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Guidelines for students making a request to the Late
Submissions Committee for marks instatement
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What is the University’s policy on the late submission of coursework?
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What does the University define as “extenuating
circumstances for late submission of coursework”?
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How does the University deal with extenuating
circumstances for late submission of coursework?
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How should I plan my work during
term-time?
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What circumstances are NOT taken into account?
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How do I inform the Department?
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How much information do I need to include?
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What documentary evidence do I need to provide?
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False Claims
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Data Protection Act 1998
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Disability Discrimination Act 2005
Extenuating circumstances are divided into two
types: (1) those which affect a student’s ability to submit coursework
by the deadline (late submission), and (2) those affecting a student’s
performance in coursework or exams, or circumstances affecting a
student’s ability to submit their coursework at all and/or
circumstances which cause a student to absent themselves from an exam.
These notes cover extenuating circumstances
relating to late submission.
 Forms
Late Submission of Coursework Form
Late Submission of Coursework Form for students in the Department of
Biological Sciences
A What is the University’s policy on the late submission of
coursework?
The University operates a uniform Course Deadline policy on late submission of
coursework for undergraduates: each piece of coursework must be submitted by the deadline
published by the department in order to gain a mark. Work which is
submitted after the deadline will be given a mark of zero. Students
should familiarise themselves with the primary submission method of
each department that you are taking a module with, departments require
you to submit your coursework via the OCS and submit a watermarked
hardcopy of your essay as the primary submission method to which the
deadline applies.
This policy has successfully operated in some departments for several
years and it was the preferred policy of the Students’ Union – a major
reason why the University adopted it. The policy is, in fact,
designed to help you develop your study skills and, very importantly,
to prevent you from suffering a work overload because, through no
fault of your own, you are unable to complete a piece of coursework
within the time given.
It is at the discretion of the department to comment on work submitted
later than the deadline, for formative feedback only (that is, no
formal marks will be awarded).
However, there may be occasions when you are unable to undertake,
complete or hand in a piece of coursework due to circumstances beyond
your control (extenuating circumstances). The University has put in place policies for dealing
with such extenuating circumstances. This guidance note
describes the policies which are relevant for those unexpected
circumstances which would prevent you from submitting your
completed work at a deadline. These notes do not cover longer term
problems affecting your performance throughout the year or those
concerning exam performance or absence. If you encounter such
difficulties please consult the separate guidance notes on Extenuating
Circumstances.
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B What does the University define as “extenuating
circumstances for late submission of coursework”?
Extenuating circumstances in relation to the late submission of
coursework are formally defined as the inability to submit work by the
deadline (or to attend the in-class test/presentation) due to
circumstances beyond the student's control, of a medical, practical or
personal nature which affects the student for the period
immediately preceding the time of the deadline. Genuine
emergencies and circumstances which could not reasonably have been
expected will be accepted as extenuating.
If you have experienced extenuating circumstances
immediately around the time of the deadline, which prevent you from
submitting your work by the deadline, you should submit your late work
along with a Late Submission of Coursework Form to your Department within
7 days (including weekends and/or bank holidays) of the deadline date.
Your Late Submission of Coursework Form will then be considered by the
department's Late Submissions Committee.
When a piece of work constitutes 100% of assessment for the course
(eg a project or dissertation), and you feel you have extenuating
circumstances, submissions beyond seven days will be accepted for
consideration by the relevant Late Submissions Committee. You will
need to submit a Late Submission of Coursework Form and any
documentation along with the piece of work.
C
How does the University deal with extenuating circumstances for late
submission of coursework?
Your department has a Late Submissions Committee
which will normally meet at least twice during the year. It will deal
with claims of extenuating circumstances for work which was not
submitted by a deadline for reasons beyond your control. You make your
claim by submitting a Late Submission of Coursework Form (further
information on this is given below), along with your coursework,
within seven days of the deadline (provided model answers have not
been released). The Late Submissions Committee will decide whether
your work should be marked and whether that mark will count towards
your formal assessment (which means the mark will be instated). The
department will advise you of the outcome.
It is important to note that you use this form to
request instatement of your marks on the basis of extenuating
circumstances which directly prevented you from handing in your
work by the deadline.
If you have experienced significant (longer term)
extenuating circumstances that prevent you from submitting your work
either by the deadline or within seven days of the deadline, you
should submit an Extenuating Circumstances Form for the Board of
Examiners to consider at the end of the year, which should clearly
explain how your extenuating circumstances affected your ability to
submit your work. Work submitted beyond seven days of the deadline
will be marked for formative feedback only (provided model answers
have not been released). However, if your extenuating circumstances
claim is accepted by the Board and deemed to have affected your
ability to submit your work, the Board has the power to instate your
formative mark if it concludes that this is the best way to deal with
your claim. You should decide whether it is in your best interests to
continue to work on the late coursework or whether to submit an
extenuating circumstances claim for the non-submission of your work
and let the Board of Examiners decide how to handle your claim. Other
methods which the Board could employ include:-
- amending the assessment of a module by changing the
weighting of particular units that contribute to the overall course
assessment;
- discounting particular modules, or pieces of work from
the assessment of the year or the programme of study;
- allowing a reassessment attempt to be treated as a first sit,
often for uncapped marks where capping applies;
Students studying at the Colchester
Campus should submit their Extenuating Circumstances Form to the
Registry (6.116) by the published deadline. Students at the
Southend Campus should submit their Extenuating Circumstances Form
to the Student Administration Office on the Second Floor by the
published deadline. Students studying at the Loughton Campus
(E15 Acting School) should submit their Extenuating Circumstances Form
to the Academic Administrator by the published deadline.
Further information about extenuating
circumstances claims can be found using the link at the bottom of this
page.
D How should I plan my work during term-time?
You have a responsibility to manage your own
working schedules throughout the term. In order to avoid problems with
deadlines it is important that you realise that a deadline is a time
by which work is to be completed and handed in. You
should always aim to submit work prior to the deadline as this will
ensure that you should never have any problems with a late submission.
A simple tactic is to set your own deadline, perhaps several days in
advance of the last possible date for submission, and to organise your
work around that.
If you have difficulty in managing your workload,
you can seek advice from a number of sources, including the advising
support system in your department, the Students’ Union Advice Centre
and Student Support.
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E What circumstances are NOT taken into account?
You should note that extenuating circumstances claims for marks
instatement will only be considered in cases where you were unable to
hand coursework in or attend coursework tests/presentations due to a circumstance or
event that could not reasonably have been anticipated.
The following are examples of circumstances which are NOT
considered to be relevant for the instatement of marks due to failure
to meet a deadline:
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Minor ailments and illnesses on the day of
coursework submission (such as colds, coughs, sprains, headache).
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Personal disruptions or events which could have
been anticipated; such as holidays, weddings, changing address or
employment, religious holidays or festivals which are usually known
in advance.
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Study-related circumstances; such as computer
failure, printing problems, unavailability of books, photocopying
problems, as these problems should be factored into the organisation
of your work load.
In cases where there are serious failures of
relevant computing resources, the department may schedule a
general change in the deadline for all students affected.
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General pressure of work is not taken to be
circumstances beyond your control, as you are expected to plan your
work schedule.
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Excessive demands on time or pressure of one’s
employment which could have been anticipated.
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Financial constraints, as these are commonly
experienced by students.
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Misreading/confusing the coursework deadline.
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Oversleeping on the day of the deadline.
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Transport problems (e.g. car breaking down or
delayed public transport).
It is not appropriate, nor possible, to list all
of the potential extenuating circumstances that a student may
encounter which would be accepted by the Late Submissions Committee.
The list above should give you an indication of the types of
circumstance that are not accepted by the Committee.
The message is… don’t leave handing in your
work until the last possible day!
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F How do I inform the Department?
(i) Coursework
It is your responsibility to inform the
department which offers the module with which the coursework is
associated, at the earliest opportunity, of any circumstance which may
affect your ability to meet a coursework deadline. If you miss your
coursework deadline and believe that you have extenuating
circumstances, then you should hand your work into that department as
soon as possible after the deadline together with an Late Submission
of Coursework Form detailing those circumstances. Late coursework will
be accepted up to seven days after the relevant deadline for
consideration by the relevant Late Submissions Committee, unless model
answers have been released. It is at the discretion of the department
to comment on work submitted later than this for formative feedback
only (that is, no formal marks will be awarded).
Remember, when a piece of work, constituting 100%
of assessment for the module, has the status of an examination (eg a
project or dissertation), and you feel you have extenuating
circumstances, submissions beyond seven days will be accepted for
consideration by the relevant Late Submissions Committee. You will
need to submit Late Submission of Coursework Form and any
documentation along with the piece of work.
You must submit your form to the department that
runs the module for which the claim for marks instatement is
made. If the claim covers more than one piece of late coursework, you
must submit the form to all relevant departments.
If you have been unable to submit your work
either by the deadline of within seven days of the deadline, or you
have encountered serious problems during the period when the
coursework was undertaken and you think your ability to perform as you
believe you should was affected, you should instead consult the
Extenuating Circumstances Guidance notes and complete an Extenuating
Circumstances Form.
(ii) In-class tests/practical
assignment/presentations
If
you have been unable attend a coursework test, such as a timed
in-class test, a presentation or a practical class, you should inform
your department as soon as possible. Some departments already have
automatic reassessment procedures. Departments which do not have
automatic reassessment procedures may be able to provide reassessment
opportunities for this type of coursework. You would then have to
submit a Late Submission of Coursework Form to the department to
request that your mark be instated if you are given the chance to
undertake reassessment, or to request that you be permitted another
opportunity to undertake the assessment. Please seek further advice
from your department.
G How much information do I need to include on my
late Submission of Coursework Form?
You should include on the form details of the
specific piece(s) of coursework affected by the circumstances that
prevented timely submission of the work. Make sure you explain the
impact these circumstances had on your ability to submit your
coursework by the deadline. It is not the role of the Late
Submissions Committee to try to work this out or to seek further
information on your behalf. Make your submission clear and concise.
Late Submissions Committees are trying to determine whether the
circumstances have significantly and legitimately affected your
ability to submit work by the deadline.
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H What documentary evidence do I need to provide?
This will depend on the type of problems that you
have experienced. Whilst documentary evidence is not always required,
nor possible to obtain, the Late Submissions Committee reserves the
right to reject cases where evidence is not provided.
a) Circumstances of a non-medical nature
You should, if possible, submit appropriate third
party evidence to support your claim. We realise that in some cases
it may be difficult to do this, and Committees may accept
claims which are not accompanied by documentary evidence. However,
lack of third party evidence may weaken your claim. It is up to you
to get this evidence, as the University will not seek it on your
behalf. The University reserves the right to check on the validity of
the document(s) you submit by contacting the third party directly.
b) Circumstances of a medical nature
In the case of circumstances of a medical nature,
please note that medical certification is not always necessary for
this form of extenuating circumstances claim, and the Health Centre,
and indeed most doctors, will not issue medical certificates either
for short-term or minor illnesses or during the year for single items
of coursework. The Late Submissions Committee is concerned with
evidence of the inability to complete and/or submit your work,
rather than the nature and degree of the medical condition.
I False Claims
You should note that submitting a false claim or false documentation
is a serious matter and would be regarded as an attempt to gain unfair
advantage. This would be an academic offence and would be dealt with
under the Academic Offences Procedures. The University reserves the
right to check on the validity of the document(s) you submit by
contacting the third party directly.
J Data Protection Act 1998
By submitting an extenuating circumstances form you are agreeing to
the University holding this personal data for the purposes of
processing your claim. The University will hold this data in
accordance with its notification under the 1998 Data Protection Act.
K Disability
Discrimination Act 2005
If you are providing information about your disability on your Late
Submission of Coursework Form or your Extenuating Circumstances Form,
please note that this does not count as disclosure to the University
as these forms are intended for use only by the Late Submissions
Committee or the Board of Examiners. We strongly urge you to disclose
any persistent medical condition, specific learning difficulty or
disability to the Student Support Office.
Extenuating Circumstances Claims
Extenuating circumstances are
formally defined as “circumstances beyond the student’s control
which cause the student to perform less well in his or her coursework
or examinations than he or she might otherwise have been expected to
do (on the basis of other work). In general, extenuating
circumstances will be of a medical or personal nature affecting the
student for any significant period of time and/or during the
examination period.”
It is important to realise that only the most
serious extenuating circumstances will have any significant impact on
your overall performance, particularly when degree classifications are
being considered as these are based on at least 2 years’ work.
Therefore the Board of Examiners is unlikely to take any action unless
it believes that the extenuating circumstances have had a material
effect. A Board of Examiners can only make judgements about the
impact of extenuating circumstances in light of evidence of your
academic ability demonstrated in non-affected work. If you believe
that you have experienced extenuating circumstances that have affected
your ability to performance to your usual standard, or caused you to
absent yourself from an exam, or caused a prolonged period of absence
from tuition, you should read the guidance on Extenuating
Circumstances claims.
Extenuating Circumstances Guidance for all Undergraduate Students
Extenuating Circumstances Form for all Undergraduate Students
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