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
In the context of an Exam Allowance, the University defines mitigating circumstances as ‘serious illness or other grave cause which has clearly impacted upon the exam itself'.
Examples of Mitigating Circumstances could include:
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Short-term illness e.g. a viral illness that prevented the student from attending the exam.
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Worsening of an ongoing illness or disability, including mental health conditions, for which the symptoms prevented them from attending the exam.
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Necessary hospitalisation for a physical or mental illness at the time of the exam.
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Symptoms of an infectious disease that may be harmful if passed on to others and where medical advice requires isolation at the time of the exam, and the exam cannot be undertaken remotely.
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Significant illness or death of a close family member or friend shortly before the exam
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Illness of a family member or dependent that leads to unexpected caring responsibilities on the day of the exam that cannot be performed by anyone else because of their sudden nature.
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The impact of witnessing or experiencing a traumatic incident and/or crime shortly before the exam that is so substantial, it prevents the student from attending the exam.
The exam allowances system is for all undergraduate and postgraduate students except those on the following professional/research courses that are not included:
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Medical students and Veterinary Medical students during the last three clinical years of the course;
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Bachelor of Divinity Degree, Doctor of Medicine Degree, Doctor of Veterinary Medicine Degree, Ph.D. Degree (including by special regulations), Cert. PG study, Doctor of Business Degree, Doctor of Engineering Degree, Masters of Letters Degree (M.Litt and M.Sc.), M.Phil by Thesis
Students on the Foundation Year Programme have different exam allowances available which can be found here.
Submit a Student Initiation Form to your Tutor and the Tutorial Office within 7 days of the exam/assessment (or the final exam within an exam period). If this deadline has passed, still email the form, but you will need to provide a valid and evidenced reason for why it is late. The college then has 6 weeks to submit the application and all accompanying evidence to the Exams Allowances Guidance Committee (EAMC). Evidence will need 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.