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If you believe something occurred that adversely affected your grades it is possible to appeal a decision of an Exam Board.

Download the brief guide to making an appeal here

You will have received notification of a decision of an Exam Board that you are not happy with and want to challenge or review it. In order to appeal you must be able to demonstrate why the mark you are appealing against is unfair, or is not a true representation of your ability

If you disagree with a provisional mark you have received for an assignment you should, in the first instance, discuss it with your tutor. If you need help with this you can always seek advice from the Advocacy team

The full appeals process is available in your student handbook or in the General Examination & Assessment Regulations (GEAR) Section H.

Contact the Student Advocacy team for help
ubsuacademic@brighton.ac.uk 

 If you want to appeal it is important to remember that there are only four grounds on which an appeal can be successful.

  • That you submitted evidence of mitigating circumstances which were not considered by the Exam Board;
  • That the Exam Board was not aware of mitigating circumstances affecting your performance because you had been unable, or for valid reasons unwilling, to divulge them before the Exam Board reached its decision.
  • That the examination procedures were not followed in accordance with the regulations, resulting in an error in your assessment.
  • That some other material irregularity led to a breach of the procedures or regulations resulting in a decision detrimental to you.

It is not possible to appeal against the academic judgement of your tutors. If you think your work deserved a higher mark but you have no valid grounds for appeal you should discuss this with your tutor who can give you the appropriate feedback on your work.

You have 15 working days between receiving your results and starting your appeal.

 Where possible you should discuss your appeal with your tutors or the Chair of the Exam Board. 

The Student Advocacy and Research Service have experienced staff who can advise you on your case and help you at any stage of your appeal. If you are considering an appeal you should make an appointment as soon as possible.

We can help you with the following:

  • Understanding how the appeals process works
  • Defining your grounds for appeal
  • Gathering evidence to support your case
  • Deciding if appealing is the best course of action for you
  • Checking the calculation of your degree classification
  • Writing your appeal letter
  • Explaining the paperwork
  • Attending any meetings and appeals panels with you

Contact the Student Advocacy team for help
ubsuacademic@brighton.ac.uk

The Appeals Process

If you do want to appeal you will need to do two things within 15 working days of the date on the letter you receive from the Exam Board confirming your marks.

1 - You should inform the Secretary to the Academic Board that you intend to appeal. This does not need to lay out your full appeal, it only needs to state that you are indending to appeal and are arranging to see the Chair of the Exam Board.

You do this by completing an ACADEMIC APPEALS FORM (stage 1) and emailing it to

Carol Burns,
Registrar & Secretary:

academic-appeals-regandsec@brighton.ac.uk

 

You should also arrange to discuss your appeal with the Chair of the Exam Board. This is whoever your results letter is signed by, usually your Head of School or another senior member of academic staff.

Before you meet with the Chair of the Exam Board you will need to be clear about:

  • Which assignments or modules were affected
  • What grounds you have for appeal
  • Why you believe the mark is unfair or non representative of your work and why  you want to challenge or review it
  • Why you did not submit mitigating circumstances before the assessment

We suggest that you speak to a member of the Student Advocacy team to help make sure you present your case in a way that is going lead to your appeal being succesful. 

    We can attend this meeting with you if you like

 This meeting will probably result in one of three outcomes:

  • You accept the decision as it stands because you have a better understanding of how it was reached.
  • That the reasons you gave are accepted and the Exam Board will reconsider their decision.
  • You need to move on to Stage 2 and lodge your appeal in writing
     

This needs to be done within 30 working days of the date on the letter you receive from the Exam Board confirming your marks. If you wait longer than this your appeal will normally be ruled as being out of time, regardless of the merits of your case.

You should write to the Registrar & Secretary detailing the modules that have been affected and the issues that have affected your performance.
You do this by completing an ACADEMIC APPEALS FORM (stage 2) and emailing it to

Carol Burns,
Registrar & Secretary:

academic-appeals-regandsec@brighton.ac.uk

 You will be expected to provide evidence of any mitigating circumstances that you are discussing in your appeal. This should be from an independent source such as a doctor or counsellor. Letters from friends / family do not normally count as evidence.

 

You should only supply copies of any documents you send. You should always retain the originals. You can get copies for free in any Students’ Union office.

Your letter of appeal should explain:

  • Which assignments or modules were affected
  • What grounds you have for appeal
  • Why you believe the mark is unfair or non representative of your work and why  you want to challenge or review it
  • Why you did not submit mitigating circumstances before the assessment

Your letter of appeal should refer directly to any evidence you are supplying to support your claim.

The University can only consider your appeal under the grounds you submit in your letter. It is very important that these are clear and correct.

We are able to help you write your letter of appeal

Download a sample appeal letter here

Download our brief guide to the appeals procedure here

Download the complete appeals procedure here

What happens next?

The Secretary to the Academic Board will write to you within 3 working days to say your appeal has been recieved. If you do not receive acknowledgement within six or seven working days you should contact the Vice Chancellors Office to confirm your appeal has been received.

The Secretary will look at your case and any evidence you provide to assess whether:

  • You have demonstrated reasonable grounds for appeal
  • You have supplied appropriate evidence to support your claim

If you have demonstrated reasonable grounds for appeal, the Secretary will recommend to the Chair of the Exam Board that the decision is reviewed. This does not necessarily mean you will get the outcome you have requested, only that they will look at it again.

If the Chair of the Exam Board does not agree to reconvene the Exam Board, your appeal will move to Stage 3 and be referred to the Academic Appeals Committee.

If the Secretary does not believe you have demonstrated reasonable grounds for an appeal they will write to you explaining why.  

 This will be the end of the internal appeal process

If you wish to continue your appeal you will have to do so through the Office of the Independent Adjudicator.

An Academic Appeals Committee will meet within 12 weeks of your original appeal if it has not been possible to resolve your appeal at stages one or two.

The Appeals Panel can only consider your appeal under the grounds you submit in your letter. It is very important that these are clear and correct.

The Appeals Committee will not adjust your marks; it is only responsible for deciding if you have reasonable grounds for an appeal and whether the Exam Board whose decision you are challenging should reconsider its decision.

The Secretary will write to you, recorded delivery, with the time and date of the hearing and a copy of the University Appeals Procedure. If you are going to be away from your usual address for any period, you will have to let the Secretary know so that you can arrange delivery of the paperwork.

You have to attend the Appeals Committee yourself. If you are not going to be able to attend you should contact Secretary immediately.

You are allowed to take a friend or supporter into the hearing with you. You will have to tell the Secretary who you are taking with you in advance. We strongly recommend that you discuss your options with a member of the Student Advocacy & Research Service.

If you want to bring any witnesses to the hearing it is your responsibility to make sure they are able to attend. You will also have to inform the Secretary of any witness you are calling.

The Appeals Panel is not a court and the University does not consider it appropriate if you bring a solicitor. However, if you do choose to have legal representation you should inform the University who reserve the right to bring their own legal representative.

 If you fail to attend the hearing your appeal will lapse

You present your case, stating why you believe you the decision of the exam Board should be challenged and why you have valid grounds for appeal.If you are being accompanied by a member of the Student Advocacy & Research Service we will usually meet before the hearing for final preparations and allow you time to compose yourself. This can feel like your “day in court” and can be quite emotional or nerve wracking. If you have a good case and have prepared properly, it needn’t be. Although this is a formal appeal we try to conduct the hearing in as relaxed as atmosphere as possible.

The Appeals Panel will be made up of four people. Three of these will be senior members of University Staff. The Fourth will be a Students’ Union Officer. The Secretary will also be there to advise on procedure and take notes.

The Chair of the Exam Board whose decision you are challenging, or their representative, will also be there.

The chairperson will do the introductions and set out how the hearing will proceed. It will usually take the following path.

  • You are questioned by the panel
  • You are questioned by the Chair of the Exam Board
  • The panel may ask any more questions they have

The Chair of the Exam Board will present their case, setting out why they made the decision and why they believe it should not be changed.

  • The Chair of the Exam Board is questioned by the panel
  • You and your representative can question the Chair of the Exam Board
  • The panel can ask further questions if necessary

Once both sides have presented their cases and the panel has asked all the questions it needs to the Chair will thank everyone and ask everyone to leave the room so the panel can consider their recommendations in private.

Usually you will be asked to wait so that the panel can let you know the outcome immediately. The Secretary will write to you to formally let you know the outcome.

If your appeal is upheld the Appeals Committee will require the Exam Board to reconsider its decision, explaining why your appeal is successful and what should be taken into consideration. This will happen within three months from the date of the hearing.

If your appeal is not upheld, it will be explained to you why. 

  This is the end of the University internal procedures

The Office of the Independent Adjudicator for Higher Education (OIA) operates an independent student complaints scheme. If you are unhappy with the final University outcome or believe that you have been treated unfairly it is possible to raise your case with OIA.


If you do want to take your case to the OIA you must do this within 3 months from the date on the University Completion of Procedures Letter. 

  www.oiahe.org.uk

Download the brief guide to making an appeal here

Useful Contacts:
 
Students’ Union

Students’ Advocate  - Individual Representation
Nicola Trelawny
nt68@brighton.ac.uk
01273 643532

Student Advocacy & Education Research Co-ordinator
Anthony Lewis
a.r.lewis@brighton.ac.uk
01273 643328

University of Brighton
Carol Burns
Secretary to the Academic Board
Registry, University of Brighton
Mithras House
Lewes Road,
Brighton
BN2 4AT
c.a.burns@brighton.ac.uk

Office of the Independent Adjudicator
www.oiahe.org.uk
enquiries@oiahe.org.uk
0118 959 9813

 

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