Academic Regulations for first degrees and ... - Heythrop College

unexpectedly prevented a student from completing assessment by the
required date.
15.2. The procedure for bringing mitigating circumstances to the attention of
the Board of Examiners, and the form used to do so, are detailed in
Appendix F. Students must make the request in writing, normally using the
Mitigating Circumstances form, as early as possible, and not later than
one week after the final assessment task affected. Students may submit a
Mitigating Circumstances form before the date of assessment, if they
believe that illness or other adverse circumstances during the period of
completing or preparing for assessment has affected their performance.
15.3. Students must provide evidence of the nature and timing of the
circumstances, and an explanation of how they affected the student’s
study. Guidelines are published on appropriate forms of evidence. (See
Appendix F)
15.4. Requests to take account of mitigating circumstances, and the relevant
evidence, will be considered by a sub-committee of three members of the
relevant Board of Examiners, normally including the Chair of the Board,
the relevant Dean or his or her nominee, with the Academic Registrar or
his or her nominee. The sub-committee will normally meet in the week
preceding the final meeting of the Board of Examiners. If necessary, the
group may reconvene to advise the Chair of the Board following
September reassessment. The sub-committee will review the evidence,
the seriousness of the circumstances, and their timing in relation to the
relevant assessment tasks. The sub-group will not be informed of the
marks actually achieved, but will consider only the strength and relevance
of the evidence. Details of the students’ circumstances will remain
confidential to the sub-committee.
15.5. During consideration of candidates’ results, the Board of Examiners will be
informed when a request to consider mitigating circumstances has been
received, and whether the sub-group considered the circumstances valid.
Details will not be given, although where necessary the broad character of
the circumstances may be outlined.
15.6. Where the sub-group has supported the request to consider mitigating
circumstances, the Board may take one of the following actions:
a) If the student has passed the relevant module(s), the Board will note
whether the request was supported by the sub-group, but take no further
action;
b) If the student has failed the affected module(s), and if the student’s
performance in those modules is noticeably weaker than his or her
performance in other modules, the Board may decide that the student be
reassessed as if for the first time in one or more assessment tasks for
which the maximum mark would otherwise be capped at the pass mark.
c) If the student is being considered for an award, and the Board
considers that the affected modules have clearly and adversely affected
the classification of the first degree, or eligibility for an award with merit or
distinction, the Board may decide to award the higher classification. In
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