Appeal an exam board decision

Find out how to submit an academic appeal if you’re a student on a taught course. You appeal a decision that is made by a Progression and Award Board (exam board).

Appealing a decision made by a Progression and Award Board 

This type of academic appeal allows you to raise a concern about a decision made by your School Examination Board in relation to:

• assessment results
• resits
• progression to the next stage of your course
• degree classification.

This is different from a complaint, which you would raise if you were dissatisfied with an aspect of your time at Sussex.

Before submitting an appeal

See what you need to do before submitting your appeal.

Appeal deadlines

• Informal Resolution – can be submitted at any time, but within a maximum of 10 University working days following the formal publication of your results and the Exam Board’s decision.
• Formal Appeal – within 10 University working days following the formal publication of your results and the Exam Board’s decision, or within 10 University working days following receipt of the outcome of Informal Resolution, whichever is the longer.
• Appeal Outcome Review Request – within 10 University working days of receipt of their Formal Appeal Outcome.

You can find out when your marks and the Exam Board’s decision will be published in the table below.

Appeal process

See the different steps in the appeal process.

You can find out more about each step when appealing a decision made by the Exam Board below.

Informal resolution

There are benefits to making an informal resolution request instead of a formal appeal.

These include giving you the opportunity to seek:

• clarification that marks and results have been recorded accurately
• confirmation that accepted Exceptional Circumstances have been considered by the Exam Board and the rationale for any decision made (such as why you may not have been offered a sit)
• clarification of the Examination Board’s decision and the rationale for that decision (for example, were you considered by the Exam Board as a borderline candidate?).

You can make an informal resolution request by contacting your School.

Make sure that you:

• make it clear that you are seeking informal resolution
• carefully detail your query.

• School contacts

  Central Foundation Year: FDNstudentexperience@sussex.ac.uk

  School of Education and Social Work: eswcao@sussex.ac.uk

  School of Engineering and Informatics: engInf-InformalResolutions@sussex.ac.uk

  School of Global Studies: globalcao@sussex.ac.uk

  School of Law, Politics and Sociology: lps.cao@sussex.ac.uk

  School of Life Sciences: lifesci-informalresolution@sussex.ac.uk

  School of Media, Arts and Humanities: MAHInformalResolution@sussex.ac.uk

  School of Mathematics and Physical Sciences: MPSInformalResolutions@sussex.ac.uk

  School of Psychology: psychologyinformalresolution@sussex.ac.uk

  University of Sussex Business School: Request Informal Resolution - Business School (Microsoft Form)

Formal appeal

You may decide to proceed straight to the formal appeal stage. This might be because you do not feel an informal resolution is appropriate for you, or if you do not feel that your concerns were resolved.

See where to get advice when making a formal appeal.

Evidence 

Appeals should be supported by evidence. Evidence is defined as ‘written information from someone who knows you in a professional capacity and can independently verify your circumstances, and from when and how they affected you'.

Evidence should be a letter or email. Evidence should be robust, explain the impact of the circumstance and the dates and duration of the circumstance.

What to do if you are awaiting evidence 

Don't delay submitting your appeal. Late appeals are rarely accepted. You can tell us on the appeal form that you are awaiting evidence.

If you are still awaiting evidence one calendar month after submitting your appeal, you must inform us by emailing appeals@sussex.ac.uk, quoting your candidate number. Otherwise, your appeal will be considered without evidence.

Appeals will be rejected if:

• the evidence provided has not been provided by someone who knows you in a professional capacity – for example, it was from a friend or relative
• the evidence provider cannot fully confirm your circumstances
• supporting evidence is not provided – if you cannot provide evidence, you must explain why on your appeal form
• the grounds of the appeal are not permissible – for example, you cannot appeal against the academic judgment of the examiners, defined by the OIAHE as “a judgment that is made about a matter where only the opinion of an academic expert is sufficient” – in other words, you cannot challenge a mark because you think your marker was wrong
• the outcome requested is not permissible under the examination and assessment regulations [PDF 885 KB].

Typical outcomes that are permissible under the regulations include the:

• waiver of a late submission penalty
• conversion of a resit for capped marks to a sit for uncapped marks
• offer of a sit for uncapped marks.

Typical outcomes that are not permissible include:

• the disregarding of marks
• an increase in a classification on the basis of exceptional circumstances
• the remarking of work.

Making your formal appeal 

Complete and submit your appeal with supporting evidence using our online form.

Submit appeal 

Make sure you give yourself time to review your appeal before you submit it.

Appeal outcome review

If you are not satisfied with the outcome of your formal appeal, you can, in certain circumstances submit a request to the Academic Appeals Panel to review your appeal outcome.

You will be sent a form to make this request in your formal appeal outcome email. You must send your completed form to: appeals@sussex.ac.uk attaching any supporting evidence. You will receive an email acknowledgment of your submission. This acts as a receipt which you should keep.

Your review request will be assessed and you will be informed of the Academic Appeal Panel’s decision by email. If your request does not meet the technical conditions for a review, or if the panel determines that the rejection of your formal appeal was reasonable and correct, you will be issued with a Completion of Procedures letter. If you are offered an outcome but are not satisfied with the outcome, you can request a Completion of Procedures letter.

Completion of procedures

This is a letter or email that informs you that our internal appeal procedures have concluded.

If you are not satisfied with the final outcome, then you can ask for an independent review by the Office of the Independent Adjudicator for Higher Education by raising a complaint with them.

You will be provided with information about how to do this in your Completion of Procedures letter.

See more from academic appeals.