ECs for Continuous Assessment

If you experience circumstances that affect your ability to complete or submit an assignment, you will need to submit an Extenuating Circumstances (EC) Form via the Faculty Intranet (available once you log in). Please see our Guide to Submitting an EC Request for step-by-step information on how to submit a request. 

If your request is accepted, you may be given an extended deadline or an exemption, as appropriate. The entire process takes place online and you would be notified by email of the outcome.

Important notes:

• Requests should be submitted before the deadline whenever possible.

• Supporting Evidence should be uploaded at the time of the EC request if possible, but you can submit your EC Form and then attach any supporting documentation at a later date separately if necessary (within one month of the submission deadline).

• Requests must be submitted within 5 working days (before or after) the effected assignment deadline. We always advise students to submit EC requests before the submission date unless you have circumstances that will not allow submission before the deadline, and requests may be rejected if submitted after the deadline without a valid reason for the delay.

The faculty recognises that occasionally students may be affected by a wide range of difficulties / circumstances, which may lead to the inability to complete a piece of assessed work or attend a compulsory lab, in-class test or exam.

Common reasons for extenuating circumstances include:

• Serious accident or serious short-term illness
• Severe or acute health or mental health issue.
• Death of a close friend or family member.
• Serious personal or family problems. 

Reasons which are unlikely to qualify for extenuating circumstances:

• Poor time management – you are likely to have multiple deadlines due around the same time. Make sure you plan your time.
• File loss  – while we realise that this can be distressing when it happens, you are expected to always keep a back-up of your work.
• Social obligations such as holidays, weddings, etc.
• Problems arising due to employment while pursuing your studies
• Minor illnesses such as headaches or colds
• Sports and training commitments are not eligible for Extenuating Circumstances unless you are recognised/registered with the University as a TASS Sports Scholar. 

Supporting evidence is required for each EC request, must be dated to within one month of the affected assessment or deadline, and 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. 

In cases where it is not possible/appropriate for you to get independent evidence of your circumstance, you may submit a statement instead; however, you must explain why it is not possible to get any independent evidence. The absence of supporting evidence will result in your application being rejected unless you can provide a satisfactory explanation in your application description as to why you 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.

All supporting evidence must be submitted as a Word document, JPEG or PDF. The college systems are not able to read supporting documents that are in HEIC format.

Examples of appropriate evidence are:

• Doctor’s letter or certificate.
• Hospital admission and discharge letter.
• Death Certificate / Order of Service / Funeral Director’s Letter.
• Police Report, a crime reference number on its own will not be sufficient.

Supporting evidence must:

• Be supplied by a third party and submitted by the student.
• Clearly explain the circumstances.
• Confirm the time period affected by the circumstances.
• Be dated within one month of the affected assessment.
• Be submitted within four weeks of the extenuating circumstances application.
• Where documentation is written in a different language an official translation must be provided.

The type of evidence that will be accepted depends on the circumstances. Below are some examples of supporting independent evidence that will be considered: 

• For technical issues (ie. wifi/connection disruptions, Canvas access issue, etc) you will need to provide evidence to support your request. Evidence can include:
• screenshots of error messages with a date and time indicated.
• a dated service disruption notification from your service provider.
• an update from a network provider page.
• communications outlining the disruption, including email or social media posts.
• correspondence with a service provider or technical team to indicate the issue, date and time, and outlining what you have attempted to resolve the issue.
• Evidence for technical issues that will NOT be accepted: Broken equipment and loss of files/work/notes are NOT normally accepted as eligible for ECs, and photos showing a broken laptop/equipment will not be accepted as evidence. Please see the information below regarding laptop loans and Library PC spaces for support with this issue.

• For a health or Wellbeing/mental health related circumstances, evidence can include:
• A note from your doctor, GP or health centre indicating the circumstances and the dates affected.
• An Inclusive Adjustement proforma from the university Wellbeing or Disability teams confirming the condition or circumstances. Please provide a copy of your proforma as part of your application so that we have the application and supporting document together when reviewing the request. 

• For periods of Quarantine or Self-Isolation, evidence can include:
  • A copy of the quarantine booking (if quarantining in University accommodation available via MyUnisupport).
  • A copy of the NHS/University email sent to the student informing them of the period of self-isolation.

• For bereavement, we realise that this is a difficult time for everyone involved and that it can be difficult to obtain evidence. The types of evidence we can consider include, but are not limited to,
  • A copy of a death certificate (if available),
  • A copy of an order of service, or a funeral notice.
  • Evidence of serious illness/death of a close relative/family member (defined as a parent/primary carer of the candidate, sibling, partner/spouse, child/dependent). 
  • If you find that a bereavement means that you are struggling with your Wellbeing or mental health, you may provide evidence of the Wellbeing/mental health issues rather than the actual bereavement (please see the notes above regarding supporting documents for health, Wellbeing/mental health circumstances).
  • The above are just examples, and if you are struggling to obtain evidence, please do speak with a member of the Student Information Team. 

• For other circumstances that are eligible, such as domestic arrangements or caring responsibilities:
  • 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.
  • In the case of short-term caring responsibilities and domestic difficulties, a statement from a family member/friendmay be considered as evidence if no other supporting documentation is available.

• The above are some examples, but for a full list of eligible circumstances and appropriate evidence, please see the central university Extenuating Circumstances policy. 

Students are expected to make arrangements for any personal IT equipment that you will need as part of your programme of study. However, if you have lost or damaged your laptop/equipment and need support while getting personal equipment repaired or replaced, then please see the options below (available to students in Swansea):

Library PC Spaces are available by appointment: https://www.swansea.ac.uk/library/book_study_space/ 

Short-term Laptop Loans are available through self-service lockers: https://myuni.swansea.ac.uk/it-services/laptop-lockers/ 

Long-term Laptop Loans are available for students who have eligible extenuating circumstances and are able to demonstrate a clear need for a long-term loan. Please contact the Student Experience and Information Team to discuss.

Hardship Funds and Student+ Support: There are funds available for students in need through Money@CampusLife. If you have unexpected expenses such as loss of or damage to personal IT equipment, and cannot afford to replace immediately due to other essential commitments, you may be eligible to apply for funding to contribute to the cost of equipment replacement or repair. There are also schemes specifically for students are a Care Leaver, Estranged, Person Seeking Asylum, Refugee or Carer (please contact Participation@CampusLife via accessofficer.campuslife@swansea.ac.uk if you believe that you may qualify for this support). 

Student-deals on laptop purchases: the university is working in partnership with Stone Group and has arranged for re-conditioned laptops and IT kit at discounted prices for students: https://www.getyourtech.co.uk/swansea 

Please don’t be. All staff at the University will treat your situation as confidential and will not pass on information without your permission. All applications are considered on a case-by-case basis. If you are still unsure, then we recommend that you speak with a member of the Student Information Team in the first instance, as they can provide non-judgmental, confidential advice and support. What if I choose not to tell anyone

It is your choice if you want to disclose your circumstances to any member of staff within the College or University. You may feel that you are able to complete assessments in spite of your circumstances. However, if you choose not to disclose your circumstances at the time of the incident/issue, the University will not normally consider these Extenuating Circumstances as grounds for an academic appeal against a degree result or progression decision.

If you submit a request for an assessment via the Faculty Intranet, any updates to the request will be made on that application. You will receive an email notification when an update has been made, normally within 2 - 3 working days.

The module coordinator for the module affected will provide you with an adjustment on your extenuating circumstances application. The adjustment will normally depend upon the piece of work affected. This is normally one of the following:

• To provide an extension.
• To rearrange a test / presentation / lab.
• To exempt a piece of work if not substantially contributing to learning outcomes for the module.

Extenuating circumstances apply to short term circumstances affecting a particular assessment / exam period. If you have a long-term disability / health condition, this should be supported by the appropriate Disability or Wellbeing Team.

To find about more about these services and register, please refer to the relevant website:

• Wellbeing
• Disability

Student Information Team: The Student Information Team are here to support you throughout your studies, and can provide confidential nonjudgmental advice and guidance. If you need help with an Extenuating Circumstances application, please contact the team. 

Student Union Advice Centre: The Students’ Union Advice Centre can help with issues relating to housing, family and personal difficulties, debt, money employment and academic issues. Please contact advice@swansea-union.co.uk

International@CampusLife: If you are experiencing circumstances which affect your Tier 4 visa, please contact International@CampusLife.

Money@CampusLife: If you are experiencing financial issues, please get in touch with Money@CampusLife, who can offer advice and support for any money related issues affecting your studies.

The College recognises that occasionally students may be affected by a wide range of difficulties / circumstances, which may lead to the inability to complete a piece of assessed work or attend a compulsory lab.

Common reasons for extenuating circumstances:

• Serious accident or serious short-term illness
• Severe or acute health or mental health issue.
• Death of a close friend or relative.
• Serious personal or family problems.

Reasons which are unlikely to qualify for extenuating circumstances:

• Poor time management – you are likely to have multiple deadlines due around the same time. Make sure you plan
• your time!
• File loss or IT failure – you should always keep a back-up of your work
• Social obligations such as holidays, weddings, etc.
• Problems arising due to employment while pursuing your studies
• Minor illnesses such as headaches or colds