Making the best of your academic appeal

Receiving a result you were not expecting can be difficult, particularly if it affects whether you can progress or to continue your course. If you are considering an academic appeal, take some time to understand what the University is asking you to show. An appeal needs to be based on one or more of the University’s grounds for appeal and supported by suitable evidence.

Here are some things to think about before you submit.

Start with the grounds for appeal

There are three grounds for an academic appeal against an Assessment Board decision. Your appeal needs to fit at least one of them.

1. Your academic performance was adversely affected by mitigating circumstances which you had good reason for being unable to make known at the time

This ground may apply where something significantly affected your academic performance, but you did not tell the University about it through the mitigating circumstances process at the time.

There are two important parts to this ground:

1. First, you need to explain the circumstances and how they affected your academic performance. This could include illness, a bereavement, a serious personal situation or another circumstance which affected you during the relevant assessment period.
2. Second, you need to explain why you had a good reason for not making the University aware of those circumstances at the time.

For example, if your circumstances affected your ability to recognise how unwell you were, seek help or engage with University processes, explain this clearly. Simply saying that you did not know about the mitigating circumstances process may not, on its own, demonstrate a good reason.

Your evidence should support both the circumstances and, where possible, your explanation of why they were not raised earlier.

2. There has been a material administrative error or material irregularity

This ground relates to something going wrong in the administration or management of your assessment or academic decision. The word material is important. The issue needs to have been significant enough that it could have affected the decision or outcome.

For example, this could potentially include incorrect information being used by an Assessment Board, an error in recording information or an important part of the process not taking place as it should have.

Be specific about what you believe went wrong. Explain when it happened, how you became aware of it and how you believe it affected your academic outcome. Where possible, include evidence such as correspondence, assessment information or other University documents.

3. The assessment procedure or examination was not conducted in accordance with the approved regulations

This ground relates specifically to how an assessment or examination was carried out. You will need to identify what should have happened under the relevant regulations, procedure or assessment requirements, what actually happened and why the difference mattered.

For example, if you believe the published assessment process was not followed, identify the relevant requirement rather than simply stating that you feel the assessment was unfair.

Your appeal should explain how the issue affected the assessment or its outcome and include any evidence you have.

Choose the ground that fits your circumstances

You can appeal under more than one ground if more than one genuinely applies. Try to keep the different grounds separate in your appeal. If you are relying on two grounds, use headings and explain the evidence for each one. This makes it easier for the person considering your appeal to understand your case. An academic appeal cannot usually be used simply to challenge academic judgement. Disagreeing with a mark or believing that your work deserved a higher mark does not, by itself, provide a ground for appeal.

Give a clear timeline

The person considering your appeal needs to understand what happened and when.

Include important dates wherever you can. This might include:

• when your circumstances began
• when they became more serious
• the dates of affected assessments
• when you contacted a doctor, University service or another source of support
• when an administrative or assessment issue occurred
• when you first became aware of the problem
• when you raised it with the University.

Avoid vague phrases such as “around exam time” or “for several months” where you can provide more precise dates.

A clear timeline can make a complicated situation much easier to follow.

Explain the impact

Explaining what happened is only part of an appeal. You also need to explain how it connects to the academic decision you are appealing. If your appeal relates to mitigating circumstances, explain how they affected your ability to prepare, attend, concentrate or perform. If your appeal relates to an administrative error or an assessment process, explain why the issue was significant and how it may have affected your assessment or the decision made. Try to connect your explanation to specific assessments and dates.

Use evidence carefully

Evidence should support the points you make in your appeal.

Depending on your circumstances, this could include:

• medical evidence
• correspondence with university staff or services
• appointment records
• reports
• screenshots or messages
• travel documents
• official documents
• assessment information or guidance
• other records showing what happened and when.

Check whether your evidence covers the period relevant to your appeal.

Evidence produced later can still be useful where it supports circumstances which existed at the time. Explain the connection between the evidence and the period you are appealing about. If evidence is unavailable, explain why. Label your evidence clearly and refer to it in your appeal. For example, referring to “Evidence 1” when discussing a medical letter helps the person reading your appeal follow your case.

Address the difficult questions

Think about the questions somebody reading your appeal is likely to have and answer them.

For example:

• Why did you complete the assessment if you were unwell?
• Why did you not submit mitigating circumstances?
• Why did you not tell anyone at the time?
• Why does your evidence only begin after the assessment?
• What exactly went wrong with the University process?
• What should have happened instead?
• When did you first become aware of the issue?
• How did the issue affect your academic outcome?

Leaving these questions unanswered can create gaps in an otherwise strong explanation.

Keep it focused

Longer appeals are not automatically stronger. Include information which helps show that you meet the ground or grounds you have selected. Some background information may be needed to explain your circumstances, but you do not need to include everything that has happened during your time at University or talk at length about why your course is important to you.

For each section, ask yourself:

What does this help me show about my ground of appeal?

If it does not help answer that question, consider whether it needs to be included.

Say what outcome you are seeking

Explain what you would like to happen if your appeal is upheld. Be clear about the outcome you are asking for and why you believe it would address the issue raised in your appeal. You can also give an alternative outcome where appropriate. The University will decide what outcome is available under its regulations, so the outcome you request is not guaranteed.

Check your appeal before submitting

Before you submit, check that:

• you are within the appeal deadline or have requested an extension
• you have identified which of the three grounds you are relying on
• you have explained how your circumstances meet that ground
• you have provided a clear timeline
• you have explained the impact on your academic performance or outcome
• you have addressed why mitigating circumstances were not raised at the time, if relevant
• you have explained what went wrong and what should have happened, if you are relying on a process-related ground
• your evidence supports the points you are making
• you have explained any important gaps in your evidence
• you have said what outcome you are seeking
• you have attached all relevant evidence.

Before pressing submit, read your appeal once as though you know nothing about the situation. You should be able to understand what happened, when it happened, which ground it relates to, why it mattered and what evidence supports it.

Getting support from the Students’ Union

The Students’ Union Advice Service provides independent and impartial advice about academic appeals. We can help you understand the appeals process and grounds, identify areas of your case that you may need to address, and review a draft appeal where capacity allows. 

The Advice Service is currently experiencing high demand and we are unable to review every appeal before it is submitted.

If you are approaching your appeal deadline, do not delay submitting your appeal while waiting for advice from us.

Submit your appeal within the deadline with the evidence you have available. If your appeal progresses to an Appeals Meeting, you can contact the Advice Service for advice and support in preparing for the meeting. Depending on capacity and your circumstances, we may also be able to support you at the meeting. Our role is to help you understand the process and present your own case clearly. We cannot guarantee that an appeal will be successful or write an appeal on your behalf. If you have enough time before your deadline, contact us as early as possible. Appeal deadlines continue to apply while you are seeking advice.

You can find more information and contact the Advice Service at: www.lancashiresu.co.uk/advice.