Exams are stressful - we get it. As much as we hope your exams are going as well as they can, sometimes the unexpected can happen, and things don’t always go to plan. That’s why it’s important to understand your options, as most formal processes have deadlines. Below, we’ve detailed advice and guidance on what to do if you've failed, feel you’ve underperformed, or missed your exams.
Please note that the options available to you may depend on your course and the type of issues that affected your exams.
Where do I start?
In the first instance, our flowchart for processes on examination-related issues could help you identify what options might be available to you. Through these processes, you can let the University know about the issues you experienced and the impact on your studies and exam results.
Mitigating circumstances
If you are a foundation year student, an undergraduate student or a student on certain postgraduate courses, and you have experienced issues such as:
- A bad cold, the flu or a long-term illness which has recently been diagnosed
- A flare-up of a long-term illness or disability
- Bereavement of a close one or a family emergency
Then you or your College Tutor could let the University know of your mitigating circumstances and the impact on your assessments. This can be done 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, a College Nurse (where appropriate), a hospital note, or any other available evidence. The evidence provided needs to be contemporaneous and to show that the mitigating circumstances happened close in time to the assessment.
Further information on the different types of examination allowances available and the process, can be found in the University guidance notes for examination allowances.
Our resources on examination allowances can help you understand the process independently, guide you through writing your personal statement, and help you gather your medical evidence.
Issues with the examination
An examination is an assessment that receives marks which count towards your University of Cambridge award.
Some examples of issues with the examination may include:
- Large amounts of external noise
- Your reasonable adjustments were not put in place or adhered to
- Bias during the assessment or the marking process
- Mitigating circumstances for certain postgraduate courses, including illness
If your exam results were impacted by any of these, or you experienced other issues with the conduct of the exam, you can submit an Examination Review within 28 days of receiving your results. Evidence is required, which could be a medical letter, a letter from the invigilator, University regulations, a letter from your Tutor or your Director of Studies if applicable.
Further details can be accessed in the University’s procedure for examination reviews.
Our guidance on examination reviews can help you understand the process independently and guide you through writing your application.
University Complaint
If you wish to raise issues about the academic provision that may have impacted your studies, you can make a complaint through the student complaint procedure. Some examples of issues you could raise are:
- Issues with the course content or information provided about the course
- Issues accessing resources and facilities and/or the standards of service from the University
- Issues with postgraduate supervision and University teaching
You should raise your complaint as soon as it occurs or within 20 working days of the matter arising. Details of the University Complaints procedure can be found at the link.
College Complaint
If the issue relates to a provision from your College, a College service or a staff member, you will need to follow your College’s complaints procedure. You should be able to obtain a copy of the procedure from the tutorial office or in your student handbook. This includes issues with your College's academic provisions that may have impacted your student experience or your exam results.
Deadlines for raising a complaint may vary from College to College.
None of these options applies to your situation?
If you’re experiencing a situation that doesn’t relate to any of the examples above, then we’ve listed some further guidance below.
Mark checks
If none of the above options apply to your situation and you feel you deserved a different result, you could request a mark check.
You, your Director of Studies or 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 of 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 viewed through the link.
Exam feedback
Each Faculty will have an Examination Data Retention Policy. You, your College Tutor or the Director of Studies can contact the department administrator who could provide further information on obtaining feedback on exams.
Further information on exam feedback can be viewed through the link.
Careers support
For careers advice, you can contact the University Careers Service, which could help answer career-related questions, as well as provide practical support such as improving your CV or enhancing your cover letter.
Have a question or need one-to-one support from a professional Advisor?
You can send us an email with your questions or request an appointment with an Advisor if you need any further support.