Mitigation
Sometimes while at Uni, things don't go to plan. Our Mitigation process is here to support you through unexpected situations that affect your ability to complete an assessment or exam - such as illness or a family crisis.
Mitigation works by giving you extra time to complete your assignment, or moving your assignment to the next available assessment period. There are different types of mitigation you can access depending on what will be most supportive for your situation.
- Evidence-free/self-certified extensions: A 1 week extension you can apply yourself in ELE. This can only be used once per assignment and students can use these up to 4 times per academic year.
- Evidence-based extensions: A 1 or 2 week extension, where you can provide supporting evidence. This can be used to add another week to a deadline you already applied a self-certified extension to.
- Evidence-based deferral: For situations where a 2 weeks extension is insufficient. Your assignment or exam can be postponed to a later date (please be aware this might not take the same assessment format as the original assignment)
If you are a BMBS, CEDAR or INTO student then different processes currently apply: please click here for further information or contact your Education Support Team directly.
Talk it through
Before you decide to apply for Mitigation, where possible we encourage you to talk it through with someone:
- Academic tutor or Pastoral Mentor
- Hub/Info point
- Friend/loved one
- Students’ Guild or Students’ Union advice teams
- University Wellbeing team
Our Mitigation process is designed to support you, but you need to think carefully about the impacts of delaying assessments or exams (particularly if you do this more than once).
International Students: If you have a Student/Tier 4 visa be aware that deferring your assessments might have immigration implications. Please read the advice here or contact International Student Support for guidance.
How to Apply
Please see below for guidance on how to apply for both evidence-free and evidence-based mitigation, including information on how to submit evidence.
For coursework assignments (not exams or short duration coursework/timed assessments), you can have an evidence-free extension of one week (7 days, including weekends). This option is available once per assessment and you can use it up to four times during the academic year. Any further extensions required after this must be applied for through the evidence-based process detailed below.
You may add an evidence-free extension before, or up to 24 hours after the submission deadline. You do this within ELE yourself, where you can also track how many evidence-free extensions you have in ELE.
**Should you change your mind about the extension and submit your assignment before the original deadline, you have up to 3 working days after that deadline to withdraw it – otherwise it will count as having used 1 of your 4 extensions. To do this please contact your Hub.
The ‘add extension’ button will not appear if:
- The deadline is more than 1 month in the future
- The deadline passed more than 24 hours ago
- The assessment is an exam or group work or other assessment where specified by your Faculty
- You have already received an evidence-based extension
If you need an assessment extension of more than one week (7 days, including weekends) and/or if you’ve used all four evidence-free extensions, you need to apply for evidence-based Mitigation. If you have already used a one week extension, this will be included within a standard extension time. If you require more than a two week extension, it may be more appropriate to apply for a deferral.
If you wish to postpone an exam you will need to apply for evidence-based Mitigation, this is called a deferral.
You can apply for evidence-based mitigation directly through your Student Records System (SRS), which can be accessed via MyExeter. Your application can be submitted up to four weeks before or up to 24 hours after your assessment deadline. Applications earlier than this will not be accepted.
New Mitigation System Student Walkthrough Sheet V1. You can also view a guidance video below
Outcome
You should normally receive a decision within 5 working days (longer during busy periods). As your application is processed, you will be notified at each stage via email. You can also log in to your Student Record System (SRS) or via MyExeter and check the status of your application to see what stage it is at.
Once a decision is made you should read your outcome email carefully. If your application is successful, you should start preparing your assessment work for the next deadline or exam period. If your application is declined and you disagree with the decision, you can appeal if you feel you have grounds to. Further information on this process will be provided in your outcome email.
Providing Evidence
Please note you should upload verifiable evidence directly into the mitigation system where it will be securely stored along with your application. You can upload your evidence either at the time of applying in the evidence section or log back in up to 10 working days after the deadline. Applications cannot be processed until the relevant evidence is provided. View a list of appropriate evidence examples.
Please ensure your evidence:
- Is submitted within 10 working days after your assessment deadline
- Is in a readable format, either as a Word document or PDF, and is not password protected
- Does not include graphic images of injuries that could negatively impact our staff processing your application
- Is in English. Any translated evidence should be stamped by an official translation service or translator before we can accept it.
We recognise that the cost of living crisis this year may cause difficulties for some students. We’ve worked with the Students’ Guild and Students’ Union to change our policy, so that we can include financial circumstances as a reason you can apply for mitigation, this year.
Support from Wellbeing Services
If you are currently or have recently received support from any area of Wellbeing Services, including Welfare, they may be able to support your mitigation application. Further guidance on this is available in the Mitigation FAQs.
If you are based in Devon, complete a short mitigation support form via the Wellbeing mitigation webpage. A member of the Wellbeing team will then make contact with you via email in the first instance. Please note, in addition to completing the mitigation supporting evidence form for Wellbeing, you must also apply for mitigation by raising a mitigation request via the Student Record System or via MyExeter, within the required timeframes.
If you are based in Cornwall, ask the wellbeing or welfare person that has been supporting you to provide you with supporting statements and evidence. Include your supporting evidence with the mitigation application form and send to the relevant hub or info point, within the required timeframes. Find more information on the Wellbeing mitigation webpage.
Support from your Doctor
If you are seeking mitigation support from your Doctor, please make contact with their reception team to enquire about individual processes. The process for individual Doctors surgeries may differ.
Further Information
If you have an Individual Learning Plan (ILP) saying that extension requests should be supported, you will have no limit to the number of one week (7 days, including weekends) ELE extensions you can use on coursework, in 12 months.
If you need a longer extension of up to two weeks, you can apply via the evidence-based mitigation process, and use your ILP as evidence. This only applies where the ILP specifically states that extensions are supported.
Please note, the maximum extension that can be conferred on any single assessment on the basis of an ILP alone is two weeks. Additional evidence may be submitted when requesting a deferral.
Remember there are plenty of places for advice and support. We’re here to help, so please do reach out to your:
- Academic tutor
- Pastoral Mentor
- Education Welfare support
- Wellbeing support
- Students’ Guild Advice Unit
- Students’ Union Advice Service
You should always discuss with someone if you think the issue which led to Mitigation is on-going. They will be able to discuss options with you.
Don’t forget you can also discuss it with friends or loved ones.
Mitigation is a confidential process and won’t be marked on your transcript or student record. It’s designed to help you achieve your best academic results, whatever the circumstances.
If you have further questions check out our FAQs.
Find detailed guidance in the TQA manual and also information on mitigation.
Our Website Privacy Policy and how the information we collect is used is here.
Submission guidance for Physics students with non-standard assessments can be found here.