Didn’t get the mark you expected for an assessment? Most learning institutions have a review of assessment procedure in place for students who wish to query a grade given for a submitted assessment in relation to a unit or course they are enrolled in.
Grounds for Review
Procedures are usually in place for the review of assessment process and typically include strict grounds students must meet for making the request such as:
- feedback not being provided;
- wrong advice being given from staff teaching the unit;
- work handed in on time not being marked at all (yes this has happened before!);
- marks not being calculated correctly; and
- alleged discrimination, prejudice or bias on the part of the assessor.
It is important to keep in mind circumstances such as study overload, financial implications of not passing a unit, language proficiency and only needing a few more marks to pass are generally not grounds for a review although most institutions have exceptional circumstances outlined that can be considered by the head of school or other course leader.
Timeframes
Timeframes for reviews are usually pretty strict and it is important any issues you have with your assessment grade is addressed within the timeframes outlined by the institution or you may be prevented from pursuing a review. It is equally important to keep in mind the outcome of the review request may also not be what you were hoping for including rejection and in some cases, the allocation of a lower grade.
Give them a chance
Before you decide to pursue a review, check the provider’s policies and procedures as you may be required to raise your issues with your lecturer informally first – this gives the provider a chance to rectify any obvious issues and resolve those issues before escalating them through a more formal process.
Keep in mind
When submitting a formal review some things to keep in mind are:
- The policies and procedures of your learning institution;
- Try and be succinct and clear in your submissions; and
- Ensure you include all relevant information (and leave out anything unrelated);
Appeal stage is not ‘another shot’
Once your review request is submitted that is usually it – don’t treat the appeal stage as ‘another shot’. If an appeal is allowed for negative outcomes you are usually restricted to the information you provided when first submitting your review request – additional information is often rejected unless it was not available to you (and the decision maker) at the time of lodging your submissions.
When it comes to reviews, the team at Blossom Lawyers always recommends you come to them sooner rather than later with the principal Holly saying “coming to us in the first instance can increase the student’s chances of success by getting it right the first time and is usually more financially economical due to the smaller amount of information requiring our review and, in some instances, can result in us advising our students to reconsider the avenue they are even pursuing”.
Given the risks, stress and time involved the team at Blossom Lawyers urge disgruntled students to contact them in the first instance to see if their situation is something we can help with before jumping into a decision they have not considered properly.
