Wednesday 12-02-2025 - 11:25

Hey, Adedayo here, your VP Education.

My blog post is to update you about Exceptional Circumstances. We know life doesn’t always go according to plan, and sometimes, unexpected challenges come up. That’s where the Exceptional Circumstances policy comes in to help.

So, what exactly is the Exceptional Circumstances? It’s a system that allows you to ask the University to consider factors that might affect your ability to submit or complete assessments on time. Think about things like illness, family emergencies, or other unforeseen problems.

Please see the key changes below.

1. For most coursework type assessments, there is now an open 7-day submission window to submit your assessment, which means you no longer need to submit a self-certification if you do need to use the extra 7 days.
2. If you miss the extra 7days submission deadline or feel your performance was impacted, you have a further 7 calendar days after the deadline to request a deferral. Supporting evidence is required for all deferral requests.

 

What does this extra 7-day submission window mean? It gives you a bit of extra time if you are struggling, but there are real advantages to submitting your work by the original deadline.

First off, if you submit on time, you will get your provisional mark and feedback at least one week earlier. And that feedback? It can really help you prepare for your next assessments. Once the 7-day window closes you can’t submit the assessment until the next deadline. This could delay your progression or completion of your course

Secondly, relying on the open seven-day window might cause deadlines to stack up, leaving you overwhelmed with too many assessments to handle at once.

But here’s something important - you need to speak with our CSU Advice team and your Personal Academic Tutor (PAT) as soon as you experience any difficulties. They will guide you through your options, but remember, you must act quickly since time is limited.

For more information, please visit the Registry Portal pages.

Please feel free to reach out to our Advice team for further support via csuadvice@chester.ac.uk.