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Exams: results and support available

We hope your exams went well, but if things didn't go to plan, it may be helpful for you to understand your options, as most formal processes have deadlines. The options available to you depend on your course and the type of issues that affected your exams.

Guide to Getting Through Exams

Our Guide to getting through Exams has guidance and information on any concerns you may have about your exams and tips on how to de-stress before the test. Additionally, sources of information on managing exam stress can also be found on the University Student Support pages and on the Student Minds webpage here.

 

Make an appointment

Make an appointment or submit an enquiry here.

You are also welcome to send us an email at advice@cambridgesu.co.uk.

mitigating circumstances

If you are an undergraduate student or a student on certain postgraduate courses (listed below) and you experienced issues such as:

  • a short illness such as a stomach bug or the flu
  • a long-term or more serious illness which has recently been diagnosed and which affected your preparation and/or your performance in an exam.
  • a recently diagnosed disability for which you did not have reasonable adjustments in place to mitigate any impact this may have had on your studies.
  • a bereavement in the family or close friend.
  • a family emergency such as illness of a family member.

You or your College could let the University know of your mitigating circumstances and the impact on your assessments by submitting an Examination Allowance within three months of receiving your exam results.

An application should be supported by evidence such as a letter from a doctor, College Nurse where appropriate, a hospital note and any other available evidence.

The University's guidance notes for examination allowances can be found here.

Our resources on examination allowances (see below) can help you understand the process independently, guide you through writing your personal statement, and help you gather your medical evidence.

Information Guide on Examination Allowances

Foundation Year students, Undergraduate and postgraduate students studying towards one of these degrees: EMBA, LLM, MASt, MBA, MCL, MEng, MFin, MMath, MMus, MSci and PGCE, MPhil by Advanced Study, MRes, MEd and MSt degrees and the Certificate of Postgraduate Study (CPGS) and Postgraduate Diplomas in Economics, Legal Studies and International Law, and who have experienced mitigating circumstances, can submit an Examination Allowance.

Guidance on Writing Your Personal Statement for an Examination Allowance

You can write a personal statement to support your application for an Examination Allowance.

This resource provides guidance on points you could consider including in your statement, an example of a personal statement and a template to help you draft your own statement.

Template - Personal Statement for an Examination Allowance

This is a template to help you write your own personal statement for an Examination Allowance in a word document. If you need it in a different format, please contact the Student Advice Service who would be happy to help.

Guidance on Medical Evidence

This guide is for students who submit applications on medical grounds to the University for an Examination Allowance, Examination Review or Intermission. You can share these notes with your medical practitioner to assist them in providing your medical evidence. Depending on your circumstances, this guidance might be helpful to you in other situations.

Mark Checks

If none of the above options applies to your situation and you feel you deserved a different result, you could request a mark check.

You, your Director of Studies or your Tutor could contact your department which should have a process in place to provide mark checks.

The mark check process should:

  • check that your marks on individual questions/papers have been added up correctly
  • ensure all your answer booklets have been marked by the Examiners
  • check that any reasonable adjustments relating to the marking of your assessments have been put in place

Information from the University on mark checks can be accessed here.


exam feedback

According to information from the University, students can receive feedback from External Examiners' reports and any responses to them.

Students may also request internal Examiners' reports including comments about the cohort's performance as a whole.

You, your College Tutor or your Director of Studies could contact the department administrator who could provide further information on obtaining feedback on exams.

Further information can be found here.