If you have both a failed and deferred assessment within the same course (e.g. you have failed the essay in AB100 and deferred the exam in AB100) then you may be able to opt out of taking the failed assessment (e.g. you will choose not to resubmit the essay). You do this on the basis that the mark from the deferred assessment will lead to a pass in the course overall (e.g. the exam will be good enough to pull your overall mark for AB100 up).

If this choice is available to you we will contact you by email shortly after results are published in July or September. If we have not contacted you then this choice does not apply.

Final year students cannot opt out of resit assessments. They must take the resit and deferred assessments together. This ensures that students attempt the resit at the earliest opportunity but does mean normal capping rules will apply.

If you do not have this choice (i.e. we have not emailed you) or if you do have the choice but don't request to opt out in time (i.e. we emailed you but you do not follow the process to opt out) then you must take all resits you are entered for. If you do not submit (or defer) the assessment, you will receive a absent mark for that assessment which may impact your final classification and/or your ability to be awarded a degree. 

Once you have opted out of a resit you will not normally be permitted to take it again. This means that there is often risk involved in opting out and you should think carefully about your options. 

If you decide to opt out of resitting failed assessment the mark obtained previously (e.g. the fail mark) will be banked and used to calculate the new overall course mark once the deferred assessment has been taken. If the new overall course mark results in an overall fail mark, and you are not otherwise eligible for an award, you will be permitted to resit the failed assessment, provided you have attempts remaining, even if you opted out.

General Course and GO LSE students can opt out of taking resits, and in some cases deferred assessments, if they are not required by your home institution. 

To find out more please contact the Dean of the General Course and Global Mobility. 

Using Compensation

The postgraduate classification schemes allows, in certain circumstances, for failed courses to be 'compensated' by a mark of at least 60% in another course or courses to the value of 1.0 unit, or by a sufficient aggregate. You can therefore opt out of resitting assessments in a failed course if you could potentially compensate this by another course yet to be completed. 

You are not permitted to opt out of a resit that follows a bad fail mark or an absence. You also cannot opt out of a resit for a course that is marked as critical to assessment in your programme's local rules. 

For example, if you failed (but not bad failed) AB400 but had deferred assessments in AB401 you may choose not to resit the assessments in AB400 because you are confident that the mark in AB401 will compensate the fail in AB400. 

You can find out the specific compensation rules for your programme by checking section 3 of the relevant classification scheme in the LSE Calendar. 

Once you have opted out of a resit because you hope to use the compensation rules you will not be permitted to take that assessment in the future. This means that there is often risk involved in opting out and you should think carefully about your options. 

Fails and deferrals within the same course

If you have both a failed and deferred assessment within the same course (e.g. you have failed the essay in AB402 and deferred the exam in AB402) then you may be able to opt out of taking the failed assessment (e.g. you will choose not to resubmit the essay). You do this on the basis that the mark from the deferred assessment will lead to a pass in the course overall (e.g. the exam will be good enough to pull your overall mark for AB402 up).

If this choice is available to you we will contact you by email shortly after results are published in July or November, as appropriate. If we have not contacted you then this choice does not apply. 

Once you have opted out of a resit you will not normally be permitted to take it in the future. This means that there is often risk involved in opting out and you should think carefully about your options. 

If you decide to opt out of resitting failed assessment the mark obtained previously (e.g. the fail mark) will be banked and used to calculate the new overall course mark once the deferred assessment has been taken. If the new overall course mark results in an overall fail mark, and you are not otherwise eligible for an award, you will be permitted to resit the failed assessment, provided you have attempts remaining, even if you opted out.

Important

If you do not submit, actively opt out (where possible) or defer the assessment, you will receive a 0-Absent mark for that assessment which may impact your final classification and/or your eligibility to be awarded a degree.  

Fails and deferrals within the same course

Where we email you about opting out of a resit because you have a fail and deferral within the same course then we will state the deadline within the email. 

All other opt outs

If you decide to opt out of an assessment you must request this at least 24 hours in advance of your assessment. For centrally scheduled exams this means 24 hours before the exam is due to start. For other assessments this means 24 hours before the deadline for submission.

We always recommend that you seek advice before choosing to opt out of a resit assessment. It can be complicated and there is always a risk involved with opting out of resits. The advice will very much vary depending on your specific circumstances.

• Undergraduate and taught postgraduate students should speak to their Academic Mentor or other support staff within your home department.
• General Course and GO LSE students should consult the Dean of the General Course and Global Mobility. 

Remember, once you have opted out of a resit you will not normally be permitted to take it in the future. This means that once you have opted out, you cannot normally take that resit again, even if your circumstances change. 

Undergraduate and Postgraduate Students

Before you do anything make sure that you have sought advice about whether opting out is the right thing to do in your specific circumstances. There are risks involved and these vary depending on each student's circumstances. 

The process varies depending on whether we've contacted you about opting out or not.

• If we have contacted you directly about the option to opt out you should follow the instructions within that email. 
• If we have not contacted you directly please contact the Student Records Team using the SSC Enquiry Form. You should select Exams and other assessments and then Opting our of Resits. Follow the advice on screen about how to complete each of the fields. When we received your query we will remove the assessment from your record and write back to you to confirm. 

Please remember:

• Final year undergraduate students cannot opt out of resit assessments. 
• Postgraduate students cannot opt out of resitting bad fails or courses critical to assessment.
• Once you have opted out of a resit you will not normally be permitted to take it in the future. This means that once you have opted out, you cannot normally take that resit again even if your circumstances change or your change your mind. This means that there is often substantial risk involved in opting out and you should think carefully about your options. 
• If you do not submit, actively opt out or defer the assessment, you will receive an absent mark for that assessment which may impact your final classification and/or your eligibility to be awarded a degree. 

General Course and GO LSE Students

To opt out of resit or deferred assessment please contact the Dean of the General Course and Global Mobility.