Mitigating Circumstances

o Serious illness
o Serious illness of partner, relative or friend
o Bereavement
o Excessive employment demands which were substantial and temporary (PT students only)
The following represents grounds for not normally considering a claim:

o Claims without independent supporting evidence
o Claims arising from poor time management or personal organisation (e.g. failure to plan for foreseeable events such as computer crashes, printing problems or travel problems resulting in late submission of coursework; misreading the examination timetable).
o Claims arising from not backing up work adequately (e.g. loss of a laptop, USB memory device, not keeping a copy of work submitted etc)
o Claims referring to circumstances within your control (e.g. family wedding or holiday; paid employment; getting a cheaper flight; choosing to miss an assessment or coursework deadline for something considered more important).
o Claims referring to minor ailments such as colds, headaches, stomach upsets, etc., except where the ailment made it impossible for you to sit an examination or other scheduled assessment.
o Claims referring to pregnancy, except where there have been complications.
o The death of a family pet.
o Claims where the problem is caused by English being an additional language. 
o A disability or ongoing chronic illness unless there was a sudden deterioration or a period where the illness or disability was particularly acute (Note: students with a disability or chronic illness may make special arrangements regarding their assessment with the Equal Opportunities Centre.)
o The usual financial constraints experienced by most students
o Employment demands unless there is evidence that they are substantial and temporary (PT students only)
If your mitigating circumstances have affected professional placements, you must contact your tutor at the time as set out in your course handbook, as this procedure does not cover this aspect of assessment. If you wish to claim for an extension to your Independent Study please do not use the mitigating circumstances forms but refer to the Independent Study Extension Request form.

Please note that the Mitigations Committee will only be able to make a decision based on what information you have provided them as to your circumstances on the form and the supporting evidence you attach. They cannot read between the lines.

Claims of exceptional mitigating circumstances should be made before results are available. Late claims will only be accepted if there are exceptional reasons for a claim not being submitted on time.

If you are a student on the following courses:

UMS (Exlcuding Horticulture courses)
HND (Excluding Horticultrure courses)
Foundation (excluding Learning support and Horticulture courses)

Claims for Semester 1 should be submitted by 3.00pm 17 January 2011

Claims for Semester 2 should be submitted by 3.00pm 23 May 2011

Claims relating to reassessment should be submitted by 3.00pm 4 July 2011

For students on any other courses, please refer to the mitigating circumstances deadline dates attached to the mitigaitng circumstances form or contact your course tutor for deadline dates.

 Examples of acceptable evidence include:

Medical Certificate (obtained at time of illness)
Letter from medical practitioner confirming the illness of the student or another person
Letter from student counsellor. For information on the Counselling Service's policy on mitigating circumstances please see http://www.worc.ac.uk/counselling/documents/Policy_for_mit_circ.doc 
Copy of death certificate
Copy of birth certificate
Copy of the funeral order of service
Letter of support from a member of staff who has personal knowledge of your exceptional mitigating circumstances - please note that claims with only letters of support as evidence have been rejected in the past due to a lack of independent evidence
N.B Make sure the evidence is dated and on headed paper.

Evidence must be submitted with a completed claim form UNLESS you have still not obtained evidence by the deadline then you must submit the form indicating the evidence will follow otherwise your claim will be considered late.

Claims without supporting evidence will be returned.

GPs are not obliged to issue medical certificates (particularly retrospectively), do not normally issue certificates for short periods of illness and are entitled to charge for certificates issued.

Please note that the Mitigations Committee will only be able to make a decision based on what information you have provided them as to your circumstances on the form and the supporting evidence you attach. They cannot read between the lines.

Common mistakes include:

Section 1: The form has not been signed
Section 3: The Module Code has not been filled in
Section 3: The Assessment Type has not been filled in
Section 3: The Date has not been filled in
Section 3: Work affected has not been filled in
Section 4: No or very limited information about the exceptional circumstances has been provided.

No evidence is submitted with the claim form

Evidence provided is not independent, has not been dated or is not on headed paper.

Please note that the Mitigations Committee will only be able to make a decision based on what information you have provided them as to your circumstances on the form and the supporting evidence you attach. They cannot read between the lines.

The Mitigations Committee will only be able to make a decision based on what information you have provided them as to your circumstances on the form and the supporting evidence you attach. They cannot read between the lines.

The Complaints and Appeals Officer will inform the Examination Board of the decision of the Committee.

The Committee is due to meet and consider reassessment on the 1 September 2010.  Students should hear the decisions made by the Committee no later than the 17 September 2010.

Please do not contact the Complaints and Appeals Officer before this date to enquire about the outcome of a claim as this delays the procedure meaning students have to wait longer to receive a decision.

If you claimed for late submission of work and submitted the work within 14 days of the deadline date the work will be marked as if on time.

If you claimed for non-submission of reassessment work or claimed for performance affected and failed you will be given a further attempt at reassessment (the mark will be pegged to D-).

If you claimed for performance affected and passed an assessment but you feel that due to your mitigating circumstances you received a lower mark than you would have done under normal circumstances, you will be given the opportunity to be reassessed. PLEASE NOTE If you choose to be reassessed in an assessment you have passed, your original mark will be null and void, therefore, if you receive a lower mark for the second attempt this will be the mark that stands.

Please refer to FAQ What happens if my claim is accepted?

You must NOT submit the work with your mitgiating circumstances form or give it directly to the module tutor.

If your claim is accepted and the work was submitted within 14 days of the original assessment submission date it will be marked as if on time. Work submitted after 14 days will not be marked.

Any late submission for PGCE assessments requires a mitigating circumstances form. The course does not have a graded system of assessment only a pass/fail grade which would make capping work impossible.

Please note that under Mitigating Circumstances late submission of work must be submitted within 14 days of the asessment deadline date, otherwise a student will have to claim for non-submission and will have to demonstrate why it was not possible to submit the coursework within the late coursework period.

Your work will need to be handed in within 14 days of the deadline date. If it is handed in after this time it will not be marked. Any late work must be submitted to the usual place which is normally the appropriate assignment box. Please note that these boxes are checked daily.

If you hand in your work within the 5 day late assignment period your work, if passed, will be capped at a D-. If your claim is accepted your work will be marked as if handed in on time.

If you hand your work in after the 5 day period your work will not be marked unless your mitigating circumstances are accepted. If your claim is not accepted you will fail the assessment.

Please note any late submission for PGCE assessments requires the completion of a mitigating circumstances form. The module assessment is not graded and marked only as a pass/fail grade which would make capping work impossible.