How to make an appeal

Appeal of results

If you wish to appeal for a review of your result for part of your degree or your final classification your appeal is heard by the Senate Standing Committee on Examination Results (SCER)

An overview of the appeal process, guidance for students and the form you need to fill in to make an appeal for a review of your result for part of your degree or your final classification are available below:

The deadlines for making an appeal can be found within the Appeal of Result form above.

If you wish to request a review of an individual module mark only

If you consider you have been awarded an incorrect mark for a module, you may request that the mark be reviewed, provided that the grounds for the request do not relate to the academic judgement of the Examiners. The procedures relating to students' requests for review of alleged assessment irregularities in relation to module marks are as follows:

A student who wishes to request a review of an alleged assessment irregularity in relation to module marks (or equivalent) should submit the request to the School Director of Teaching and Learning (SDTL) of the School responsible for examining the module in the first instance. This request can be submitted via email to the relevant SDTL. The SDTL will determine whether the grounds for the request are admissible (i.e. that they do not relate to the academic judgement of the Examiners): if the grounds are admissible, the case will be given substantive consideration; if not, the student will be advised accordingly. If the SDTL establishes that there has been an irregularity in relation to the mark, he or she will seek an appropriate amendment of the mark (requesting approval, as appropriate, from the relevant Associate Pro-Vice-Chancellor - Education and Student Experience (A-PVC) (on behalf of the University Progression Board or University Awarding Board) and External Examiners).
If a student is not satisfied with the response of the SDTL, the student may submit the request to the relevant A-PVC, who will determine whether the grounds are admissible: if so, the case will be given substantive consideration; if not, the student will be advised accordingly. In giving a case substantive consideration, the A-PVC is required to investigate the alleged irregularity, and, if there is clear evidence that there has been an irregularity in relation to the mark, he or she is required to ensure that the mark is appropriately amended (seeking approval, as appropriate, from the External Examiners).
There may, on occasion, be cases where an alleged irregularity relates to the conduct of the University Progression Board or University Awarding Board. In such cases, the student has the right to submit a case for consideration by the Pro-Vice-Chancellor (Education and Student Experience), who will investigate the case and, if there is clear evidence that there has been an irregularity in relation to the mark, is required to ensure that the mark is amended (seeking approval, as appropriate, from the External Examiners).

It should be noted that the Senate Standing Committee on Examination Results (SCER) is responsible for considering requests for the review of results for a Part of a programme or for a Final Examination. Where a student believes that a mark has affected the result for a Part of a programme or for a Final Examination, he or she should apply to SCER instead - see Section 1 above.

Appeal of an Exceptional Circumstances Outcome

You have the right to appeal against a School-level or University Standing Committee on Special Cases decision in respect of an exceptional circumstances request. If you wish to pursue this option, please do the following:

Download and complete the EC Appeal Form – (Word Version) to complete and submit by email or, EC Appeals Form (PDF Version) to print, complete and return in-person.
Get any official documents or paperwork that you need to support your appeal.
Send the form and the documents the Student Appeals and Academic Misconduct Officer (ecfappeals@reading.ac.uk) before the deadline. You were notified of your deadline for appeal in the email which confirmed the outcome of your exceptional circumstances request.

Who can submit an appeal of results?

To submit an appeal of your overall result you must first have received your overall result for the part and your progression or classification been impacted.

If you believe there has been an assessment irregularity for an individual assessment mark during the year, then you may be able to utilise the request for a review of marks process instead and such a request should be submitted to the relevant School Director of Teaching and Learning for consideration.

On what grounds can I submit an appeal of results?

There are three grounds of appeal, and you should indicate and demonstrate with supporting evidence all of the grounds relevant to your appeal:

- There has been a procedural irregularity

- There has been a procedural bias

- There has been a material defect in the delivery of teaching and learning which has had a significant impact on my result

You may refer to exceptional circumstances as part of your appeal as long as one or more of the above grounds are the primary reason for appeal, but the appeal of results process cannot consider exceptional circumstances on their own and the relevant Exceptional Circumstances and Post-Results Exceptional Circumstances should be utilised as appropriate.

How and when can I appeal my results?

An Appeal of Results form, which also stipulates for undergraduates and post-graduate taught students the relevant deadline by which the form should be submitted, can be downloaded from the page: How to make an Appeal. Completed Appeal of Results forms should be emailed to studentappeals@reading.ac.uk.

Postgraduate Research (PhD) Students have 10 working days from notification of their result, in order to submit an appeal of results.

For dates not listed on the form, the appeal should be submitted within 5 working days of the result being released.

Who can I speak to about submitting an appeal of results?

The Student Appeals and Complaints Team can advise you about the process and timeline for appealing your results. The RSU advice service can provide help with navigating the appeals process and offer support in completing an appeal. It is recommended that you also discuss your appeal with your School Director of Academic Tutoring or, in the case of research students, your Supervisor or School Director of Postgraduate Research.