ACADEMIC APPEALS If you feel that the board of examiners or the unit assessment board have made an error in their decision or have not received all of the information relating to your circumstances, you have the right to appeal. (The Board of Examiners and the Unit Assessment Board meet at the end of each semester and award your marks and decide whether you progress onto the next stage of your course) You cannot however simply appeal because you do not agree or are unhappy with your mark. A request for remarking is not an appeal and is dealt with within your department.
What should I do? First of all seek advice. If you think an academic decision is incorrect, you may need advice about the options open to you and whether your expectations are realistic. You can seek advice from:
UNIVERSITY
THE UNION
Personal Tutor Head of Department
Sabbatical Officer Academic Caseworker
We would recommend speaking with your head of department in the first instance, as sometimes small issues can be resolved at this level.
How do I make an appeal? There are limited grounds on which an appeal will be considered: 1. If there has been a material and significant administrative error in the information received and considered by the Extenuating Circumstances Panel, the Unit Assessment Board or the Board of Examiners. 2. If the assessment had not been conducted in accordance with the approved regulations for the programme of study. 3. If some other material irregularity had occurred in the procedures of the Extenuating circumstances Panel, the Unit Assessment Board or Board of Examiners. 4. If the decision made by the Extenuating Circumstances panel was perverse by reference to the evidence supplied by the student. 5. If the Student had been prevented from attending or submitting an assessment artefact by illness or other good cause that related to the Student’s personal circumstances. These grounds however, can only be considered if you have been unable, for a sound and acceptable reason related to the circumstances themselves, to divulge before the deadline for submission of the extenuating circumstances form.
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I have grounds for an appeal - what now? Firstly speak with your head of department or course leader- see whether the matter can be resolved without the need for intervention of the academic registry. If you have spoken to the above without resolution of your issue then you must complete the appeals/complaints form or you can write a statement with the below headings. You can obtain the appeals forms from the Students’ Union in Gun House. You have 10 working days from the date of receipt of a decision from a board to make an appeal.
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Mark your appeal ‘Student Appeal’ Student Registration Number Family Name Forename Address (including postcode) Email Course/ study route Type of complaint Put the main body of your statement here. (include your grounds of appeal and details of previous attempts to resolve the issue) • Evidence to support your appeal • Your preferred outcome • YOUR Signature & date
Once you have completed your statement you will need to send your statement, plus any evidence to George Allison, Assistant Registrar at the following address: George Allison Academic Registry University House Winston Churchill Ave. Portsmouth PO1 2UP
What do I do now? If your appeal is invalid, it will be returned to you with advice on potential next steps, which the Students’ Union can advise you with further. If your appeal is valid, the registrar will instruct a member of the academic council, who will interview you regarding you appeal. If the Academic Registrar believes that there is a case to answer, an Appeals Committee will be appointed. The Appeals Committee will decide whether the decision of the board should be reviewed. If this is the decision, you will be notified
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What about marking? If you feel that a mistake has been made with regards to your marks, you may be able to request a review of that mark. There are two circumstances with which you can request a remark: • There has been a material and significant administrative error in the way the mark was determined. For example: You submitted two pieces of work, but only one was marked. • There has been a procedural irregularity in the assessment process as defined in the examination and assessment regulations. You cannot request a remark simply because you disagree with the academic judgement of the marker, and requests for remarking based on these grounds will not be considered.
How do I request a remark? You will need to write to the head of department, with a clear explanation of exactly why you believe your mark to be incorrect. You should also include a copy of the work which is to be remarked. You must put your request in within 10 working days of receiving your original mark. If the Head of Department decides that your request is valid, he/ she will pass the work to a member of staff for review. Please remember that the result of a remark may not just be that your mark goes up, it could go down also. Conversely, if the Head of Department feels that your request is not valid, they will write to you detailing the reasons why. If you are not happy with his explanation, you may write to the academic registrar, for a further review of the marking process. You must also state your reasons for the appeal. If after this action you are still not happy, you can write to the Office of Independent Adjudicator (OIA) for an independent review. Please speak to the Academic Caseworker at the Students Union on this matter. All of the above information can be found on the University of Portsmouth’s website:
www.port.ac.uk/appealform If you have any further questions, please do not hesitate to speak with the Academic Caseworker at the Students’ Union, Gun house - or contact
academicsupport@upsu.net 02392 845 310
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