Case Summaries
Back to Case SummariesAcademic appeal: Student’s own health - CS082002
Case summary September 2020 | Not Justified
A student asked for an extension for a piece of assessed work, because a close family member was undergoing hospital treatment.
The extension was agreed. When the student received their final results, they had an average mark of just above 68% and were given a 2:1 degree classification. The student appealed, on the basis that their performance in the piece of assessed work had been affected by their personal circumstances at the time.
The provider rejected the student’s appeal, and the student complained to us. The student felt that the provider did not take proper account of their circumstances.
We decided that the complaint was Not Justified. The student had not asked the provider for any other support except for a short extension. Although the student was hoping to achieve a first-class degree, none of their other marks fell into that category. It was reasonable for the provider to take this into account. It had a responsibility to ensure the academic standards of its awards were protected, and to determine degree classification based on the student’s actual performance.