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Submit an enquiryHow an attempt/submission can impact your application
In addition to meeting Special Consideration eligibility requirements, your Special Consideration application is impacted by if and when you attempt and/or submit an assessment task.
If you attempt and/or submit the assessment task as per the originally scheduled date/time, no Special Consideration will be granted. Therefore it is important that you only attempt and/or submit assessment tasks when fit to do so.
To understand how your application is impacted by an attempt/submission, please see the below example scenarios.
Example scenarios
Examples of how your application can be impacted by an attempt or submission are outlined below.
Timed assessments
eg. exams, tests, quizzes
| Before exam | If you are unfit/unable to attempt the assessment due to an eligible disruption, you can apply for Special Consideration before the assessment occurs. However if you later attempt the assessment at the originally scheduled date/time, you will no longer be eligible for Special Consideration. |
| During exam | If an illness or a significant disruption occurs during the assessment attempt, you must stop the attempt and report** the disruption, then apply for Special Consideration in prompt manner. If you complete the attempt despite the illness or a significant disruption, or report the issue but do not stop the attempt, then no Special Consideration will be given*. |
| After exam | If you were unfit/unable and as a result did not attempt the assessment you can apply for Special Consideration provided you meet all other eligibility requirements. |
Assessments with Submission Due date
eg. essay, assignment
Before or on the due date | If you attempt/submit the assessment task before or on the original assessment due date, you cannot then apply for Special Consideration to seek a further attempt after the due date has past*. |
| After the due date | If you submitted your assessment after the due date (eg. a late submission), or made no submission of the assessment, you can apply for Special Consideration should you meet all other eligibility requirements. Once a submission is made this is considered to be your final attempt, therefore you should submit only your best/final assessment. |
Note:
* In Exceptional Circumstances a further attempt may be provided despite an attempt/submission having already been made.
** See our below FAQs for further information on how to report a disruption during an attempt.
Exceptional circumstances
Only under exceptional circumstances might a second opportunity be considered if a student submitted and/or attempted the assessment task and was impacted by exceptional circumstances which significantly impacted their performance. In such instances formal and independently verified evidence is required. As applications will be reviewed on a case by case basis, please keep in mind applying does not guarantee your application would be considered.
For more advice please see our below FAQ.
FAQs
Should I submit a draft or partial submission?
Students should only submit their best and final attempt of the assessment.
Once an attempt/submission has been made, no further attempt/submission is permitted*.
Additionally, Special Consideration does not permit lenient marking under any circumstances.
What should I do if I have not received an outcome to my application?
Assessments with a submission due date: What should I do if it is the due date of my assignment?
You can continue to work on the assessment and if capable, submit your best/final version of the assessment before receiving the outcome of the application. Please keep in mind the time/date when you submit the assessment will impact your application.
- If an on time submission was made, no Special Consideration will be given.
- If a late submission or no submission was made, and you meet all other Special Consideration eligibility requirements, your application can be reviewed.
Timed assessments: Should I attempt my assessment if I feel unwell?
If you are unfit/unable to attempt the assessment task, then you should not be attempting the assessment task. If you make an attempt whilst impacted you will not receive Special Consideration*. Please keep in mind that applications will still need to meet all other Special Consideration eligibility requirements.
What are exceptional circumstances and what is formal evidence?
Exceptional circumstances
Exceptional circumstances are significant disruptions that:
- prevented you from making a reasonable judgement if you should have attempted the assessment, and,
- resulted in an impaired attempt of the assessment task.
Formal evidence
Evidence of exceptional circumstances needs to be formal and independently corroborated, therefore a Statement of Fact cannot be used in these circumstances.
An example of acceptable formal evidence includes a Professional Authority Form (PAF) from a medical professional that clearly states the student was incapable of making a reasonable judgement when deciding to attempt the assessment.
You must apply promptly after the impaired attempt. Students will not be eligible if they wait for results of the attempt and then apply for Special Consideration.
How do I report a disruption during my assessment attempt?
If your assessment is supervised, you should inform the supervisor immediately.
If the disruption occurs during an uninvigilated assessment it should be reported immediately via appropriate channels. For example for technical issues a student might report the matter to IT and submit a OneHelp ticket.