Case studies and evidence
These examples will help you determine whether you have acceptable grounds for appeal and provide guidance on the evidence that the Student Casework Team will be looking for.
Examples of accepted appeals
The case studies below have been created to provide an idea of some of the types of cases that have been accepted in previous years.
Accepted appeals
Case study one
Student Y submitted an academic appeal in relation to a mark error. She stated that her online results displayed a mark of 45% for a piece of coursework, however, when the actual coursework had been returned the mark had been recorded as 54%. The student had provided a copy of the coursework to confirm the mark of 54%.
Upon receipt of the appeal, the Student Administration Team had been asked to check the appropriate mark for the assignment in question. It was confirmed that 54% had been the correct mark but an administrative error had resulted in 45% having been entered in the system. The appeal was accepted and the online information corrected. It was noted that, should a similar error occur in the future, a student should be able to query a mark by approaching the Student Administration team (or by speaking to a Student Support Adviser) direct, without the need to submit an academic appeal.
Case study two
Student Z submitted an appeal in relation to reasonable adjustments. The student stated that he had been in contact with the Disability Service prior to an examination and he had been informed that he was eligible for reasonable adjustments during the assessment. However, on the day of the assessment the reasonable adjustments had not been in place. The student attempted to complete the examination but did not achieve a pass mark.
The appeal was investigated and it was confirmed that, owing to error, the reasonable adjustments had unfortunately not been in place. The appeal was accepted and the student was granted another opportunity to complete the assessment with support in place. Information from the appeal was also reported back to the relevant university department to ensure that the reasonable adjustments were in place for the resit.
Examples of rejected appeals
The case studies below have been created to provide an idea of some of the types of cases that have been rejected in previous years.
Rejected appeals
Case study one
Student X submitted an appeal against an exam mark. He explained that he had felt confident about his performance in a coursework re-submission and that he had been surprised to receive a low mark as he had acted on the feedback given after the first submission.
The investigating caseworker contacted the module leader to ask if the internal mark moderation for the module had taken place, and whether the external examiner had approved the marking standard. This was confirmed by the module leader, so the appeal was rejected as the marking had taken place in accordance with the University's Assessment and Feedback Policy, and that it was not possible to appeal against the academic judgement of the mark awarded.
Case study two
Student Y submitted an appeal regarding the lack of response from a module leader. He had tried to contact the module leader with a query about the assessment prior to the examination but had received no response.
The appeal was rejected by the Student Casework Team because, whilst it had been unfortunate that the student had not received a response from his Module Leader, the Module Leader had posted all relevant examination information and revision materials on Blackboard, therefore, it was felt that the student had not been placed at a disadvantage.
Case study three
Student Z submitted an appeal regarding personal circumstances he had experienced during his final year of study. The appeal wasn't considered as it wasn't about an irregularity in the assessment process, and the student was advised to contact a Student Support Adviser about applying retrospectively for an exceptional removal of a mark.
Examples of evidence
The below provides some examples of evidence that may be used to support a claim that the University has done something wrong. Please note that this is not an exhaustive list and the decision to accept or to reject a piece of evidence will rely solely upon your circumstances (ie evidence that has been accepted for one student may not be acceptable for another student’s circumstances).
Where unacceptable evidence is referred to below, this relates to instances whereby the item identified was the only piece of evidence submitted and had not been accompanied by additional documentation.
Acceptable evidence:
- Copies of email correspondence confirming that incorrect/inconsistent/incomplete/misleading information had been provided
- A letter/email of support from a member of staff confirming that you were disadvantaged by their actions/lack of action
- Screenshots of incorrect, inconsistent, incomplete or misleading online information
- Acknowledgement of receipt of an application for personal circumstances (formerly called extenuating circumstances)
Unacceptable evidence:
- Audio or visual recordings of face-to-face or telephone conversations that had been taken without an individual’s consent
Please be aware that, whilst an electronic copy of a piece of evidence is normally sufficient, the Student Casework Team may ask to see the original evidence if there are any queries or concerns. The falsification of evidence will be treated as a very serious matter and, where this is suspected, you may be referred to the Student conduct policy (PDF) or, in cases where the programme leads to a professional registration, to the Professional suitability and conduct policy (PDF).
Contact us
Please contact the Student Casework Team if you wish to know more about case studies and evidence. The Students' Union at UWE Bristol Advice Centre is also there to provide support.