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Measures to support you in 2021/22 if you are having problems with your study or assessment

The measures in place to support you in academic year 2021/22 should you face difficulty or disruption due to the pandemic, or other personal circumstances.

In recognition of the current environment, we have carefully adapted the processes for you to let us know about disruption to your studies or assessments this year. They are now clearer and more flexible where they need to be to support you.

Whether you are a new or a continuing student, you should read through the guidance available online as it explains what applies in academic year 2021/22, how you can make submissions, and where you can get help and more information.

Advice and support

You should speak to your Director of Studies or Personal Tutor as soon as possible if you are concerned about your academic performance, or about any upcoming assessment. This is so that arrangements can be considered and put in place, if appropriate, and so that they can advise you.

Your Personal Tutor or Director of Studies may be the most appropriate to advise you about your specific academic circumstances; but you can also contact other members, such as the support staff in your department/ faculty or the School.

Other support for you includes:

If you are experiencing difficulties studying

The sooner you let us know you are experiencing difficulties affecting your ability to study, the better we can support you. There may be possible changes to study and assessment patterns for your circumstances, in addition to a wide range of academic skills and wellbeing support.

You are strongly encouraged to speak to your Director of Studies and/or Personal Tutor if you feel you are experiencing difficulties studying, or have personal circumstances that may disrupt upcoming assessments. If you are studying remotely because your arrival for in-person learning has been delayed or because you are self-isolating, it is also important that you keep in touch with your Director of Studies and/or Personal Tutor.

Depending on your circumstances it may also be appropriate for you to have a Disability Access Plan (DAP) in place. These identify reasonable adjustments which can help a student to fulfil their academic potential and reduce the impact of a disability on their studies. These adjustments are in addition to our existing inclusive teaching and learning practices. For more information, please contact the Disability Service.

If you are experiencing difficulties affecting the submission of your assessments

You will undertake a range of assessment types during your course. There are mitigating measures available to you if you face issues around the time you are due to submit or attempt your assessments. These are:

Coursework extensions

You will receive information from the relevant academic department about how coursework extensions will work this year for the units you are taking. You will be given options if you cannot submit or do the assessment at the normal time—these may differ depending on which department offers the unit and depending on the type of coursework.

There are guidelines explaining what would normally be considered an acceptable reason for requesting an extension, and what evidence may be required. If you have questions about extensions you should speak to your Director of Studies or Unit Convenor.

Examinations

In 2021/22 most exams will be conducted online (using online exams platform, Inspera) – you will be notified if your exam is on campus or online. Your department may decide to set your exam to be attempted within a 24-hour period, or a shorter, fixed-time window.

There is no option to defer an exam attempt this year. If you are unable to sit an exam at the scheduled time, or experience significant difficulties, you will be able to submit an Individual Mitigating Circumstances (IMC) claim. If your IMC is accepted, your affected or missed assessment attempt would be flagged with an IMC, and we will consider appropriate mitigation allowed by our regulations when considering your progression, awards, and degree classifications.

If you experience technical difficulties that prevent you submitting your exam on time, the University has a process whereby late exam attempts can be submitted in exceptional circumstances.

The Exams Helpline will also be available during examination periods, and further information will be made available on the Exams and Assessment pages.

Should I take my exam if I am ill?

You should attempt your assessment at the time it is scheduled if you feel able and well enough to do so.

If you are feeling unwell at the time of your exam attempt, you have the option to submit an IMC claim afterwards if you think your illness had a significant impact on your performance. Please note the deadline for IMC claims is during or immediately after the formal exam period so you will not have your results before deciding whether to submit a claim.

If you feel unable to attempt your exam(s) due to illness at the scheduled point, you will need to submit an IMC claim for the missed exams within expected IMC timescales. If you know in advance of your exam(s) that one or more exams are likely to be affected by illness (for example, ongoing Covid-19 illness issues), you should speak to your Director of Studies for advice regarding your academic circumstances and IMCs. Please note that deferring your exam attempt to the supplementary period is not an option this year.

Individual mitigating circumstances (IMCs)

You may be able to submit an IMC claim if your circumstances temporarily prevent you from submitting an assessment or impair your performance in an assessment you do submit.

Measures in previous years

You can find further information on the measures the University adopted in 2019/20 and 2020/21 in our guides to no-detriment in 2019/20 and no-detriment in 2020/21.

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