Appeal of Final Results

If you're planning to appeal your final result, see below for what processes to follow, what options are available, and for other important information.

What can I do if I fail a course?

If you have failed a course, there are three options to consider:

  1. Request a supplementary assessment task for a Fail grade
  2. Request a review of your Final Result
  3. Appeal a Final Result

You may need to complete one or more of these processes, so it is a good idea to read and understand all three options.

Policy information related to these options can be found in the Course Management and Assessment Manual (CMAM), however, we have simplified it for you below.

The Student Advocates can help you:

  • To understand and navigate the processes
  • Communicate with your Course Coordinator or other staff
  • Provide feedback and suggestions on your personal statement.

If you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to give us a call on (02) 4921 7820.

Appeal of Final Results Information & Processes

Supplementary Assessments for Fail Grades (for grades between 45 – 49%)

Who is eligible?

To help our students succeed, the CMAM (Course Management and Assessment Manual) states that a student is eligible for a supplementary assessment when their final mark for the course is between 45 and 49%.

In addition, you must meet the following criteria:

  • The course must be a 10 or 20- unit course. If the course is part of a multi-term sequence, the total value of the multi-term sequence must not exceed 20 units
  • You have satisfied any attendance requirements
  • You have not failed an assessment which is a compulsory course requirement
  • You must not have already taken a supplementary assessment, or been provided an opportunity to resubmit or reattempt, where allowable in the course, other than on the basis of adverse circumstances
  • You must have submitted all required assessment items throughout the term, except where there has been an approved application for adverse circumstances extension of time or reschedule of formal examination;
  • Eligible students will be automatically identified through the School Assessment Body (SAB). The SAB is a meeting that happens at the end of every teaching term where Course Coordinators present the grades from their course to the Head of School.
  • The failure grade must not have been a result of academic misconduct under the provisions of the Student Conduct Rule.

The purpose of this meeting is to examine the pattern of results, discuss if they are equitable across the cohort and discuss any “I” (Incomplete) or “S” (Special Consideration/Adverse Circumstances) grades given.

After the SAB, any students who scored between 45-49%, and meet the above criteria, will be contacted by the Course Coordinator and provided with details of the supplementary assessment no later than three working days after the release of final results.

The school will be responsible for the coordination and administration of the supplementary examination. If you choose not to take the supplementary assessment, or you fail the supplementary assessment task, then the original mark will remain. If you pass the supplementary assessment, the mark will be changed to a passing mark of 50%.

How to Request a Review of Final Results

If you believe an error has been made in the calculation of your final result, you must email the Course Coordinator for that course within three University working days of your final result being published on myHub.

In your email, you must specify why you believe an error has been made in your final grade and how you reached this conclusion, providing evidence and specific examples wherever possible.

If you indicate that not all assessment items have been included in the calculation of the final result, the Course Coordinator will provide the mark breakdown to you. The mark breakdown will look like this:

The Course Coordinator (or their nominee) will respond to your request within three University working days of receipt. After reviewing the result, they will either:

  1. leave the original mark unchanged; or
  2. recommend an adjusted mark to the Head of School; and
  3. submit an Amendment to Final Result Form if required (see Forms, Guides and Templates).

The Course Co-ordinator will email you the outcome once a determination has been made.

If an administrative error is identified in a final result, an Amendment to Result Form will be completed by the Course Coordinator.

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After seeking a review by the Course Coordinator you can still lodge an appeal against final result (Section 3) if you aren’t satisfied with the result and meet one or more of the criteria to appeal.

Appeals for a Final Result  (for grades below 45%)

Are you eligible?

If your final grade is below 45% or you do not meet the criteria for a supplementary assessment (see above), you may be able to appeal your final result.

To make a valid appeal against a final result, you must meet at least one of the following criteria and include relevant supporting evidence in writing:

  • Due regard was not paid to an allowable adverse circumstance
  • You  were disadvantaged due to a disruption during the conduct of the assessment;
  • The mark for an assessment item(s) (including the final examination) is inconsistent with the marking criteria;
  • The type or weighting of an assessment item(s) differs from information in the Course Outline;
  • The content or topic of an assessment item(s) does not reflect the content of the course; or
  • Your  performance in the course was adversely affected by circumstances which were not apparent at the appropriate time (to submit an AC application).

The following are not valid grounds to appeal a final result:

  • a study overload
  • general unspecified grievances
  • personal or medical problems other than those permitted under the Adverse Circumstances Policy and its associated procedure
  • the financial implications of not passing the course
  • marks or grades received by other students in the course
  • marks or grades received by the student in other courses
  • lack of language proficiency
  • the amount of effort the student has contributed
  • a penalty imposed on a student for academic misconduct in accordance with a University policy
  • the need for additional marks to achieve a higher grade

How to submit your appeal of final grade

To appeal a final grade, you need to write a personal statement to be sent to the College Progress and Appeals Committee via this portal

You can download this response template to help structure your personal statement.

Once you have written your statement, you can send it to the Student Advocacy for feedback and suggestions on how to improve your statement. Alternatively, you can submit your appeal without consulting the Student Advocates, but we recommend you access our support.