Regulations for postgraduate research students: Section 8

Section 8: Assessment Appeal Regulations

 

You should seek impartial advice and support from the Students’ Union Advice Centre if you wish to submit an appeal.

 

8.1 Regulation Introduction

8.1.1 This section applies to you if you want to appeal the outcome of any research degree assessment. This regulation may also be available to students who have recently left the University where evidence can be provided to support there is a good reason for raising concerns after being a registered student.  

8.1.2 If your appeal would be more appropriately dealt with using a different University procedure, we will advise you of which procedure to use and why. If you raise issues using a different procedure, we may choose to consider it as an appeal instead. If so, we will explain this to you.

 

8.2 Grounds for appeal

8.2.1 If you believe the assessment outcome should be reconsidered and have evidence to support this, you may submit an appeal. There are three grounds for an assessment appeal, and you must evidence at least one of them for your appeal to be considered. They are:

• there was a procedural irregularity in how your assessment was marked which affected your outcome; 
• there was bias or a reasonable perception of bias in how your assessment was marked; 
• there were circumstances that affected your submission or assessement and you could not have told us sooner by using our  consideration of personal circumstances procedure. 

If you are appealing on the grounds of personal circumstances then in accordance with the fit to sit or fit to submit policies (section A4 in the regulations for award), you will need to; 

• Provide evidence to support why your decision making was impaired at the time of submitting an assessment or presenting yourself for your viva 

AND 

• Provide evidence as to why you have been unable to engage with university procedures sooner.  

8.2.2.  This procedure may not be right for you if: 

• You wish to complain about the supervision you received during the academic year or you wish to complain about your general learning experience (including the feedback you received). If this is the case, you need to refer to the Complaints procedure (section 13).  

• You wish to question the exercise of academic judgement of the examination team which is the decision of the quality and the standard of the work rather than the administrative marking process. If you want to understand your feedback or outcome in further detail you must request to meet an appropriate academic member of staff where they will explain how their decision was reached in accordance with the marking and moderation regulations.  

8.2.3 Assessment appeals are treated as confidentially as possible with information only shared with those who require it for the purposes of investigating or responding to the appeal. In order to fully investigate the complaint you have raised, we are not able to accept anonymous assessment appeals. There may be exceptional circumstances in which this is allowed, or elements of the appeal are able to be kept confidential due to safeguarding concerns or an issue affecting a large group of students, however, this may affect the way we are able to investigate the issue.  

 

8.2.4 No student will be disadvantaged or discriminated against because of making a assessment appeal in good faith in accordance with these regulations. 

8.3 Support  

8.3.1 We acknowledge that these procedures can be difficult and as such, the support available to you is outlined below; 

 

• Contact the Students’ Union who provide free, independent, confidential and impartial advice to everyone on their rights and responsibilities either by telephone 01484 473446 or email advice-centre@hud.ac.uk  

• The Wellbeing support website to seek specific support or contact the wellbeing team for support on studentwellbeing@hud.ac.uk 
• Access the University’s online support network at home or on campus, Togetherall. This service is available 24 hours a day. 

 

8.4 Appeal procedure

8.4.1 There are two stages to the assessment appeal procedure:

8.4.2 Stage 1 – Initial appeal:

• If your appeal is successful, we will explain what will happen next.
• If your appeal is not successful, we will confirm that the outcome of your assessment stands.

8.4.3 Stage 2 - you should use Stage 2 if you believe that your appeal was not dealt with correctly at Stage 1 and you want the outcome to be reviewed:

• If your appeal is successful, we will explain what will happen next.
• If your appeal is not successful, we will confirm that the outcome of your assessment stands and that you have reached the end of the internal review process.