ECs during Supplementary Assessment Period

Extenuating Circumstances for Supplementary Assessments

The August supplementary exam period will run from 5th – 16th August 2024 for all resits and deferrals.

All students will be automatically scheduled for supplementary assessments in any modules that are eligible. Please plan to be available during the supplementary assessment period, as it will not be possible to change assessment dates for individual students.

Please note that some supplementary coursework assessments may be released to students early, and may have deadlines that fall outside of the main supplementary assessment period. This will be communicated to students by module coordinators in these instances. Please contact your module coordinator if you have questions.

Students with extenuating circumstances during this period will have two options to consider:

FAQs for Exams

Option 1: Extenuating Circumstances (EC) Declaration

There is no option to defer assessments during the supplementary assessment periods, however if you are struggling because of extenuating circumstances, you do have the option to submit an Extenuating Circumstances Declaration Form. Please note we advise students to attempt their supplementary exam(s) and submit an Extenuating Circumstances Declaration if you are experiencing circumstances which have impacted you during the supplementary period.

Declaration of Extenuating Circumstances forms must be emailed to studentsupport-scienceengineering@swansea.ac.uk within 5 working days (before or after) the assessment deadline that is affected. We strongly encourage students to submit before the submission date.
Please include as much detail as possible regarding your circumstances and submit supporting evidence with your Declaration. Please review the University Extenuating Circumstances Policy to see what circumstances are eligible.
Your Extenuating Circumstances Declaration form will be considered when supplementary results are discussed and confirmed at the Exam Boards. Please note that even with extenuating circumstances, the normal assessment regulations will still be applied and you will not be able to progress to the next level/part of study or qualify for an award if you have not satisfied the minimum progression/award criteria.
Students will receive an email confirming receipt of each Extenuating Circumstances Declaration, but will not receive an immediate decision. Final decisions and outcomes will be factored in to the Supplementary Results released to your Student Profile on the Intranet.

Option 2: Temporary Provisions

Circumstances that are eligible:

Temporary Provisions apply for students who have sudden, short term conditions that occur during the exam period and disrupt your exams. This includes sudden onset medical conditions (broken limb, pregnancy, sight impairment, etc).

Please note that any temporary provisions agreed for either online or onsite exams will ONLY apply to the exam period in which provisions are requested, and ONLY to assessments that are 24 hours or less in duration. If you have ongoing long-term conditions that may impact you in future exams, we recommend that you contact the Disability or Wellbeing Services to discuss long term provisions to support you in future.

Steps to complete a Temporary Provision request for ONSITE, IN-PERSON exams:

1. To request Temporary Provisions, please complete the online Temporary Provisions of Exams form, provide supporting evidence via your form. Outside supporting evidence is required if requesting Temporary Provisions, and we will not be able to review your request until we have received supporting evidence.

2. Provide supporting evidence: Outside supporting evidence is required if requesting Temporary Provisions, and we will not be able to review your request until we have received supporting evidence. When submitting Temporary Provisions request, please also upload any supporting evidence you have to confirm your circumstances.

If you are not able to submit your evidence at the same time as your request, then please email the MyUniHub team via myunihub@swansea.ac.uk with your evidence as soon as possible.

3. Confirm provisions: If the request is approved, the MyUni Hub team will discuss what provisions will be possible for your onsite exams.

Steps to complete a Temporary Provision request for ONLINE exams:

If you are not able to submit your evidence at the same time as your request, then please email the faculty Student Support team via StudentSupport-ScienceEngineering@swansea.ac.uk with your evidence as soon as possible.

3. Confirm provisions: If the request is approved, the faculty will discuss what provisions will be appropriate (either 25% Extra time, and/or possibly pre-booked Library PC spaces during the assessment period if available). If Extra Time is agreed, the release date and time for each eligible assessment will remain the same as originally timetabled, but your submission deadline will be adjusted to allow for the additional time provisions.

Important considerations and timing:

Please note that Extra Time may not be possible on short-notice, and we may require up to 2 working-days notice to put provisions in place once the request has been processed and approved. We will email your student email account to confirm which assessments will have provisions in place.

Please also note that for online provisions, Library PC spaces may not be available, and again we will need to consult with the Library team for this.

If the provisions that you need are not available, or if you do not feel that these provisions will be sufficient, then you may also wish to consider submitting an EC Declaration.

Supporting Evidence

Supporting evidence must:

Indicate how the circumstances have affected a student’s performance and/or may have affected a student’s ability to attend, complete, or submit an assessment on time.
Be dated within one month of the affected assessment.
Be supplied by a third party and submitted by the student.
Clearly explain the circumstances.
Confirm the time period affected by the circumstances.
Be submitted as soon as possible.
Where documentation is written in a different language an official translation must be provided.
Be submitted as a Word document, JPEG or PDF (the University systems are not able to read supporting documents that are in HEIC format).

Examples of appropriate evidence are:

Potential Circumstances	Examples of appropriate evidence
Technical Issues (i.e. wifi/connection disruptions, access issue etc.)	Screenshots of error messages with a date/time included. A dated service disruption notification. An update from a network provider page. Communication outlining the disruption, including email or social media posts. Correspondence with a service provider or technical team to indicate the issue, date/time, and attempt to resolve the issue.
Health or Wellbeing/Mental Health related circumstances	A note from your doctor, GP or health centre indicating the circumstances and the dates affected. Hospital admission or discharge letter. A note from the central University Wellbeing or Welfare teams if you are receiving support from these services. In the case of students with fluctuating health conditions/disabilities that have been approved by Wellbeing and Disability Services the adjustment proforma shall be taken as evidence if the circumstances cited on the EC request relate to the documented health condition.
For bereavement	We realise that this is a difficult time for everyone and it can be difficult to obtain evidence. The types of evidence we can consider include, but are not limited to: A copy of the death certificate (if available) A copy of an order of service, or a funeral notice A copy of a Funeral Director’s Letter If you find that the bereavement means that you are struggling with your wellbeing/mental health you can provide evidence of this (please see the above guidance on appropriate evidence) The above are just examples. If you are struggling to obtain evidence please contact our Team for guidance and support.
If you are the victim of a crime	Police Report, a crime reference number on its own will not be sufficient.
If you test Covid-19 positive	Evidence for these circumstances must include: A photograph of your positive test with the test serial number clearly visible. Your positive test should be placed next to a note containing your student number, full name, date and signature attesting to the test being yours.
Caring responsibilities	In the case of short-term caring responsibilities and domestic difficulties which impact a student’s ability to prepare for or undertake assessments, a statement from a family member/friend. In the case of a long-term caring responsibilities, a carer’s Passport.
For other circumstances that are eligible	Please try to describe the circumstances in as much detail as possible and provide as much evidence as you are able, and the Student Information Team will contact you if further evidence will be required.

The absence of any supporting documentation will result in the application being rejected unless the student can provide a satisfactory explanation in their application as to why they have been unable to provide such evidence. The University recognises that it will be difficult for some students to obtain evidence in the current climate and will consider applications sympathetically if appropriate explanation is provided.

If you have any questions or need any support please contact the Student Experience & Information Team for guidance.