Extensions and Special Circumstances

Extensions

You should submit your application as soon as you become aware of circumstances affecting your studies.

You will be able to submit an extension request up to 2 weeks before your assignment deadline. Students must submit their request for an extension as early as possible and this must be submitted before the coursework deadline. Applications submitted after your assignment deadlines will not be considered.

The ESC team will consider an extension for coursework submission for up to a maximum of three calendar days. It is important to note that the number of days allowed for an assessment extension is at the discretion of the Course Organiser. Please check the assessment information in Learn for details.

The ESC team aim to respond to your application within 2 working days. 

Please note that not all assessments are eligible for an extension. If the assessment does not permit extensions, or if you will be impacted for longer than three days, you can apply for special circumstances.

Further information about applying for Extensions can be found here: Extensions explained

Learning Adjustments

Further information about applying for Learning Adjustments can be found here: Learning Adjustments explained

Before you consider applying for Special Circumstances, we strongly advise that you contact the Mathematics Student Support Team at studentsupport@maths.ed.ac.uk. We will be able to support you through the process and answer any questions you have.

The online system allows you to select a single assignment, or to select several assignments across different courses, all in one application.

The ESC team aim to respond to your completed application within 5 working days (this includes selecting affected assignments, providing evidence, etc.) to let you know if your application has been accepted.

If your application is accepted, the decision will be passed onto the school Special Circumstances Committee for recommendations, and will be considered at the relevant Board of Examiners meeting. Your final Special Circumstances outcome will be published at the same time as your results for the assessment diet. The outcome will be visible in your online special circumstances application next to your assessments.

Further information on Special Circumstances can be found here:

• Special Circumstances Explained
• Special Circumstances Policy
• Taught Assessment Regulations

  Where the ESC service has accepted an application from a student requesting: 

• An extension to a coursework deadline of more than three days (where this will not lead to a deadline beyond the end of the next examination diet) in advance of the final exam boards. 

• Disregarding of late penalties 

School Special Circumstances Committees are able to make expedited decisions (i.e., in advance of the next scheduled meeting of the Special Circumstances Committee). 

We strongly advise you to contact the Student Support Team before applying via the ESC online service.  The Student Support Team will advise you on whether your request is eligible for an expedited decision and will guide you through how to make an application.   

An example of when an expedited decision for a coursework extension of more than three days might be eligible:  

• To complete a Mathematics dissertation or project.   

An example of when an expedited decision for a coursework extension of more than three days might not be:  

• For weekly assignments e.g. a quiz.  

The ESC team do not inform Schools when applications for expedited Special circumstances decisions are made/accepted on their system. Therefore, if you do not discuss this in advance with the Student Support Team, we will not be aware of your application and therefore cannot consider it for an expedited decision, if it is accepted. Accepted applications in will then be considered at the next scheduled Special Circumstances Committee and Board of Examiner meeting. 

Once your application has been found to be valid, the School will be notified which assessments you have applied for. Other Schools that own courses that you have applied for will also be notified. The Special Circumstances Committee (SCC) and Exam Boards in the School of Mathematics will make recommendations and outcome decisions on your application when they meet. 

No, the Extensions and Special Circumstances team (often referred to as ESC) decide on the validity of your application. They are a centralised team who manage all Extension and Special Circumstances applications for the whole University. They will make a validity decision based on the information you include in your application and the Special Circumstances policy. Once they reach a decision you will receive an email notifying you.

If your application is found to be valid, it will be sent for 'School Review'.  At the end of the assessment diet that you are applying for, the School Special Circumstances Committee (SCC) and exam boards will meet and will make recommendations and outcome decisions on your application.

If your application is found to not be valid, you will be told this and given a specific reason as to why this is the case. Common reasons an application may not be found to be accepted are valid evidence was not provided to support the application, the situation described is not covered by the Special Circumstances policy or the application did not include enough detail regarding the situation. There are other reasons an application may not be accepted and the reason will be included with the decision regarding the application. To avoid this from happening, please read all the guidance provided carefully and include all necessary detail before submitting it for consideration.

Your final Special Circumstances outcome will be published at the same time as your results for the assessment diet. The outcome will be visible in your application next to your assessments. You will not receive a notification about the Special Circumstances outcomes, please make sure you review your outcomes online.

Regulations 10 and 11 of the Special Circumstances policy outline the types of recommendations that can be made by the SCC. The spirit of the Special Circumstances Committee is that all recommendations that are made are aimed to be in the best academic interest of the student. The recommendations made depend on and are influenced by a combination of:

• what assessments and courses you applied for;
• the structure of the courses that you have applied for;
• whether the courses are Pre-Honours or Honours courses;
• as well as your marks.

It is not unusual for different assessments within courses to have different outcomes.  What can be applied is often dependent on the structure of the course, as the Learning Outcomes for any course need to be met for a student to pass. It is also dependent on the marks you receive for the assessments.

No, both the Special Circumstances Committee and the Board of Examiners cannot change marks. To see what recommendations can be made in relation to your Special Circumstances application, please read regulations 10 and 11 of the Special Circumstances policy.

Recommendations are made at the discretion of the Special Circumstances Committee and Exam Boards and will only be applied if it is to the benefit of the student, whilst complying the University policies and regulations.

If your application has been found to be not valid because you have provided insufficient evidence or insufficient information, then you may be able to resubmit your application. This is provided that the deadline for Special Circumstances applications has not passed and you provide the evidence or information required that was previously missing. For assistance in ensuring you have provided enough information, please contact the Student Support team and they will be able to assist you.

If your application has been found to be not valid because the circumstances you have described are not eligible, this means the personal circumstances outlined in your application do not fall under the remit of the Special Circumstances policy. 

If you think you have grounds to appeal, you should seek guidance from the Advice Place. The Advice Place offer independent advice and guidance and will be able to advise you whether you have grounds to appeal this decision. Please remember that you must be able to demonstrate you have valid grounds to appeal a decision taken in regards to validity, as the University only considers appeals that meet particular criteria (or ‘grounds’). 

The options 'Assessment' and 'Reassessment' refer to the type of work you are applying for that have been affected by your personal circumstances. If you are applying in Semester 1 or 2, you need to select 'Assessment' in relation to your affected coursework and/or exams.  If you are applying for the August reassessment diet, you need to select 'Reassessment' as the work you will be completing and applying for is a reassessment. 

Please note that the option to select  'Reassessment' does not mean you are requesting to complete a reassessment in the future as part of your Special Circumstances application.