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Mitigating Circumstances

MITIGATING CIRCUMSTANCES PROCEDURE

The Examination Board may take into account mitigating circumstances brought to its attention by a student only under the procedures specified herewith. Claims for mitigation might include such matters as:

Certified unexpected illness of the candidate
or
Death or serious illness of a close relative or a close friend
or
such other matters which may to a significant extent have adversely affected the examination performance.


If the mitigating circumstances are considered to be germane by the examination board, they may be taken into account when determining the candidate’s overall result. Normally the candidate will be given the opportunity to re-sit the examination as if for the first time, at the next relevant session and the result for the session under consideration will be recorded as deferred.  This applies to the deferral of examinations only.    It can postpone the opportunity to sit the exam.    It is not an entitlement to re-attend and avail of tuition free of charge, or avail of the academic resources of the Institute in the following academic year, students must pay appropriate fees.

Documentation must be provided as follows:

a. Appropriate form (below or available from your school office) filled out correctly and

b. In case of certified illness or other events effecting performance in an examination module, certified evidence (e.g.medical cert) must be provided within 5 working days of the relevant exam.

or

c. In the case of the death or serious illness of a close relative or close friend, appropriate confirmation should be provided.

or

d. For other circumstances evidence from a reliable and objective and verifiable source.

The documentation must be lodged in the relevant school office within 5 days of the examination in question. A receipt will be given to the student. The documents will be provided by the school office to the relevant course board and the relevant examination board will consider the mitigating circumstances. The circumstances covered by this section ((i) Mitigation) may not form the basis of a formal appeal.

 Mitigating Circumstances Form

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The information below applied to the Mitigating Circumstances process for semester 2 2019/20 only. 

For Semester 2 of 2019/20 only, Academic Council has temporarily altered the deferral process due to the Covid-19 pandemic.

  • For this semester, deferrals have been automatically granted to students where the student had not attempted their assessment and/or had not achieved a passing grade. Where this has been done you will see an “I” recorded against your subject result.

  • The only students who need to apply for mitigation are those who are not happy with the pass grade they received and they wish to resit (as a first attempt) in the Autumn repeat session. Please note that if you select to repeat you will not have the choice of which mark will be used and only the autumn mark can be counted. The mitigation application forms are on the second tab of this page.

Mitigation application process opens: Wednesday, 10 June 2020

Application process closes: 4.00pm on Tuesday, 16 June 2020

*The information below applied to Mitigating Circumstances process for Semester 2 2019/20 only*

Mitigation application for S2 opened: Wednesday, 10 June 2020

Application process closed: 4.00pm on Tuesday, 16 June 2020

School of Business: Migitation application form

School of Education & Life Long Learning: Migitation application form

School of Engineering: Migitation application form

School of Health Sciences: Migitation application form

School of Humanities: Migitation application form

School of Science & Computing: Migitation application form

The Academic Council had previously determined that COVID-19 is a valid mitigating circumstance in all cases and have formally added it to the list of conditions qualifying for mitigation.

The Academic Council have now approved changes to the mitigating circumstances process to support that decision.  For this academic session the following process will now apply.

Mitigation application process opens: Wednesday, 10 June 2020

Application process closes: 4.00pm on Tuesday, 16 June 2020

Council Decision Implication for students

Deferrals will be automatically granted to candidates, at the semester 2 examination boards, where the student has not attempted the assessment and/or has not achieved a passing grade. 

 

There is accordingly no need for students to make an application for a deferral or submit evidence of COVID-19 impacts.

The Institute will automatically assume you have been impacted by COVID-19 if you do not attempt or do not pass an assessment. You will therefore see a ‘Deferred’ grade recorded as the result.

 

You will be entitled to take the repeat assessment as your first attempt for that module and there will be no fee charged for the autumn repeat assessment.

 

As this will be done automatic you do not need to worry about submitting any application.

Candidates that have achieved a passing grade may seek mitigation and will be granted a deferral in all cases.

If you get a result (that enables you to pass the module) but you think does not reflect your ability, then you can apply for mitigation and you are automatically entitled to be granted a deferral.

 

In such cases, you will be entitled to take the repeat assessment as your first attempt for that module and there will be no fee charged for the autumn repeat assessment.

Candidates that have achieved a passing grade and seek mitigation will have the autumn sitting count as their first attempt and will have that mark used as their final grade in all cases even if it is lower.

If you have passed a module and opt to take the autumn repeat assessment, then that result will be the final mark you achieve regardless of whether it is higher or lower that the semester 2 assessment result.

 

If you select to repeat you will not have the choice of which mark will be used and only the autumn mark can be counted.

A simplified on-line application process for students that have achieved a passing grade to request deferrals will open after the examination results are issued on 10 June and close at 4pm on Tuesday, 16 June.

 As the need for applying for mitigation only occurs after the results will be issued (all other mitigation will be automatic), a simplified system has been put in place and advised to students once the exam results are issued. See the second tab on this page for the online application forms.