Your application for short-term Central Exam Adjustments (CEAs) must be accompanied by appropriate evidence, in English. You will not be able to submit the form unless you have uploaded evidence and will need to confirm that it is written in English.

The sections below provide guidance on what type of evidence would be appropriate, who sees your evidence, the technical requirements, and how you can get documents translated. 

Submit what you have by the deadline

It is more important that you meet the deadline for applications than wait to get all your evidence and miss the deadline. Whilst you should aim to meet the evidence requirements laid our here, we would always recommend that you submit what evidence that you have available by the deadline. We will always do what we can with the evidence that you provide. 

Who sees your evidence

Any evidence that you submit will be reviewed by staff from the Student Services Centre and Disability and Mental Health Service. All evidence is treated in confidence. 

Evidence to support applications relating to acute illnesses, injuries and mental health conditions

We expect applications relating to acute, sudden or short-term physical or mental health conditions to meet the requirements below.

We understand that it can be difficult to obtain supporting evidence when a condition or circumstance arises unexpectedly. The panel will consider the nature of your situation and take a proportionate approach when reviewing evidence for short-term CEA applications.

When applying for a short-term CEA, please provide the most relevant and recent evidence available. This is sometimes referred to as proximate evidence, meaning evidence that is close in time to your assessment and demonstrates the impact your circumstances are having on you now.

Your evidence should:

• Relate to a recent physical or mental health condition, illness, injury, or other relevant circumstance you are experiencing.
• Be from an appropriate professional involved in your care where possible, such as:
  • a doctor or other medical practitioner
  • a nurse
  • a physiotherapist
  • a counsellor or therapist
  • a mental health practitioner
  • another healthcare professional involved in your care
• Explain, where possible, how your circumstances are affecting your ability to sit, or complete your assessments.
• Be dated close to the assessment period wherever possible.

Examples of acceptable evidence

• An A&E discharge note following an accident or injury.
• A hospital discharge summary.
• A medical certificate, letter, email, or appointment record from a healthcare professional.
• Documentation relating to urgent treatment or care.
• Evidence confirming a recent deterioration in a physical or mental health condition.
• Medical certificates or letters provided by online doctors, provided the service is UK-based and regulated by the Care Quality Commission (CQC).

The Student Wellbeing Service have a medical pro forma which you may find helpful if you're requesting evidence from a medical professional. 

Please note

• The evidence does not need to confirm a diagnosis. The panel is primarily interested in understanding the impact of your circumstances on your assessments.
• Evidence requirements for short-term CEAs are generally more flexible than those for long-term CEAs or Exceptional Circumstances (ECs) applications.
• We recognise that students experiencing a sudden illness, injury, or mental health difficulty may not always be able to obtain detailed evidence immediately.
• For long-standing or ongoing conditions, the panel would normally expect more comprehensive evidence because these applications relate to longer-term support arrangements.

If you are unsure whether your evidence is suitable, we encourage you to submit your application with the evidence you have available. The panel will consider the evidence alongside the information provided in your application.

Quick checklist before you apply

✓ Is your evidence recent and relevant to your assessment period?

✓ Is the evidence from an appropriate healthcare or support professional, with an official letterhead and signature?

✓ Does it explain how your condition or circumstances affect your assessments?

✓ Have you uploaded the best available evidence, even if you are still waiting for further documentation?

Evidence to support applications for longer term conditions or disabilities

You should not normally use the short-term CEA process if you have a long-term condition or disability (including mental health conditions). Short-term CEAs are only put in place for one exam season and will not be repeated. If you have a long-term condition or disability, and it is before the deadline, you should make contact with the Disability and Mental Health Service.

However, we acknowledge that, in some cases, it may not be possible for you to follow the long-term process - for example, if a diagnosis arrives after the long-term CEA deadline. In these cases you should provide evidence in line with the guidance laid out by the Disability and Mental Health Service. 

To avoid you needing to resubmit evidence, the evidence that you supply with your short-term CEA application will be shared with the Disability and Mental Health Service so they can start the process of looking into long-term CEAs with you. 

Technical requirements

The short-term CEA application form accepts a range of file formats. The maximum file size is 2GB.

You can submit files in the formats listed below. However we expect most files to be PDFs, Word documents or images. 

• Portable Document Format (.pdf)
• Microsoft Word (.doc, .docx)
• Image files (gif, .jpe, .jpg, .jpeg, .bmp, .png, .tif, .tiff)
• Microsoft PowerPoint (.pptx, .pps, .ppt)
• Microsoft Excel (.xlsx, .xls)
• Sound files (.mp3)
• Video files (.mp4, .mpeg)

We cannot accept HEIC files (photographs taken using Apple devices). If you have HEIC files please convert them to JPEG files before uploading. There are lots of free conversion tools available online.

Translating evidence

All evidence must be signed, dated, and written in English. If your evidence is not written in English, you will need to provide a certified translation.

The LSE Centre for Language Studies is able translate documents from languages that they teach. There is a fee for this service and requires at least 72 hours. Visit Language Centre Additional Services for more information. Alternatively, you can use an external translation agency, you should contact your embassy for a list of authorised agencies.

When you provide translated evidence, the original (untranslated) document must also be provided.