Assessments

Struggling with an Assessment? content

Struggling with an Assessment?

There are times when you may find you are struggling to complete college work and in particular are concerned about your assessments. If this is the case then you should seek advice and guidance from your tutor or PAT as they will be able to help. You may also find that the student link worker and/or study skills support team can provide you with appropriate support ie academic writing skills, other learning skills guidance.

Missed an Assessment?

If you know you will be absent from college and will therefore miss an assessment deadline or an exam then you should apply for mitigation prior to the assessment deadline date or exam date.  (NB: only in exceptional cases will a retrospective claim be accepted).  You should complete and submit a mitigating circumstances request form to your PAT who will forward it for consideration by the relevant Sector Manager.  Your submission must be supported by relevant documented evidence as to why you were absent. Examples of which are shown in the procedure below. If your claim is accepted then you will be given another submission deadline/exam date.

Assessment Performance

If exceptional circumstances have affected your performance in an assessment/ exam then this may be able to be taken into consideration by the tutor who is marking your work.  A claim for mitigating circumstances should be submitted with relevant documentary evidence as soon after you have submitted the assessment/exam.

Assessment Appeals

Once your work has been marked by a tutor then it can only be reviewed on the basis of exceptional circumstances.  You should in the first instance discuss the matter with your tutor. If you are dissatisfied with the tutor’s response or cannot approach the tutor then you should contact your PAT or Sector Manager.  This should be done within 10 days of receiving the result.

If the matter is not resolved through this informal route then you can follow the formal route and submit an academic appeal.

The College Further Education Academic Appeals Procedure applies to all regulated and non-regulated provision delivered by UHI Perth up to and including SCQF Level 6.  Academic appeals relating to provision at SCQF Level 7 and above are dealt with in accordance with the UHI Academic Standards and Quality Regulations.

Grounds for an Academic Appeal

The grounds for a College assessment appeal will normally only be considered where:

  1. Irregularities in the operation of specified College procedures for either:
  • Assessing student evidence; or
  • The procedures for the processing of student results

      b. Personal / exceptional circumstances which, for good reason, were not known to the Assessor or Internal Verifier at the time of the original decision.

The grounds for a University assessment appeal will normally only be considered where:

  1. A student’s performance was adversely affected by illness or other factors which they were unable or, with valid reason, unwilling to divulge, prior to the meeting of the academic assessment body. The appeal must be accompanied by documentary evidence acceptable to the senior manager who considers the appeal in the first instance
  2. Evidence of material administrative error or that an assessment was not conducted in accordance with the university’s procedures and regulations
  3. Evidence of prejudice or bias or improper/inadequate assessment on the part of any of the examiners (PGR students only).

Appeals that question the academic judgement of a member of staff or an academic assessment body will not be considered.

Appeals will not normally be accepted from third parties.

All formal appeals should be submitted using the Academic Appeals Proforma to quality.perth@uhi.ac.uk within 20 days of receiving the result and must be supported with documentary evidence to support the grounds for appeal.