Academic Appeals Procedure

Cardiff University allows students to appeal Examining Board decisions regarding grades, progression, and awards under its Academic Appeals Procedure. Appeals are only accepted under specific grounds, must meet strict deadlines, and require supporting evidence.

You can only submit an academic appeal when you have received your official transcript. This is usually in July and September (resit results)for the majority of undergraduate and postgraduate taught programmes, but this can be confirmed with your academic school.

If there is an error on your transcript you should contact your School Office in the first place and ask for it to be corrected. If your School are unable to rectify the issue or you do not receive a response, you should submit an appeal under ground 1.

The grounds under which you can raise an appeal are limited to:

  • an arithmetical or other error of fact in the results issued following the decision of the Examining Board; and/or
  • an irregularity in the conduct of the assessment, the written instructions, or written advice relating to the assessment, where this can be shown to have had an adverse effect on the outcome and which was not known by the Examining Board at the time it considered your results, or which known to the Examining Board and where the Examining Board has made an unreasonable decision; and/or
  • any extenuating circumstances which can be shown to have had an adverse effect on your academic performance, which were unknown by the Examining Board and could not have been made known to the Examining Board by you before the School deadline, or which were known to the Examining Board and where the Examining Board has made an unreasonable decision.

You cannot appeal based on disagreement with academic judgment or request a grade increase.

Postgraduate Research Students can use this policy once the viva outcome is known. The application of the procedure is different however, so please contact Student Advice for specific guidance.

The Academic Appeals Procedure can only consider an academic remedy. If you are seeking another remedy, you may also need to submit a complaint.

We appreciate that not getting the results you were hoping for can impact on your wellbeing. The University's Student Life Services offer a range of services that might be helpful to you

Remedies

If your appeal is successful, the outcomes the University can offer you are dictated by the Academic Regulations:

  • For Ground 1 appeals, the error should be amended and any decision on progression or award revised accordingly.
  • For Ground 2 appeals, the Exam Board can discount assessment marks where there is a defect or irregularity found. They may also be able to offer you the chance to re-do the assessment for a higher mark.
  • For Ground 3 appeals, if your Extenuating Circumstances are accepted, your case will be referred back to a reconvened Examining Board, who can:
    • Disregard any failed attempts and allow you a non-incremental re-sit. This means that, if you have appealed your 1st attempt, you would get another 1st attempt. If you appealed your 2nd attempt, you would get another 2nd attempt and so on.
    • Retrospectively defer your assessment(s) – this means that your grade would be changed to 0 and you would be offered a non-incremental re-sit as above.
    • If your circumstances relate to a Protected Characteristic, Long-term health condition, or a caring responsibility, the Board can also discount some module marks for assessments that you have passed when calculating your classification, or offer you the opportunity to re-sit assessments you have passed, with a view to improving your mark.
    • The Examining Board cannot increase your marks for Extenuating Circumstances.

Key Information and Deadlines

  • Appeals must be submitted via SIMS within 28 days of receiving your results. If you cannot submit via SIMS contact Student Advice for specific guidance.
  • The appeal is reviewed by the University’s Student Cases Team and may be referred to the Examining Board.
  • A decision should be made within 90 days, but in some cases, a decision can take longer.
  • Late appeals require strong justification and supporting evidence.
  • If rejected, you can challenge the outcome through the University Review Procedure.
  • Appeals must be supported by evidence. Insufficient evidence is one of the most common reasons an appeal will be rejected
  • If you believe there is an error on your transcript, contact your School Office immediately via email. Any errors should be corrected without the need to go through the appeal process. If you do not receive a response or are not satisfied with it appeal by the deadline

FAQs

Where can I get help with my appeal?

You can seek support from Student Advice. We can help you by providing guidance, advising on evidence and helping you to understand the process.

You can contact us via email at [email protected], or telephone at 02920 781 410.

Is there any external guidance that I can use?

The OIA has a range of case studies and guidance available if you would like to look for similar cases to yours and cite them as precedent in your argument:

OIA Case Studies

The Guardian Advice for Students

Consumer Law for Students

Can I appeal because I think I deserve a higher mark?

No, you cannot challenge academic judgment. If your grade was awarded based on the marker’s evaluation, it cannot be appealed unless there is a factual or arithmetical error.

How long do I have to appeal?

You have 28 days from the date of the email notifying you of your official transcript to submit an academic appeal.

Its been more than 28 days since I received my transcript – Can I still appeal?

If you cannot submit an appeal within 28 days of the date of the email notifying you of your official result, you will need to explain in writing, to the Head of Student Cases, why it was not possible or reasonable for you to submit an appeal within the time limit. You will need to provide evidence to support your explanation.

To submit a late appeal you will need to:

  • Complete the complete the Word Appeal Form and email it to [email protected];
  • Address your email for the attention of the Head of Student Cases;
  • Explain in your email why you could not have appealed earlier;
  • Attach evidence of your reason for not being able to appeal earlier;
  • Attach all relevant evidence to support your appeal.

The Head of Student Cases will consider the reason(s) for the lateness and will decide whether or not to accept the late appeal. If your appeal is rejected, you may challenge the decision in line with the University Review Procedure.

How do I submit an appeal?

Log into your Student Record via SIMS and select ‘Manage/Submit an Appeal.’ Complete the online form and upload any supporting evidence. We recommend drafting your appeal first to ensure clarity and structure.

If your appeal is late, you will need to email your appeal form and evidence to the Student Cases Team ([email protected]). You will also need to explain and evidence exceptional reason as to why you could not have engaged with the appeals procedure sooner.

The SIMS task is not available for some programmes. In this case you can email an appeal form to [email protected] with supporting evidence attached.

What evidence do I need?

The evidence you need to provide depends on the appeal ground:

  • Ground 1: No additional evidence should be needed; the University should be able to verify the error. That said, if you have any evidence such as your marks on learning central or on a piece of work, then you should submit this with your appeal.
  • Ground 2: Independent proof of the irregularity, such as emails, guidance documents, or screenshots. If you feel that there is was an issue with the marking, you may wish to provide a copy of the marking rubric to demonstrate this. If you have made a complaint relating to the irregularity you should include a copy of the complaint, and the outcome if known.
  • Ground 3: Medical or professional documentation confirming the circumstances and their impact. Contact Student Advice for a letter which can be given to your GP to obtain evidence.

Contact Student Advice if you have any questions about what evidence you could obtain to support your appeal.

Can I submit more evidence after I appeal?

Strictly, no. You should submit all evidence with your initial appeal. However, in exceptional cases, the University may allow additional evidence later. If you do obtain evidence after the deadline, you should send this to Student Cases and explain why you could not have provided this sooner.

If you are waiting for evidence, such as a GP letter, but your appeal deadline is approaching, then you could mention in your appeal that you are awaiting evidence and will provide it as soon as possible. This does not guarantee that Student Cases will accept this evidence, but they may be more likely if they know what evidence you are waiting on.

It is better to submit your appeal on time and state you are awaiting evidence rather than submit late.

What if my School disagrees with my error claim?

If your School does not correct an error, you may still appeal under Ground 1 by providing clear reasoning and any supporting evidence.

Can I appeal if I completed my assessment despite extenuating circumstances?

Yes, but you must explain why you submitted your work despite experiencing extenuating circumstances. The University’s Extenuating Circumstances policy expects you to attempt assessments only if you are fit to do so, so you will need to explain and evidence why you submitted work or sat an assessment despite your circumstances.

What is the best way to explain my extenuating circumstances?

For appeals on this ground you will need to address two points.

1. The First section asks you to outline your extenuating circumstances and how they have impacted you in the assessments you are appealing. This means you need to:

  • Explain your circumstances and explain how they meet the University’s definition of being severe and exceptional and unavoidable or unforeseen; and;
  • Explain the chronology of your circumstances and include any key dates. If the circumstances were not close in time to the assessments you are appealing, you must explain how the circumstances continued to have an impact on your academic performance; and;
  • Spell out exactly how the circumstances affected your ability to study and perform at your usual level. Did you lose time? Were you unable to concentrate or retain information? Were you unable to engage with your studies? It is risky to leave it to the reader of your appeal to infer the impact of your circumstances when they have no previous knowledge of you or your case.

2. The next section asks if you reported your circumstances at the time of the assessment.

  • If yes, you must then explain whether the circumstances were accepted or rejected. If accepted, you must explain why the subsequent action taken by the Examining Board was unreasonable. If rejected, you must explain why the decision to reject was unreasonable.
  • If no, you must provide good reason why you could not have reported your circumstances on time. From our experience, this is where most appeals fail: If the reason you give is not deemed good enough, your appeal will be rejected and your circumstances will not be considered. It is really important to think about what you write here and how you explain your reason. The University is not asking why you ‘did not’ report but why you ‘could not’.
What if my appeal is rejected?

If your appeal is unsuccessful or only partially upheld, you can challenge the decision through the University Review Procedure if you believe the process was incorrectly followed or unreasonable. Contact Student Advice for guidance on this.

How long does the appeal process take?

The University aims to complete the process within 90 days. However, complex cases may take longer, and you should be informed of any delays.

The appeals procedure is not a quick fix, and your academic position remains the same unless an appeal is upheld. If you are due to resit for example, you must attend the assessments and not wait for the appeal to be processed.

Can I appeal if my extenuating circumstances were previously rejected?

Yes, but you must explain why you disagree with the School’s decision and provide new or stronger evidence to support your claim.

Will my marks be increased if my appeal is successful?

No, the University does not increase marks due to appeals unless there is an arithmetical error which is corrected. Instead, they may allow a reassessment, remove failed attempts, or discount a small number modules from degrees classifications if your circumstances related to a protected characteristic.

I think my lecturer purposely gave me a low mark. How can I challenge it?

There is no policy within Cardiff University’s Academic Regulations that allows students to challenge academic judgement. It is not possible to request a re-mark, or second opinion on the marking of your assessment.

In the first instance, you may wish to contact the Module Lead to discuss the marks and feedback you have received.

If you have evidence to suggest that you have experienced an irregularity in the conduct, guidance and/or feedback relating to the assessment, which may have misled you to attain a low mark, then you may be able to make an appeal-complaint. This is a complex process. Contact Student Advice for more information on this.

I think my marks were affected by lack of supervision and/or a poor teaching and learning experience - Can I appeal?

We normally advise that any issues with teaching and learning should be raised at the time. This is because the Exam Board can then consider the impact. If it was not raised at the time, you can still make an appeal-complaint.

This is a complex process. Contact Student Advice for more information on this.

I have been told I must repeat the year but I want resit in August - Can I appeal?

This is normally because you have failed too many assessments to be permitted a resit. You will need to check if the progression rules for your programme of study have been applied correctly, and so you should contact your Academic School in the first place. If you believe there has been an error it should be corrected without appeal. If the rules have been applied correctly it is unlikely an appeal would be upheld.

Can I appeal due to technical issues during submission?

Yes, if you can provide evidence (e.g., screenshots, email records) showing that a system failure or other technical issue prevented timely submission and negatively impacted your assessment.

You will need to explain and evidence why you could not have declared extenuating circumstances at the time, or if you did, why it was unreasonable for the extenuating circumstances board to reject them.

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