A deferral is permission to delay an attempt at a particular assessment until after the relevant assessment board has met.  A deferral normally involves a new but equivalent assessment task.  In the case of an unseen written examination, the deferred attempt will take place at the next scheduled examination period.  If you are asked to advise a student on applying for a deferral please follow these steps:

Step 1:  Refer the student to the guide ‘Extenuating circumstances – a guide for students’ which is available from the Registry section of the Student Portal

Step 2:  Having read this advice and if the student feels there are grounds for a deferral, please direct them to the Registry section of the Student Portal or to the Faculty Registry to obtain a deferral form and advise them of the importance of submitting this form with third-party evidence BEFORE the submission date of the assessment.  All forms with evidence must be submitted to the Faculty Registry.

Step 3:  After consideration, the student will be notified via e-mail of the decision whether or not to grant a deferral (normally within 24 hours).  If successful, they will be informed of the next opportunity to attempt the assessment.  Depending on the structure of the course, this may be at the same time in the following year or during the next semester.  When attempting a re-scheduled assessment, it will be treated as a first attempt and no penalties will be applied (unless it is a deferred re-sit whether the module mark will be capped).  If rejected, the student can appeal within seven working days, but must provide new third-party evidence which will have not been considered previously.