How exceptional circumstances work
Find out what to do if your attendance or ability to complete an assessment has been affected.
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What an exceptional circumstance is
Exceptional circumstances are unexpected, unavoidable, and outside of your control. They:
- impact your ability to complete an assessment
- impact your academic performance in an assessment
- cause you to miss a coursework deadline where you did not have an extension.
If you experience this, you can ask the exam board to consider the impact on your performance. They will decide an outcome (if any action is needed).
The exceptional circumstance process does not include circumstances where mitigations could have been put in place in advance. It takes into account how close the circumstance is to your assessment.
If you are already aware of circumstances or long-term health conditions that may affect your studies, it is important that you tell us (the university) or your personal tutor in advance so that support can be put in place before the assessment.
Circumstances where action is likely to be taken:
- a sudden illness or injury
- a flare up or worsening of a chronic condition or disability, including mental health condition, where adjustments in your study support plan (SSP) are not enough or not in place yet
- mental health problems that unexpectedly affected your studies
- someone close to you dying or is seriously ill
- symptoms of an infectious disease that could be harmful if passed to others
- unexpected changes in your personal responsibilities, such as caring for someone close to you
- jury service
- money problems that unexpectedly affect your studies.
This is not a complete list.
Circumstances unlikely to be considered:
- holiday, weddings or other celebrations
- house moves or other events that were planned or are reasonably expected
- minor illnesses such as common cold, unless the symptoms are particularly severe
- assessments that are scheduled close together
- poor time management
- minor transport disruption
- computer failure where the student has not backed up their work
- exam nerves
- paid employment.
If you miss an exam, you may be able to self-certify your absence and take it again at the next opportunity. This is likely to be in the reassessment period.
Who can submit
- International Foundation Programme students
- Undergraduate students
- Postgraduate taught students
- Postgraduate research students taking taught units
- If you are not taking taught units, speak to your supervisor(s) first. You can also refer to the regulations for research students, section 9.4.6
Students on the Study Abroad programme should follow the Study Abroad process.
How to submit
You can tell the university about your exceptional circumstance before your assessment, but it can be helpful to submit it afterwards so you can explain the full impact on your assessment.
You must submit before the deadline.
How exceptional circumstances are considered
Your school's Exceptional Circumstances Committee (ECC) will review your form and evidence to consider if:
- the circumstances are unexpected and beyond your control
- the circumstances have reasonably affected your performance in an assessment
- sufficient allowance has not already been made
- relevant evidence is provided from an independent source and is in English.
If your exceptional circumstances are accepted, they will be classified according to the severity of the impact on your assessment (low, medium, high, severe) and not the situation itself.
To determine the classification, the ECC will consider the impact on and proximity to your assessment.
The exam board will then decide what action, if any, is required to take these circumstances into account.
It will consider:
- the number of assessments that have been impacted
- the proximity of the circumstance to your assessment period
- the evidence of impact on your performance during the assessment, in reference to the marks you have achieved
- the level and year of study (and whether it relates to your progression, the award of the qualification or its classification)
- whether the impact has been already mitigated by prior action
- whether any potential mitigation may impact your academic progression, award or classification
- the academic requirements of the programme and the overall fairness of the outcome.
The exam board will not know your identity when reviewing your marks, making progression or awarding decisions.
Impact classifications and possible outcomes
Undergraduate programme
Low impact
No or limited action will be taken.
Medium impact
For most accepted cases, common outcomes could allow you to:
- retake the missed or failed assessment again if you have failed a unit
- removal of late penalties for late submission of coursework
- retake an affected assessment again despite passing, if the following applies:
- the assessment is needed to show a specific unit intended learning outcome has been met
- the unit learning outcomes has not been demonstrated elsewhere in the programme
- if the conditions for progression or award haven't been met by the end of the academic year, retake the assessment either as part of a supplementary year; or, on specific programmes, repeat the entire year without an academic penalty.
High impact
For cases where there is a more significant impact upon assessment, we may:
- award credit for affected unit/s, despite a fail mark, where the learning outcomes have been demonstrated elsewhere in the programme
- disregard the affected mark or assessment from classification if it will improve the outcome (up to 40 credits per year) if the conditions of the award have been met (if in the final year)
- allow you to repeat the entire year again without academic penalty.
Severe impact
Where the impact upon assessment is judged to be particularly severe, the outcome will be decided on a case by case basis.
Taught postgraduate programme
Low impact
No or limited action will be taken.
Medium impact
For most accepted cases:
- you may be allowed to retake the missed or failed assessment without academic penalty
- removal of late penalties for late submission of coursework.
High impact
For cases where there is a more significant impact upon assessment, we may:
- repeat the taught component without academic penalty if the conditions for progression have not been met
- award credit for affected unit/s, if the intended learning outcomes have been demonstrated elsewhere in the programme
- disregard the affected mark for progression or calculating the final mark and degree classification if it will improve the outcome (up to 40 credits) if the conditions of the award have been met.
Where the impact relates to the dissertation and is classified as high impact.
- Allow resubmission of dissertation for a full range of marks even if the pass mark has already been achieved (but only where a higher classification is possible).
Severe impact
Where the impact upon assessment is judged to be particularly severe, the outcome will be decided on a case by case basis.
What the exam board cannot do
- It cannot change the marks of individual assessments or unit marks
- It cannot set aside the academic standards that are required for progression within the programme or to award a qualification (as set out in regulation)
- It cannot disregard a missed or failed assessment which must be passed to demonstrate the learning outcomes for the programme
- You will not be allowed to retake assessments in units with a total value of more than 80 credit points in the reassessment period; you will instead be allowed to do an additional year to complete the assessment for the outstanding units
- Action will not be taken for an exceptional circumstance that is judged as having no or low impact on assessment.
Finding out the outcome
For undergraduate students, the board will usually make their decision in June or July. If you complete your work in the August re-assessment period, it will be early September.
For postgraduate taught students, it will be November or December.
Exceptional circumstances can also be considered at the end of your course when your degree classification is being determined.
To find out the outcome of your request, contact the school office and they can provide the exam board minutes.
Get advice
You can speak to your personal tutor, your senior tutor, or your school office. You can also get help from Bristol SU's academic advice service.
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