 days of the second stage appeal hearing.
  
J5.2 If the appeal is turned down by the Vice-Chancellor (or nominee), the decision of the Assessment Board will be confirmed.  The student has no further right of appeal.

J5.3 If the appeal is upheld by the Vice-Chancellor (or nominee), the matter will be referred back to the Assessment Board for reconsideration.  In the case of procedural or other irregularity, the Vice-Chancellor (or nominee) may take specific action on behalf of the Academic Board to amend the decision of the Assessment Board and make alternative arrangements for the assessment of the student.

Section K