Procedures for the Conduct of Appeals
Notes on the Procedures for the Conduct of Appeals established under the Regulations relating to Academic Appeals
Introduction
1. The Regulations relating to Academic Appeals define the circumstances under which a delegate may appeal against a recommended grade for any examination result.
2. It is the responsibility of a candidate to notify their nominated Tutor / Trainer at the earliest opportunity if there are any extenuating circumstances which might have a bearing on their examination performance, so that, wherever possible, this may be brought to the attention of the Board of Examiners at the appropriate time. It is also the candidate’s responsibility to check his or her examination results.
3. A candidate wishing to appeal must make a written application to the Centre Contact in which they are registered. Please use the Centre appeals form. If an application is received within the specified time limits (i.e. within 14 days) but is insufficiently detailed to enable the Centre Contact to form a judgment, the candidate should be asked to provide the necessary additional information.
4. If after consulting with the Nominated Tutor, the Centre Contact is satisfied that no prima facie case is established, the candidate should be notified in writing of that decision.
Procedure for an Academic Appeals Committee
5. If the Centre Contact decides to establish an Appeals Committee, the candidate must first be given notice in writing of that decision and invited to opt either for the appeal to be dealt with:
(a) On written submissions, or;
(b) At a verbal hearing.
Committee Procedure
6. Where the appeal is to be dealt with on written submissions, the delegate will be required to submit these by a specified date. Comments made by the Centre Contact should be supplied to the delegate, with an invitation to submit any response to those comments by a specified date.
7. Where there is to be an oral hearing, the candidate should be informed of the date, time and place of the hearing. They should be asked to confirm in writing not later than three days in advance of the hearing whether a friend or adviser will be present and, if so, to provide the name and status of that friend or adviser and an indication of whether or not they are legally qualified. The candidate should also notify the Centre Contact at least 3 days beforehand of the names of any witnesses they may wish to call. The Centre Contact should inform the candidate of the membership of the Committee (if applicable) in advance of the hearing. If the delegate objects to any member, the reasons for that objection should be provided in writing to the Centre Contact. The Chairman of the Committee will then determine whether or not that member should be excluded from consideration of the case. If the candidate objects to the Chairman, the Centre Contact should be informed in writing and the members shall determine whether the candidate’s objection should be upheld.
8. The conduct of the hearing is governed by Regulation 8. If the candidate fails to attend the hearing, the Committee may, if it is satisfied that due notice had been given, proceed in the delegate’s absence on the basis of the material available to it, or may adjourn to a later date.
9. After the meeting of the Academic Appeals Committee, the Centre Contact will notify the candidate in writing of the decision.
Recourse to Candidate Complaints Procedure
10. Where an academic appeal has not been resolved to a candidate’s satisfaction, there is an opportunity to apply for a review under the Candidate Complaints Procedure.
