Academic Appeals Policy and Procedures

1 Policy Statement
1.1 It is the policy of Christ the Redeemer College to develop and maintain assessment procedures that are fair, reliable and open to scrutiny.

1.2 The College operates a rigorous system of internal verification to guarantee fair assessment that complies with awarding body requirements. It is recognised, however, that there could be exceptional circumstances when individual students or groups may wish to appeal against recommendations or decisions relating to assessment. The academic appeals procedure outlines the action that may be taken in such circumstances.

1.3 In all cases the College’s academic appeal process supports and supplements the appeal process for all awarding bodies and Validating University. While students are encouraged to follow the College’s internal policy, students have the right to appeal directly to the relevant awarding body or Validating University at any time. Students also have a right to appeal through the appeals procedure as stated in the Code of Practice.

2 Scope

2.1 Any student who believes that a piece of work submitted for assessment has been assessed unfairly, inconsistently or not in accordance with the standards and level required by the awarding body, shall have the right to appeal against the assessment mark, grade or final outcome.

2.2 In the first instance any concerns should be discussed with the student’s personal tutor or a member of the teaching team. While it is recognised that in most circumstances student queries relating to assessment can and will be resolved informally, the formal appeals procedure is available to support students in their appeal.

2.3 If a student needs help in making an appeal, this can be obtained by contacting a member of the Students Representative Council or Student Support Officer.

2.4 It is the responsibility of students to inform the College if they are not satisfied with the grading of any piece of work. The College Academic Appeals Policy and Procedure enables students to make a formal appeal against a recommendation or decision relating to:
(i) The mark or grade for an individual item of coursework.
(ii) The result of an individual course.
(iii) Entitlement to an award.
(iv) The class or grade of an award.

3 Grounds for Appeal

3.1 A candidate may appeal against an assessment decision if he/she believes that the decision is unfair or unreasonable. Normally an appeal can be made on any one of the following grounds:
(i) Relevant assessment criteria have been met but not acknowledged.
(ii) The assessments were not conducted in accordance with the awarding body’s regulations.
(iii) Assessment procedures, including examinations, were not conducted fairly.
(iv) The internal verifier was presented with incorrect or inaccurate assessment information.
(v) There were medical or other extenuating circumstances of which the relevant course manager was unaware when assessment decisions were being made.
(vi) There was unfairness or impropriety on the part of one or more of the assessors, or examiners.
(vii) The student was unjustifiably excluded from an examination or an assessment opportunity.

3.2 For appeals related to externally assessed work or examinations, the student must appeal directly to the relevant awarding body.

3.3 It is the responsibility of the student to notify the student support office in writing of any extenuating circumstances, which may be adversely affecting the student’s performance. Normally, this should be done before the assessment process takes place.

4 Appeals Procedure

4.1 The procedure for appeals is detailed on page 4 of this document.

5 Awarding Body Rules and Regulations

5.1 The relevant awarding body’s appeals procedure will be invoked where:
(i) The issue cannot be resolved internally.
(ii) The appeal is in relation to an examination.

Christ the Redeemer College
Academic Appeals Procedure

Stage	Description	Student Action	To Whom	College Action	Time Frame
Informal	Appeal referred to and resolved by the lecturer responsible for the assessment	Student to discuss with lecturer responsible for the assessment within 5 working days of receipt of assessment decision.	Lecturer responsible for the assessment 1	Lecturer to discuss and seek to resolve.	2 working days
Informal	Appeal referred to and resolved by the Programme Leader	Student appeal to the Programme Leader within 5 working days.	Programme Leader	Programme Leader to have piece of work reviewed.	5 working days
Formal	Appeal referred to and resolved by the Head of School	Student to appeal to the relevant Head of School within 5 working days. To invoke stage 3 the student must complete the appropriate form (p.4 of this policy).	Head of School	Head of School to investigate assessment decision and review with curriculum area internal verifier. IV will check that assessment fully meets college or awarding body requirements.	5 working days in writing
Formal	Appeal referred to Academic Director	Student appeals in writing to the Academic Director if they feel the decision is unfair at Stage 3 and there is likelihood of a major impact on the student’s future e.g. main qualification not awarded on completion of fulltime course.	Academic Board	Assessment decision investigated by Academic Director (information obtained from appropriate IV and Head of School) and brief report written. The final decision will be made by a panel of 3 members of the Academic Board	5 working days

Notes
1. If the student feels that he/she cannot approach the lecturer he/she may choose to discuss the matter with a personal tutor or another member of staff.

2. The time frames are given as guidance. It may be necessary to seek the advice of the relevant awarding body, and a response to resolve the appeal may take longer

3. Throughout this document a piece of work shall refer to a set task which may be a written report, essay or assignment, a diagrammatic or pictorial representation, the production of a tangible item or artefact, a portfolio of work or an oral presentation or performance.

4. Copies of all College documents including the below form can be obtained on the student VLE.

5. This policy cross-references with the following documents:
o The Complaints Policy
o Assessment and IV Policy
o Awarding body rules and regulations
o Validating University rules and regulations

Download Academic Appeals Against Internal Grading/Assessment Decision Form

Approval and Review
Title: Academic Appeals policy & procedure. Approved with reference to: Office of Students terms and conditions, QAA Quality Code & the OIA Good practice framework. Version: 2020.2. Approved:September 2020. Implementation from: September 2020. Next review: September 2024.
Approving body: Academic Board. Member of staff responsible: Academic Director