Appealing exams

ucd man

Does anybody know anything about appealing exams in DCU?

For example, has anyone had any success with an appeal in the past?

Who re-checks the paper for the appeal, etc..??

H2G2

ucd man wrote: »

Who re-checks the paper for the appeal, etc..??

On a technical note... an Appeal is not the same as a Recheck. When you appeal your exam paper is not re-checked (re-marked). What happens is your appeal firm is read by the appeal board in conjunction with the reply from your lecturer and the programme board chair. The board then read all 3 and decide.
An appeal is based on 5 very limited grounds - see appeal form on DCU website.
I would strongly suggest you look at your script first, before deciding on an appeal. They can be costly (100 per exam), so make sure you are not wasting your money.

ucd man

If an appeal is different to a re-check, how do you go about getting a paper re-checked?

Does anybody know anyone who has successfully had a paper re-checked and subsequently received an improved mark?

H2G2

ucd man wrote: »

If an appeal is different to a re-check, how do you go about getting a paper re-checked?

The only possibility of a recheck is to ask the lecturer to do so. It is normal to ask the lecturer to view your script. That will give you an opportunity to see the actual marks and how they were allocated. That's your best bet.

IK25

hi,
what are the chances of a person failing two modules by a small percentage but going through to 3rd year of science if they appeal on strong personal grounds? my sister had to repeat 6 exams she passed 4 of them but failed two she got 35 in one and 31 in other..we've had some family problems and she was suffering from severe anxiety and even went for counselling but never applied for extenuating circumstances. Is there a chance now that the appeal board would let her go into 3rd year?

Cardor

IK25 wrote: »

hi,
what are the chances of a person failing two modules by a small percentage but going through to 3rd year of science if they appeal on strong personal grounds? my sister had to repeat 6 exams she passed 4 of them but failed two she got 35 in one and 31 in other..we've had some family problems and she was suffering from severe anxiety and even went for counselling but never applied for extenuating circumstances. Is there a chance now that the appeal board would let her go into 3rd year?

I doubt anything can happen without the submission of the extenuating circumstances form. Like we've been told about it all year, so the progression board aren't going to be lenient about it. There could be another way about it, as in proving that your sister went to counselling. The progression board will regard everything as not true, unless you can prove it. If your sister failed six exams and had personal problems at that time, she should have submitted an extenuating circumstances form, the progression board will be quite inquisitive about that, as it doesn't really make sense why she would not.

If your sister hadn't problems at that time, but rather at the repeats, they again will question whether she is in a position to progress, as she did fail 6 exams, which is quite high. The progression board can't just let a student pass because of personal problems, other scenarios are taken into consideration. For example, if your sister performed well in a module all year, except for the exam, then it could be argued that her personal problems did in fact affect her overall performance, so, in this case, your circumstances will be considered. However, if your sister's performance was poor or below average and she failed her exam, which would be expected, the progression board may be harder on allowing her to progress, but in some cases they will allow it.

My advice would be to tell your sister to contact her course chairperson/education officer and tell them of her scenario. They will tell her if anything can be done, or if it's too late. They should allow some leniency if your sister has proof of her personal problems. Good Luck!

IK25

Cardor wrote: »

I doubt anything can happen without the submission of the extenuating circumstances form. Like we've been told about it all year, so the progression board aren't going to be lenient about it. There could be another way about it, as in proving that your sister went to counselling. The progression board will regard everything as not true, unless you can prove it. If your sister failed six exams and had personal problems at that time, she should have submitted an extenuating circumstances form, the progression board will be quite inquisitive about that, as it doesn't really make sense why she would not.

If your sister hadn't problems at that time, but rather at the repeats, they again will question whether she is in a position to progress, as she did fail 6 exams, which is quite high. The progression board can't just let a student pass because of personal problems, other scenarios are taken into consideration. For example, if your sister performed well in a module all year, except for the exam, then it could be argued that her personal problems did in fact affect her overall performance, so, in this case, your circumstances will be considered. However, if your sister's performance was poor or below average and she failed her exam, which would be expected, the progression board may be harder on allowing her to progress, but in some cases they will allow it.

My advice would be to tell your sister to contact her course chairperson/education officer and tell them of her scenario. They will tell her if anything can be done, or if it's too late. They should allow some leniency if your sister has proof of her personal problems. Good Luck!

thanks for the reply. Actually she saw the extenuating circumstances but at that time she did not have any professional opinion so she emailed her programme chair before the deadline of the form but he never responded back to the email..her situation is really black and white if she doesn't get through to 3rd year she's gonna have to drop out most likely get engaged and go back to our country which is like a norm in our culture. I m hoping if she explains the situation to the programme chair and show them the professional opinion they might be a bit lenient towards her.she has had failed six exam but the ones she passed were with good marks and her Continuous Assessment has been excellent too . Just wish the appeal board isn't too strict , but i've heard they are really nasty

H2G2

I really don't want to sound too harsh, but I don't think there is any possibility of appeal success without *prior* documented medical grounds in this case, and even then it would be groundbreaking to appeal 6 modules and win. An appeal is a particular instrument which may not be appropriate... An appeal is basically asking them to upgrade from a fail to pass in those modules and that sounds like almost totally impossible in this case. The appeals board has no authority to allow a student to carry a module. Unfortunately, despite the word "normally" in marks and standards regulations, a carry at undergrad level is a definite no no. This used not be the case, but has been for a while now.
Have a read of section C of form R31 for more information on grounds for appeal. But I honestly think she'd be wasting money.
Best bet is to talk to programme board chair in person and ask advice, but a repeat year is the only realistic option.

IK25

H2G2 wrote: »

I really don't want to sound too harsh, but I don't think there is any possibility of appeal success without *prior* documented medical grounds in this case, and even then it would be groundbreaking to appeal 6 modules and win. An appeal is a particular instrument which may not be appropriate... An appeal is basically asking them to upgrade from a fail to pass in those modules and that sounds like almost totally impossible in this case. The appeals board has no authority to allow a student to carry a module. Unfortunately, despite the word "normally" in marks and standards regulations, a carry at undergrad level is a definite no no. This used not be the case, but has been for a while now.
Have a read of section C of form R31 for more information on grounds for appeal. But I honestly think she'd be wasting money.
Best bet is to talk to programme board chair in person and ask advice, but a repeat year is the only realistic option.

by 6 modules i meant that she repeated 6 and passed 4 of them and failed two getting 31 and 35 % ..and she was in the queue for the counselling service thats why she could only get the professional opinion now after attending their sessions. Her lecturer said he'll write her some sort of a recommendation letter to help her appeal..Hope something works out I don't think its impossible given her circumstances and it is one of the reasons for appeal if you couldn't provide the extenuating circumstances form due to some personal reason or embarrassment but you have to convince them that this was the case

Monisha.0903

Hello

I am a final year masters student. I have just got my results for my thesis. I failed it by ten marks. when i spoke to my supervisor he said tht he cant do anything and suggested that I appeal it. The thing is my supervisor has always been telling me that everything is fine and that I have dont well. Why did I fail then?
So, can i apply for the appeal on two grounds? One, I was ill at tht time and i have all the medical reports to prove it. Two, my exaimers have marked me unfairly. I say this because during or after my presentation they did not ask to see how my software works or what it looks like. They purely marked me on my paper and presentation which is unfair.

So does someone think I have a fair chance to win?

Thanks