Academic Appeals

This ground refers to the calculation of your marks. If you believe that there has been a mistake you can ask to have them reviewed.

Examples of material procedural and administrative error may include the conduct of assessments or examinations. Appeals on this ground can also relate to the proceedings of a formal Board or Committee that has made a decision about whether you are able to progress to the next level of your studies or the final classification of your award.

Students are encouraged to raise concerns about course management deficiencies at the time that they occur. This enables the University to put things right as soon as possible and avoid any ongoing disadvantage to you. If the processes for resolving issues weren’t available to you, or didn’t provide you with a suitable remedy, you may be able to appeal on this ground.

Students are expected to disclose any extenuating circumstances at the time that they are experiencing difficulties. This enables the University to support you if you encounter any issues which may prevent you from being able to submit or take an assessment. You may be able to appeal on this ground if you can show that there was a good reason for not disclosing extenuating circumstances at the expected time.

You may find it useful to discuss your issues informally in the first instance. Discussing your marks with your personal tutor/course administration team first is a good idea and can help to clear up any misunderstanding.

The Student Casework team can advise you about procedures and regulations for appeals, but they will not be able to help you fill out your form.

Students are strongly advised to speak to an advisor at the Students’ Union Advice Service before completing an appeal form. The Students’ Union is a separate organisation from our university and they offer impartial advice and support to students who are thinking of appealing.

You can submit an academic appeal by completing the following forms:

• Form to submit an academic appeal (undergraduate/postgraduate student)
• Form to submit an academic appeal (research student)

It is essential that you include all relevant information and evidence that relates to your appeal. Please make clear what outcome you are seeking as a result of your academic appeal.

If you require this in an alternative format, or no longer have access to your university email, please complete the relevant form below and email this to boe-appeals@leedsbeckett.ac.uk:

• Download form to submit an academic appeal (undergraduate/postgraduate student)
• Download form to submit an academic appeal (research student)

It is your responsibility to ensure that all the relevant information and evidence is included.

The members of staff who consider your appeal will do so entirely on the form and evidence that you submit, so it is important that you make your case fully and clearly, and that you link your circumstances to why you are appealing.

Academic judgement is the opinion about a piece of work that can only be given by an academic expert. Questioning academic judgement is outside the remit of the appeals process so you cannot submit an appeal on this basis.

If there are valid reasons why you believe your marks ought to have been higher, then you may have grounds for an appeal. For details, please see section 9.3.3 of the Academic Regulations.

When you sit an exam or when you submit your assignments, you are declaring yourself ‘fit to sit / fit to submit’.

This means that if you have taken assessments and you appeal on the grounds of previously undisclosed extenuating circumstances, you will have to provide compelling reasons why it was not possible for you to use the normal mitigation process at the appropriate time. If you are unable to provide compelling reasons why you did not seek mitigation at the appropriate time, then it is likely that your appeal request will be rejected.

Guidance on submitting mitigation is widely available in course handbooks, from your course administrators and lecturers, the University website and the Students’ Union Advice Service.

We aim to get a response to you about your appeal within 30 working days.

If your case is particularly complex, or if there is a particularly high number of appeal requests, you might receive your outcome later than this. The appeals process can involve detailed scrutiny of your case by a number of people.

We will endeavour to keep you informed about the progress of your appeal and will let you know if it is likely to take longer than 30 working days.

Your appeal documentation will have to be seen by a number of people, but this is always kept to the minimum required. We will only discuss the progress of your appeal with you, unless you have given us permission to speak with a representative, for example, a parent or a Students’ Union adviser.

If the academic year has started and you have not received the outcome of your appeal request, you will normally be able to attend your next level classes until your appeal request is complete. If your appeal request is rejected, you will no longer be able to attend those classes. If you are a Student visa holder, you may wish speak to the Student Immigration Advice & Compliance (SIAC) team about how the appeal process and appeal outcome might affect your visa status.

You should undertake any scheduled re-assessments. If you are granted an appeal hearing, and your status changes as a result, amendments will be made accordingly. Alternatively, if you are not granted an appeal hearing, the decision of the Board of Examiners will stand. If your circumstances are such that you are unable to take any re-assessments, you should apply for mitigation at the usual time and in the usual way.

If you have received an award, you are entitled to graduate at the graduation ceremonies. If your classification is changed as a result of an appeal hearing, you will be issued with a new certificate and transcript.

If your appeal has been rejected, you can submit a request for a review.

The review will be considered by a member of staff who has had no prior involvement in your case. If your review request is rejected, you can apply to the Office of the Independent Adjudicator (OIA) who will look at your case independently from our university.

The Office of the Independent Adjudicator for Higher Education (OIA) provides a free independent scheme for the review of student complaints.

They do not consider complaints about:

• Admissions
• Academic judgement
• Student employment
• Matters already considered by a court or tribunal where the proceedings have been concluded
• Matters being considered by a court or tribunal where the proceedings have not been stayed
• Matters which have not materially affected the complainant as a student
• Matters which they have already dealt with
• Complaints where the main issues complained about took place more than three years before the complaint is received by the OIA.

The OIA’s procedures are informal and transparent. First, they determine whether your complaint is eligible. If it is, they will carry out a review to decide whether your complaint is justified. The final stage is for them to issue a Formal Decision.

If they uphold your complaint, they will normally make recommendations to the University which could include looking at your case again.