Exceptional Circumstances
Exceptional circumstances (ECs) are events that affect your performance in assessment and are usually either unforeseen or unpreventable and outside your immediate control. For example:
- Sudden illness, such as appendicitis or food poisoning
- A flare up of a
chronic conditionA health problem that cannot currently be cured and requires ongoing management.
- A mental health difficulty
- Bereavement
- Responsibilities such as caring for someone close to you or jury service.
If something is going on for you and you’re going to need to submit an EC, it can be daunting and worrying. But there are loads of support options for you and we're here to help. Just contact us via bristolsu-advice@bristol.ac.uk.
If you are in a well-being or mental health crisis, please reach contact your local NHS urgent mental health helpline and/or your University Wellbeing Service.When Should I Submit an EC?
When it comes to ECs, it’s important to show that you sought help at the time and not- If ECs have affected your ability to engage with your course or to do your assessments, make sure you submit an EC form by the deadline.
- Always submit a form if you think that your ECs have the potential to impact your performance, even if you are hopeful that they won’t.
- Don't wait for your results: The university expects you to tell them if something has happened. It can be much harder to raise an issue later on.
- You still need to submit the form if you have spoken about your circumstances with a member of staff such as a well-being advisor or personal tutor – otherwise, your ECs won’t be considered by the exam board.
If you are unable to sit an exam or assessment on the day you should follow the Self-certification process instead of submitting an EC form.
What are Exceptional Circumstances?
The University defines ECs as unexpected and unavoidable situations, outside of your control, that affect your academic experience. For example, they might impact your ability to complete an assessment, your attendance to teaching, your independent study, or cause you to miss a coursework deadline where you didn’t have an extension.
For approved circumstances, the university can mitigate the impact your EC is having on your studies.
There’s no fixed list of what circumstances are accepted – as long as they’re unexpected, unavoidable, and outside of your control. The university has a list on their website that you can refer to, but you should speak to us if you’re not sure if you should apply for an EC. We can then chat with you about your situation and offer our advice.
Once submitted, your EC is considered by Faculty Exam Boards when they make their decisions about- Allowing an uncapped resit.
- Disregarding a unit when calculating final degree classifications.
- Allowing for an uncapped supplementary year.
The Faculty Exam Board will never change your marks.
Who can use the EC process?
- Undergraduate Students
- Students on taught Postgraduate Programmes
- Postgraduate Research students taking taught units
If you are a Postgraduate Research Student who is not taking taught units then speak with your supervisor to raise any ECs.
How should I write my EC form?
We can read your draft text and give you feedback and advice – please email it, along with your supporting evidence, to us in advance of the deadline to make sure we can get back to you with enough time for you to make any amendments.
Writing your EC form
It is really important to use your EC form to explain in as much detail as possible about what has happened to you, and how it has impacted your studies and assessment.
The university won’t know how someone is impacted by a situation so, although it can be hard, you need to describe your situation in detail; what it has been like for you, and the effect it’s had on your studies.
There is a 1500-character limit for the EC form and every single word matters. You need to:
- Be clear and concise in your explanation.
- Don’t repeat what you have submitted in your supporting documents and evidence. The university wants you to use this space to describe the personal impact the situation has had on you.
- Include everything that’s happened to you. Once you submit the form you won’t have editing access any more. If your situation changes or develops down the line, you can request to edit your form from your School Office.
- Explain what your ECs are and how they have been affecting you and your studies.
If you are waiting to fill out the form so that you can include additional developments or information, we recommend writing your draft text in advance so that you are as prepared as possible, then you can update it before submitting the form.
Evidence
ECs and extension requests are unlikely to be accepted without supporting evidence. You can add more evidence later by contacting your School, but it’s best to upload everything you can when submitting the form.
Evidence will vary depending on what your ECs and specific circumstances are. The University has guidance on what could be used but if you have any questions we’re here to help.
Key points to remember:
- Aim to provide evidence for each aspect of your ECs that you mention on your form – including what happened and how you were impacted.
- Include all relevant evidence that you can. Ask for letters or find records because it helps the University to correctly classify your ECs. If you’re not sure if something would count as evidence you can check the guidance on the ECs webpage.
- Evidence should come from an independent,
objective Objective means existing independently of perception, or an individual's viewpoint. A doctor, an objective source, provides factually verifiable information.source. For example, a medical professional or other support service.
- It’s important to show that you sought help at the time and not retrospectively. We recommend keeping copies of any emails or appointments that you have related to your ECs.
- If your evidence is in another language you will need to have it professionally translated – so make sure you arrange that with enough time to submit before the deadline.
If you’re not sure about any of the above, then contact us for advice.
I have experienced Bereavement, Crime, or Sexual Violence
- Bereavement: The University will typically not require evidence for bereavement of a close family member or friend, but you will still need to explain how the situation has affected you in your EC form.
- Crime: If you have been a victim of a crime, you can provide the crime number from the police report. If the details are distressing, you can focus on the impact on you – you don’t need to explain exactly what happened.
- Sexual Violence: If you have experienced sexual violence you don’t need to tell the University what happened. They will also understand that the impact on you can be ongoing. For evidence, you can get a supporting letter from a Sexual Violence Liaison Officer (SVLO) at the University, a Sexual Assault Referral Centre (such as The Bridge), an Independent Sexual Violence Adviser (ISVA), or another professional support.
Submitting an EC form
You will need to submit your EC form through eVision. The University has guidance on how to do that here. If you’re unsure whether you should submit an EC form, you can speak to us or your school’s admin team.
- Remember to include as much information about the impact your EC has had on you and your studies and provide evidence to support your case. The information that you provide allows the university to decide on any mitigations.
If you don’t submit an EC form to inform the University about any issues before the deadline , then the Faculty Exam Board won’t be able to consider them when determining your end-of-year progression decision.
Who will see the information?
Only a small number of staff will read your information, and the University takes student privacy seriously.
Your School will have an Exceptional Circumstances Committee (ECC) who will review your information. Using what you told them, they will assign your situation a classification, determined by how much your studies have been impacted by your circumstances. This classification will be used by the Faculty Exam Board to decide what mitigation, if any, will be applied.
This is why it’s important to be clear about what is going on for you, even if you find it difficult or uncomfortable to talk about. If you don’t, you may not be given the right support.
If it is distressing for you, or the information is very sensitive, you can request a meeting with your senior tutor to discuss the best approach. If you’re not sure who your senior tutor is, your School Office can tell you – they won’t need to know why you are asking.
What is the deadline to submit an EC?
You can submit EC’s throughout the teaching block – and it’s important to submit the form before the deadline to ensure it is considered by the University.
Deadline information is available on the University’s EC webpage. It is your responsibility to know when they are, so make sure you check and read any emails from your School about ECs, especially around assessment periods, to ensure you submit your EC form in time!
Your School may also email you with deadline dates, so make sure you read those messages.
If you have any doubts about when your deadline is, always contact your school as soon as possible.
Where can I go for support?
If you have a problem, the best thing is to seek advice or support to keep on track with your studies. You can speak to us, your teachers, your personal or senior tutor, or to the Wellbeing team for help and advice.
If you can, it’s better keep to the schedule of your course – submitting work by the deadlines and taking exams at the regular times. That way, you won’t fall behind and you can finish your course and graduate on time. There are different processes available that can help you achieve that – so do make use of them and reach out for support if needed.
Even when you have support in place, you may need to request an extension for your coursework – you will need to provide evidence to support your request. This is a separate process to exceptional circumstances, so you might need to do both.
You can also receive support from the University’s Wellbeing Service, as well as offering support themselves they are the access point for other University teams such as the Counselling Service, the Mental Health Advisory Service, or their trained Sexual Violence Liaison Officers.
Of course, you can always reach out to us with any concerns, problems or questions via the contact information below.
Get in touch with the Bristol SU Academic Advice Team
Submit an enquiry: Using our enquiry form
