Mitigating circumstances
When explaining the impact of mitigating circumstances on your studies, you should:
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Detail your mitigating circumstances, and the personal impact they had on you
Write a summary of all the issues you experienced, including specific dates and durations where possible (ensure this these dates are relevant to the period your appealing for). Then describe the impact of these circumstances on you personally. Was your health and well-being impacted? Did you have any physical symptoms or mental health? Provide as much detail as possible.
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Impact on your academic performance
Once you’ve explained your mitigating circumstances, you should give details of how they impacted your academic performance. For example, a serious illness which prevented you from attending your course seminars or submitting your work on time.
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Explain why you could not disclose your circumstances previously
If you did not apply for mitigating circumstances during the assessment period, you must explain your reasons for this. This could have been due to the high level of stress, or how being unwell impacted how you managed the situation.
Where possible, you should provide supporting evidence for these reasons.
In your conclusion, you could also explain how your situation has improved, or what steps you are taking to address your circumstances and the impact they are having on your academic progress. Have you reached out to any support services? Are your symptoms now clear?
Procedural defect
If you are appealing on the ground of procedural defect, you should include the following in your written statement:
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Describe what has happened and explain how this was different from the procedure you were expecting to be followed (state precisely the regulation which was not followed)
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We would recommend referring to guidance in your course handbook or on the University website where possible
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You can quote relevant extracts from University regulations, policies or course handbooks. State the paragraph number and page number of the document.
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We would recommend providing a copy of the document you refer to alongside your appeal submission
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Describe how the situation affected the outcome of your assessments. Explain why the error meant that your results weren’t at your usual standard. You will need to demonstrate that the issue was the cause of your lower academic performance.