Academic Appeal and Award asessment board

[RollerCoasterRides]

Hi everyone, can someone help me better understand how the Award Assessment Board works at UK universities? My daughter has been asked to repeat the entire year due to failing one exam, and we have submitted strong written evidence and extenuating circumstances to support her appeal. If the appeal is reviewed by the university’s appeals team and is upheld, with the outcome being a resit of a practical examination, will the Award Assessment Board follow that recommendation based on the evidence and extenuating circumstances provided? Or could they decide on a completely different outcome? Additionally, we’re worried because the new academic year starts on the 9th of September, and we’re concerned this might not be concluded in time, causing her to miss classes. Any examples or insights would be greatly appreciated. It’s a total minefield, and getting a better understanding would really help in this extremely stressful time. Thank you!

If you look on the university's website they should have their senate regulations, which should explain the possible outcomes. If you want to say which university it is I could have a look for you.

University won't ask for repeat a year if only one module failed. It should be progress with outstanding.

That depends on the regulations. Some degrees do not permit students to progress unless they have passed all modules.

@DEI2025 unfortunately the course has regulatory requirements and that's what university are saying and not changing their mind on that. In previous years few students had to repeat whole years which is extremely stressful.

It depends on the uni but normally the appeal would be the final / overriding decision over any previous decision.

The appeals process will be (well certainly should be!) organised with the new start of year in mind so you will get a decision before the new year starts, precisely as you say because your daughter needs to know.

Resitting a whole year on the basis of one exam seems quite an extreme decision - was the exam worth a great deal of the final mark? And if not, are you sure you're getting the complete picture from your daughter about other assessments and exams?

Good luck. University systems are difficult to navigate

It really depends on the university and the degree programme. At my place, it would depend on whether the module failed was consumable or needs to be passed to progress.

An appeal would also need to explain, in very robust terms, why extenuating circumstances and evidence were not proffered at the time of the exam, as they should have been.

Also at my place, a student in this situation would usually be advised and indeed permitted to register for the new academic year, provisionally.

But continuing enrolment would be dependent on an appeal being granted. So you’re back at being able to provide robust evidence and also a compelling reason for why this evidence wasn’t offered before the exam as it should have been. Appealing after a failure can look like special pleading, as there is ample information about students’ rights to mitigation before an assessment deadline.

condonable module, not consumable. My iPhone hates me!

Apologies I just saw your reply and it's a regulatory requirement. Please ignore me!

@YellowAsteroid yes that's the case and we have provided evidence to support why it wasn't provided before.

@ludocris ok thank you and just looking at their website.

Although if it’s a medical / healthcare or engineering degree then it is entirely appropriate and reasonable that students must pass (and 40% is a pass at most universities). For the health and safety of the rest of us!

I had similar and got in contact with the student union at my university. The specialist rep there was amazing in his support and really knew the academic hoops inside out.

He took me through all the appeals process and meetings and ultimately got me back onto the course (which was only due to a weird accidental blip in the first place) and i really owe him a lot.

I've found them incredibly helpful and they unlike the University are totally focused on the student. Get in touch with them at your university asap.

@Resisterance unfortunately we haven't found the student union to be very helpful. They are just giving very vague advice and we had to do all by ourselves.

I suspect it will depend on whether the course is accredited by a professional body. If so, they will have an input into the regulations, and the university will have less discretion.

There is often a safety net built in to marking (eg not awarding marks that end in 9, rounding up composite marks which are the average of multiple assignments and so on), so students who fail have been given the benefit of every doubt.

@takeabeat yes as it's a regulatory requirement of the course I can understand uni decision but there were extenuating circumstances which played a part. Really hope they tell us before year starts.

It is stressful, I know. The timings of results, Progression and Awards boards (where implications of results become clear) announcing the marks and registration for the following year are very tight, and this is really hard for students, particularly when it comes to getting accommodation and so on without knowing what's happening.

I sympathise (retired lecturer). Were the extenuating circumstances made clear at the time they occurred? You might be able to argue that your daughter should have been able to take the exam/submit the work late, but it's unlikely that a fail will be condoned if there is accreditation attached to the course.

@takeabeat thank you and yes it's extremely stressful and we have no accommodation booked. Everything is getting booked very quickly. It is a regular requirement so I do understand but they were extenuating circumstances where she was unable to make them aware before the exam but we have evidence stating why she wasn't able to do that at the time, so hoping that university can consider and give her a resit.

As everyone has said, it will differ hugely from place to place so we can only give general advice unfortunately.

We don't allow students to progress until they've passed everything necessary - if someone hasn't passed everything in first year, giving them more to do in second year than everyone else by allowing them to resit a second year module as well is a recipe for disaster. It is for the student's benefit! We allow them carry a second year fail into final year, but again that doesn't give them much breathing room in final year. And they can't resist the second year module in final year, it just stays as a fail.

When you say resit the whole year, do you mean just the failed module or modules she's passed as well?

In my school, the only thing the appeals committee would be ruling on would be whether the resit was for a capped mark or not. She also wouldn't be granted a special sitting of the practical exam, it would be at the next sitting which would be January or May, and so too late for her to progress in September anyway.

Every university and every department is different but I'm wary about whether you have realistic expectations unfortunately.

But did you contact the specific appeals team for SU based at your uni?

@Resisterance yes we did and their help was not that useful unfortunately. They didn't tell us anything that we didn't know already.

@WickieRoy yes I understand and she is required to re do whole year with all modules and assessments even once she has passed as it's a regulatory requirement. Yeah I have to open to any result it seems which is extremely difficult mentally right now.

Is it medicine or a similar regulated profession related degree as if so it’s my understanding that progression needs passing of all components (which makes sense in terms of professional standards). If that is the case the universities tend to be supportive as they don’t want students to fail and understand the pressure they are under. Good luck and hope things get sorted as I’m sure stress levels are running high

@reluctantlogin thank you and yes fully understand and hence have asked for a result rather then straight progression.

As others say, the answer will be in their regulations and those should be available to students online. The Board only has the power to/must make sure they apply those regulations accurately.

Ah ok. That sucks, but if others have been required to do that before I'd start preparing her for that probability now. No harm in appealing, but it doesn't sound likely you'll get the outcome you want unfortunately.

At our ages we know that repeating a year isn't the end of the world, but at student age it seems career ending! Hopefully your DD will be receptive to your perspective on that score. She will get there, it's just a bump in the road. They happen to the best of us!