Is it reasonable for an OU tutor to refuse an extension without knowing why?

[burningupinspeed]

Sorry to be vague but I want to protect my identity so basically, a friend wants an extension but the tutor wants to know why so she can decide if it's a good enough reason.

Can't a student decide what is a good enough reason? Or they would not ask in the first place...?

As an OU tutor, it sounds at first glance as if the tutor is being unreasonable. The vast majority of OU students have considerable time constraints, and tutors are advised to be flexible with deadlines. About 30% of my students ask for, and receive, an extension for each TMA. If your friend states that she has 'personal/family/medical reasons', and does not have a history of handing in essays late all the time, then that should be enough.

The comments written by the tutor sound unacceptable; the OU certainly wouldn't encourage this kind of thing. If the relationship between her and the tutor are so poor that it is affecting her work, she may consider contacting her department to request a change of tutor.