Extenuating Circumstances – Student Guidance

Frequently Asked Questions

Q What are extenuating circumstances?

A Extenuating Circumstances are circumstances which

• impair your examination performance in assessment or reassessment, or • prevent you from attending for assessment or reassessment, or • prevent you from submitting assessed or reassessed work by the scheduled date

Such circumstances rarely occur and would normally be

• unforeseeable - in that you could have no prior knowledge of the event concerned, and • unpreventable - in that you could do nothing reasonably in your power to prevent such an event, and • expected to have a serious impact on performance

You are expected to make reasonable plans to take into account commonly occurring circumstances (such as transport or computer problems), even those which, on occasion, may have been unforeseeable and unpreventable.

(Note: Ongoing extended circumstances are not covered by extenuation procedures. Ongoing medical conditions may be covered by disability procedures)

Q What is meant by a serious impact on performance?

A Many things may have an impact on our performance – a poor night’s sleep, a minor illness (such as a cough or cold), a minor injury, and financial worries and so on. These will often impact on our performance but would not be expected to have a serious impact and so would not be acceptable as extenuating circumstances.

Q What are examples of circumstances which might normally be regarded as extenuating circumstances?

A It is impossible to define a complete list but here are two examples

• a serious personal illness (which is not a permanent medical condition – this is governed by disability procedures): For example, an illness requiring hospitalisation over the