Extenuating Circumstances
Extenuating Circumstances
Extenuating circumstances (ECs) are circumstances that affect your ability to meet assessment or affect your performance in an assessment. ECs are unforeseeable, unpreventable, and beyond your control. You can learn more about ECs in MyMDX under 'Extenuating Circumstances and Late Submission'.
The MDXSU Advice service can help you by explaining the process of applying for ECs, advising you on how to put together a statement and fill out the ECs form online, and providing feedback on your statement and supporting evidence.
What Constitutes an Extenuating Circumstance?
Examples of Valid Extenuating Circumstances:
- Unforeseen accident or serious illness of a close relative
- Bereavement
- Serious levels of prolonged stress or anxiety
- Serious personal disruption (such as a fire or burglary)
- Religious observance
The following would NOT normally be regarded as ECs:
- Alleged medical conditions without supporting evidence
- Temporary self-induced conditions (such as a hangover)
- Minor ailments and other conditions (such as a sore throat, cold, cough, or long-term conditions for which arrangements could be made)
- Pregnancy and associated responsibilities
- Study-related issues (such as computer difficulties, losing work not backed up, and deadline congestion)
Important: You have a maximum of 28 days from the date of your results being published to submit your appeal - appeals are normally not accepted beyond this deadline.
How to Apply For Extenuating Circumstances
Here is a step-by-step application process:
You can find the form under the section 'How do I apply' under 'Extenuating Circumstances and Late Submission Section'. Please use Mozilla Firefox to complete the form, and avoid the use of a tablet or phone. Do not copy and paste information into the EC form. You can choose to apply for a short extension (24 hours late submission with the equivalent of 10% grade penalty for individual written assessments), deferral, or inform the Assessment Board of your extenuating circumstances.
This should include the following:
- Opening: "Dear Sir or Madam/To Whom It May Concern/Dear..."
- Introduce yourself, explain the purpose of this statement, and why you are applying for extenuating circumstances
- Explain the sudden, unexpected, significantly disruptive, and beyond-your-control issues you were experiencing which affected your performance in the assessment
- State what outcome you are looking for (e.g. deferral, extension...)
- Closing: "Respectfully/Yours sincerely"
The evidence must be current and not produced retrospectively. Normally, the evidence should be some kind of formal documentation, letter, or certificate, written in English. Visit UniHelp in the MyMDX App.
If you would like us to review your statement or evidence before submitting your application for extenuating circumstances, please email studentadvice@mdx.ac.uk
Complete the consent form before seeking advice
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Frequently Asked Questions
- Deferral: this means that you are requesting an opportunity to sit the exam at the next assessment opportunity
- ECs noted only: although you intend to sit your exam or submit your assessments, you would like to inform the Assessment Board in case there is a borderline decision to be made
- Short Extension and ECs noted
To request a deferral, you should submit your application as soon as possible and by the deadline for completion of the assessment component.
If you would like to inform the Assessment Board of your ECs, you should submit your application as soon as possible and by the deadline of your last piece of assessment for the academic year.
If you have ECs around the time of your assessment, you can submit this after the deadline of your assessment. If you are unable to gather the evidence, you should submit your application explaining what evidence you are waiting for and why and when it will be available. You will then be given a new deadline by which you have to provide your evidence.
Normally, you should receive your decision within 10 working days. If your application for ECs is referred to a Panel, you will be informed of the decision within 5 days of the Panel meeting. You will be notified by UniHelp via your Middlesex University email account.
If you were granted ECs, there will be an 'I' (I=incomplete) recorded in the grade column, followed by the applicable deferral code:
- DA – deferred all
- DC – deferred coursework
- DE – deferred exam
- DD - deferred other
