Form MCF1
Mitigating Circumstances Form
Please complete ALL relevant sections of the form, including the original assessment deadline. Corroborative evidence must be
attached. Claims without accompanying evidence will normally be rejected.
Please read the guidance notes and Mitigating Circumstances Regulations at http://community.ucreative.ac.uk/student-regulations
before completing this form. You may wish to seek advice from your Campus Registry Office, Unit Tutor or Course Leader, or from
the Students’ Union, on how to complete this form.
If your disability is the reason why you require an extension, you should use this form. It should be noted that an extension will
ONLY be granted where your Learning Support Agreement specifies that you will require occasional extensions for reasons arising
from your disability. (Please note this does NOT include specific learning differences.)
Student information
Name:
Student Number:
Course Title:
(e.g. BA Fine Art)
Campus:
Year of Course:
(e.g. 2nd year)
Contact details – please note that contact will be via email unless otherwise specified
UCA:
Email address(es):
Personal:
Phone number:
Contact address:
Assessments affected
Unit Title:
Unit Code:
Original deadline:
New deadline (for
staff use only):
Unit Code:
Original deadline:
New deadline (for
staff use only):
Unit Code:
Original deadline:
New deadline (for
staff use only):
Unit Code:
Original deadline:
New deadline (for
staff use only):
Assessment component/task:
Assessment component/task:
Assessment component/task:
Unit Title:
Assessment component/task:
Assessment component/task:
Assessment component/task:
Unit Title:
Assessment component/task:
Assessment component/task:
Assessment component/task:
Unit Title:
Assessment component/task:
Assessment component/task:
Assessment component/task:
Use another sheet if more than 4 units are affected
Nature of mitigating circumstances
Serious short-term illness
Sudden Deterioration of a long term medical condition/disability
Death of close relative, friend or partner
Other. Please state:____________________________________________
Please tick here if you have a Learning Support Agreement in place
Please give details of your mitigating circumstances and describe how these circumstances have affected your
assessment. Please state the amount of study time (days/weeks) lost due to these circumstances:
For retrospective and/or ‘unfit to sit’ claims
Please state why you were unable/unwilling to submit a prospective mitigating circumstances claim (claims without this
information are unlikely to be considered):
Declaration
I confirm that I have completed this form in full, and that I have included appropriate documentary evidence. I have read and
understood the guidance notes accompanying this form, the University’s Mitigating Circumstances Regulations and I believe that I
am entitled to special consideration in respect of the assessment tasks stated above. I understand that the University regards the
submission of false information as a very serious offence.
Signed …………………………………………………….
Date ……………………………….
Please submit this form to your Campus Registry Office, either by hand, by post or by email.
2
FOR OFFICIAL USE ONLY
For Campus Registry Office Use
Date Received ……………………………..
Prospective
Retrospective
Unfit to sit
Out of time
For Prospective Claims – Course Leader’s Use Only
Yes for all
units
1
Outside the student’s control?
2
Unforeseen and unforeseeable?
3
Acute?
4
Evidenced to be true?
5
Contemporaneous with assessment(s) in question?
6
Will prevent student from submitting or presenting for assessment by due date?
Yes - for these
units only (list unit
codes):
No - for
all units
Accepted for all units
Accepted for following units only (rejected for all others): _________________________________________________________
Rejected for all units
Course Leader Signature (for extensions up to 3 weeks)
________________________________
Date
_____________________
Head of School Signature (for extensions longer than 3 weeks) __________________________
Date
_____________________
All retrospective and unfit to sit claims for mitigating circumstances will be considered by the University’s
Mitigating Circumstances Panel and the decisions communicated to the Campus Registry who will in turn inform the
student.
3
Mitigating Circumstances – Guidance Notes for Students
To be read in conjunction with the Mitigating Circumstances Regulations:
http://community.ucreative.ac.uk/student-regulations
What are mitigating circumstances?
1.
Students are responsible for managing their learning, revision and assessment activities
throughout the duration of their studies and as such are expected to manage any
unexpected life events which may occur. The University does however recognise that
students may experience circumstances beyond their control, which may affect their
ability to submit their assessments or assessment performance. The Mitigating
Circumstances Regulations exist to ensure that any student experiencing either serious
illness, a disability/long term medical condition which may lead to intermittent periods of
ill health or from other forms of exceptional, sudden and unforeseen circumstances that
might impact their assessments is treated fairly.
2.
Mitigating circumstances are those circumstances outside your control, that prevent you
from demonstrating the skills and knowledge required to meet the learning outcomes of a
unit assessment (e.g. dissertation, presentation, portfolio, examination) by a specific
assessment deadline.
3.
There are three types of mitigating circumstances claims:
 prospective;
 retrospective;
 unfit to sit.
How do the three types of mitigating circumstances work?
4.
Mitigating circumstances claims must be submitted before the deadline for submission.
These are ‘prospective’ claims. Your Course Leader will consider these claims and
decide whether or not to grant an extension.
5.
If you have a valid reason for not submitting a claim before the submission deadline,
then you can submit a late claim to be considered by the University’s Mitigating
Circumstances Panel. This late claim could be ‘retrospective’, where you haven’t
submitted the work, or ‘unfit to sit’ where you did submit the work on time, but you want it
to be discounted.
6.
Late claims will only be successful where you were unable to make the request before
the submission deadline (e.g. if you had mental health problems and a medical certificate
to say that you were under a doctor’s care at the time and were not able to make a
rational decision due to the type of illness).
How do I apply for mitigating circumstances to be considered for an extension of my assessment
deadline?
7.
If you believe that your performance in assessment is being negatively affected by
exceptional and unforeseen circumstances, including illness warranting a medical
certificate, you should fill out a Mitigating Circumstances Form and hand it in to the
Campus Registry Office in advance of the submission deadline, unless the nature of
your circumstances prevents you from doing so (e.g. sudden hospitalisation).
8.
Mitigating Circumstances forms are available from each Campus Registry Office and can
also be downloaded from MyUCA.
9.
All claims must be supported by appropriate written evidence (see section 13.
below). In no case will mitigating circumstances be considered without proper and
appropriate documentation to substantiate the claim.
10.
It is your responsibility to ensure that the Campus Registry Office receives your
form and all corresponding documentation in support of your claim by the given
deadline.
11.
If your claim is not accepted you will still have to meet your assessment deadline.
Otherwise this will be treated as non-submission, and you will be awarded a mark of zero
(0).
4
12.
Should you choose not to submit mitigating circumstances at the time that they impact
on your assessment, you should be aware that it is highly unlikely that any
retrospective or unfit to sit consideration can subsequently be given. If you do submit a
mitigating circumstances claim form after your deadline, you must clearly state why
you were unable, or for valid reasons unwilling, to submit the claim by your
submission deadline.
What evidence should I submit in support of my mitigating circumstances claim?
13.
Evidence submitted in support of your claim should be independent, third party evidence
and should include date(s) relevant to the assessment(s) in question. Accepted evidence
may include:
a. Death certificate/interim death certificate or other evidence (e.g. order of
service);
b. Medical / health certificate (with relevant date to the assessment);
c.
Letter of support / explanation from a support service in the University where
you are already receiving ongoing support, e.g. Student Counsellors;
d. Letter of support / explanation from third party medical or other professional;
e. Letter from Learning Support Manager to evidence a disadvantage to student
learning (e.g. if the requirement for occasional extensions forms part of your
Learning Support Agreement. It should be noted that being disabled or having a
specific learning difference is NOT in itself a reason for requiring an extension).
How is my claim considered?
14.
For prospective claims: the Campus Registrar will pass your completed form and any
supporting evidence to your Course Leader. If your Course Leader considers that your
claim should be accepted, she/he may offer you an extended deadline of up to 3 weeks
for you to complete your assessment.
15.
All Retrospective and Unfit to Sit claims will be considered by the next meeting of the
University’s Mitigating Circumstances Panel.
What will be considered in making a judgement about my claim?
16.
When considering your mitigating circumstances claim, Course Leaders and Mitigating
Circumstances Panels will:
a. ensure that you have provided all the information requested on the form and any
necessary supporting evidence;
b. check that the form has been signed and dated by you as well as the date it was
submitted;
c.
ensure that the form has been submitted within the relevant deadline for the type of
claim; and
d. ensure that any extension to the deadline, as a result of the claim, relates to the
days lost.
17.
In addition to the above, the Mitigating Circumstances Panel will consider:


whether there is justification for a retrospective claim – is there a valid reason why
you were not able to tell the University about the mitigating circumstances before
the assessment deadline? These must be valid and evidenced reasons - claims
on the basis that you were not comfortable discussing your circumstances will not
be accepted;
whether there is justification for an unfit to sit claim – were you able to make a
rational decision about your ability to undertake your assessment at the time. The
reasons must be valid and evidenced. Mental health issues will not normally be
accepted unless accompanied by a professional statement from a third party who
was responsible for your care at the time at which you made the decision.
5
18.
Decisions relating to mitigating circumstances are matters of academic judgement as to
how your circumstances have affected your ability to demonstrate your learning through
assessment by the specified deadline for that assessment. The following grounds will
normally be considered as part of the decision making process.
What grounds are likely to be accepted for mitigation?
19.
The following may be accepted as grounds for mitigation:
a. death of a close relative, friend or partner;
b. serious short term illness or accident
c.
evidence of a chronic and sudden episode within an on-going health condition or
disability. This episode must be contemporaneous with the assessment.
d. significant adverse personal / family circumstances. These will only be accepted if
notified as soon as the circumstances occur and with verification.
What grounds will not normally be accepted for an extension of an assessment deadline?
20.
Following are examples of circumstances that will not be accepted as grounds for an
extension:
a. statement of a medical condition without reasonable evidence (medical or otherwise)
to support it;
b. medical circumstances outside the relevant assessment period;
c. a statement of a medical condition supported by retrospective medical evidence i.e.
evidence that was not in existence at the same time as the illness, such as a doctor’s
note which states that the student was seen after the illness occurred and that the
student declared they had been ill previously;
d. if there is a reasonable case that the mitigating circumstances described were
foreseeable or preventable;
e. long term health condition, or disability, for which the student is already receiving
reasonable or appropriate adjustments in the relevant assessment period;
f. minor illness or ailment, which in a work situation would be unlikely to lead to
absence from work;
g. holiday commitments;
h. employment commitments;
i. financial problems;
j. personal computer / printer problems;
k. poor study practice, e.g. no back up of electronic documents;
l. being unaware of published submission dates / times or examination date / times;
m. late disclosure of circumstances on the basis that a student ‘felt unable or did not
feel comfortable’ confiding in a university staff member about their mitigating
circumstances; and/or
n. poor time management.
How do I submit a mitigating circumstances claim?
21.
You can make a claim:
a. In person at your Campus Registry Office;
6
b. By post: postal submissions may be permitted after the deadline, provided that they
have been posted by the deadline date. Postal submissions should normally only be
made out of term-time. The postmark should indicate that the submission has been
posted on the deadline date; or
c.
By E-mail submission to the Campus Registry Office designated email address.
Email submissions directly to the Course Leader will not be accepted.
What outcomes can I expect following consideration of my mitigating circumstances?
22.
Assessment marks cannot be changed as a result of a successful mitigating
circumstances claim.
23.
It is expected that most mitigating circumstances will be resolved by giving an extension
to the original assessment submission deadline. The extension must start at the date of
the original submission deadline and must be equal to the number of days lost or
expected to be lost due to your mitigating circumstances.
Who can help me with my mitigating circumstances claim?
24.
You can contact the Students’ Union to get support and advice at
[email protected]
7