Appealing Against a Final Result

Can I appeal my final grade?

How do I apply?

What does making a case mean?

What outcomes can I expect?

What does it cost?

 

Can I appeal my final grade?

The University allows students to appeal a final result for a course provided the grounds for appeal meet approved criteria. Full details of the process can be found in the Course Management and Assessment Procedure Manual - 000996 (PDF) FULL VERSION -Edition 1.

How do I apply?

Step 1: Contact your Lecturer or Course Co-ordinator in person or by email
Following the official release of results (normally the Fully Graded Date but may be another date if your result was processed late.)

If you feel the grade is not correct, you should first contact your Lecturer or Course Coordinator to discuss your result. Your lecturer or course coordinator will check that:

i)  all your assessment items have been included in the final mark; and
ii) all your assessment items have been correctly weighted and added to arrive at the final mark.

If an error is found at this time the Lecturer or Course Coordinator may take steps to have it corrected. Your Lecturer or Course Coordinator will also be able to explain to you the reasons for your mark, that is, where in the course assessment(s) you have not met the standard required.

Step 2: Submit an appeal application within 6 days
If your issues have not been resolved by discussion with your lecturer or course coordinator you may submit an Appeal Against a Final Result application provided your grounds for appeal meet those approved in the Procedure.

You should submit a separate appeal application for each course for which you wish to appeal.

Each appeal application and supporting documentation must be lodged within 6 days of the official release of results for the course, normally the Fully Graded Date.

Please note: Results in Blackboard are not official.

Applications and supporting documents are to be provided electronically by email to appeals@newcastle.edu.au The application should be sent from your student email account and have the subject line [your family name] - [your given name] - [your student number] - Appeal Against Final Result Application - [course code]. For example: Smith - John - 3376514 - Appeal Against Final Result Application - CHIN5610

Your application and supporting documents should be provided in a single pdf file with the same file name as the subject line of your email. Please check that all scanned documents are readable before submission or they may be returned to you to rescan, delaying consideration of your appeal

Staff in the Student Hubs or the Information Commons are able to provide further advice if you are experiencing difficulty in forwarding your appeal via email.

Please note that you must retain the original supporting documentation provided and you may be asked to provide these during the consideration of your appeal.

If you have been unable to contact your Course Coordinator, you must still lodge the application within 6 days of receipt of your official result. You must also provide confirmation that you have attempted to consult the Lecturer or Course Coordinator but have been unable to resolve the issue. You can do this by including emails or details of your attempts to speak with the Lecturer or Course Coordinator and their response to your questions where applicable in, or with, your statement.

Step 3: What to include with your application form
Your application must include the completed application form together with a detailed and relevant written statement and supporting documentary evidence that clearly demonstrates the basis for your appeal and that the appeal fits within at least one of the approved criteria as listed on the application form. You may appeal on the basis of more than one approved criterion but you must provide details of your case under each criterion. Your written statement must set out why you are applying under the criteria you have indicated and how your circumstances meet the criteria.

Please Note: Failure to submit a supporting statement will result in your application being automatically rejected.

What does making a case mean?

Appeals Against Final Results must make or demonstrate a case under the approved criteria set out in Clause 20 of the Course Management and Assessment Procedure Manual - 000996.

A valid appeal is one which addresses one or more of the following appeal criteria from the above mentioned Procedure and includes relevant supporting evidence in writing:

i) the mark for an assessment item(s) (including the final examination) is inconsistent with stated marking criteria;

ii) the type or weighting of an assessment item(s) differs from information in the course outline;

iii)the content or topic of an assessment item(s) does not reflect the content of the course; and

iv) extreme circumstances (such as extended hospitalisation) prevented the student from submitting an Adverse Circumstances application at the appropriate time.

If you are appealing a final result as a potential graduate you must provide details in your statement of how you meet each of the below criteria. You may also include details of any circumstances which you feel should be taken into consideration by the Committee when considering your appeal under this criterion. The appeal must meet ALL of the following criteria to be considered by the Faculty Progress and Appeals Committee as a potential graduate:

i) the course is a ten unit course;

ii) the student has not previously failed this course;

iii) the student has undertaken the course in their last year of study and all other program requirements have been satisfied;

iv) the final result achieved for the course is greater than 40% and less than 50% of the total marks for the course;

v) the student has not already undertaken supplementary assessment (other than on the basis of Adverse Circumstances) in the course; and

vi) the student has submitted all required assessment items throughout the relevant term on time (subject to any applications under the Adverse Circumstances Affecting Assessment Items Procedure [000940]).

Examples of insufficient grounds for appeal: Statements such as the following do not make or demonstrate a case under any of the criteria:

I am a good student who has attended all lectures and tutorials and I believe I should have passed;

I only need another 2 marks to pass the course, please consider;

I got 62 in my progressive assessment but my academic record shows 0 (zero) and an FF. This will be because the course has an essential criterion which you have not satisfied and is not a basis for appeal unless this information was not included in either the program handbook or course outline.

My grandmother died during the semester and it really affected me. You will need to provide some details regarding the dates of illness/death of your relative and how this affected your studies. As well you would need to provide some supporting documentation such as a funeral notice/ order of service or death certificate. If the family name of your relative is not the same as yours you will also need to provide some evidence that this person is a close relative and why you didn't apply for Adverse Circumstances at that time.

What outcomes can I expect?

Once you lodge your application, your academic transcript is attached and the Course Coordinator is asked to verify the correctness of marks and to make any other comments on your academic performance that they feel are relevant and should be considered. The Faculty Progress and Appeals Committee then considers your application including the case you have made in your statement, your academic record and any information provided by the Course Coordinator. The Committee will determine to either reject or uphold the appeal.

Reject

Your application will be rejected if the Committee determines that you have not demonstrated a valid or substantial case through your supporting statement and documents. The decision will also take into account consultation with the Course Coordinator. A rejected appeal means no further action will be taken by the University in response to your application. This advice will be put in writing and emailed to your UoN student email account.

Uphold

Your application will be upheld if the Committee determines that you have a valid case as demonstrated in your supporting statement and documents and other relevant factors.

A remark of an assessment item does not guarantee that you will receive any additional marks. It may be found that the mark originally awarded is fair and therefore the grade will not be changed, or that the final mark will be less than the mark originally awarded.

Provision of a supplementary assessment item or exam does not mean that you will pass the course. You must still demonstrate in the additional assessment that you have reached a satisfactory standard in your understanding of the course content. If you do not satisfactorily complete the additional assessment the final mark may remain the same or be less than the mark originally awarded.

If you are applying as a potential graduate and you are offered a supplementary assessment item the maximum grade that can be awarded is 50.

What does it cost?

If you appeal a pass grade or higher you are required to pay a $50 administrative fee which may be refunded if the grade changes in your favour.

If you appeal a fail grade you are NOT required to pay a fee.