Mitigating Circumstances Committee

Sometimes circumstances or events beyond your control may adversely affect your ability to perform in an examination/assessment to your full potential. The University defines mitigating circumstances as ‘unforeseeable or unpreventable circumstances that could have, or did have, a significant adverse effect on the academic performance of a student’. Possible mitigating circumstances include:

• significant illness or injury; or worsening of an ongoing illness or disability, including mental health conditions; (please see the following DASS webpage for examples of disabilities: www.dso.manchester.ac.uk/who-do-we-support/current-students/)
• the death or critical/significant illness of a close family member/dependant;
• significant family or personal crises or major financial problems leading to acute stress and
• absence from the University for public service, for example, jury service.

Circumstances or events that would NOT normally be regarded as grounds for mitigation include:

• holidays, moving house and events that were planned or could reasonably have been expected;
• assessments that are scheduled close together;
• misreading the timetable or misunderstanding the requirements for assessments;
• inadequate planning and time management;
• failure, loss or theft of a computer or printer that prevents submission of work on time; students should back up work regularly and no leave completion so late that they cannot find another computer or printer;
• an act of religious observance;
• consequences of paid employment (except in some special cases for part-time students);
• exam stress or panic attacks not diagnosed as illness or supported by medical evidence;
• disruption in an examination room during the course of an assessment which has not been brought to the attention of, or recorded by, the invigilators (including instances such as fire alarms or other noise disruption).

If you are unable to take an exam you must contact the Student Support Office as soon as possible and certainly no later than the day and start time of your examination. You will need to complete a Mitigating Circumstances Form which must be accompanied by appropriate independent third-party supporting or collaborative documentation such as a Doctor’s note or letter signed by your GP or a letter from your health care professional. If the information is of a highly confidential nature, you may submit your evidence in a sealed envelope, marked for the attention of the Chair of the Mitigating Circumstances Committee. Students who attend a hospital Accident and Emergency (A&E) Department must obtain written confirmation of attendance either from the hospital or subsequently from their GP confirming their attendance and stating the nature of the emergency. A hospital attendance card alone will NOT be accepted as appropriate evidence of illness.

We advise you to make every effort to attend all examinations.  If necessary, special arrangements can be made to take the exam in an alternative location; if you cannot write (e.g. due to a broken arm), it may be possible for someone to write for you. If you feel you might experience any examination difficulties, you must inform the staff in the Student Support Office at the earliest opportunity.

Mitigating Circumstances Forms are available from the Student Support Office or can be downloaded from the Faculty intranet –https://app.bmh.manchester.ac.uk/public/downloads.aspx?DocId=187577

All forms need to be submitted to the Student Support Office via hand delivery or email – mitigatingcircumstances.sbs@manchester.ac.uk.

2019/2020 DEADLINES for submitting your mitigating circumstances form;

 Semester 1 – 5pm Monday 27^th January 2020

Semester 2 – 12pm Friday, 5^th June 2020

Resit Period – 12pm Tuesday. 1st September 2020

Please be aware, mitigation will NOT result in the changing of any marks, unless penalties for late submission are waived after an assignment has already been marked. Instead, mitigation may result in some marks being disregarded and the assessment being excused because it was adversely affected. You may also be given a mark for a whole unit based on your performance in the parts that were not adversely affected. Mitigation may also mean treating your overall performance as borderline even though the marks you obtained would not normally be high enough, and so considering you for a more favourable result such as a higher degree class.

Please note some doctors surgeries can take 2 weeks to provide you with a letter of evidence, so it is important to organise this as soon as possible. If your evidence will not be available until after the deadline, you must ensure your application form is submitted on time and notify the Student Support Office when they can expect to receive the evidence.