The School has a “fit to sit” policy that applies to all students. If you submit an assessment, or sit an exam, the School considers you have declared yourself well enough to do so. If you experience disruption to your studies prior to the assessment (e.g. due to personal difficulties, crime, bereavement, illness etc.) you must think carefully about whether you should attempt it or whether you should apply for an extension or request to defer.
1. If you experience circumstances which are sudden, unforeseen, outside of your control close to when an assessment is due for submission, you should consider requesting an extension. This may be appropriate for an essay, project or dissertation.
Find out more about requesting an extension
2. If you feel you require more time to submit the work than an extension would normally allow, or the assessment in question has a static deadline e.g. an exam or take home assessment released on a specific date, you should consider requesting a deferral. You must submit the deferral form and evidence in advance of the submission deadline or starting time of an exam.
Find out more about deferring assessments
3. If having submitted an assessment or attempted an exam, you feel your performance was directly impacted by circumstances which were sudden, unforeseen, and outside of your control, you should submit Exceptional Circumstances (ECs) in order to allow the Exam Board to take your circumstances into account.
You should also submit ECs if you were unable to submit an assessment or sit an exam and you did not have permission to defer.
Find out more about submitting exceptional circumstances
In the case of all the above procedures you will be required to submit evidence in accordance with the standards of evidence.