Guidance on preparing an appeal

Building your appeal case

Before writing your appeal, take some time to think about:

• why you are unhappy with the decision
• what outcome you are hoping for
• whether your concerns first within the appeal grounds

Appeals can not be submitted simply because you disagree with your marks or outcome. You must explain why your case meets at least one of the eligible appeal grounds. 

Building a case for ground a (procedures were not followed)

This ground applies when you believe:

• the university did not follow the correct procedure
• and this significantly affected the outcome

What you should include

• Name the policy or procedure that was not followed,
• Clearly explaining why and how this affected your outcome
• If possible include a link to the relevant policy and/or highlight the relevant section

Include supporting evidence

This may include:

• emails and/or screenshots
• any official documents
• timelines
• correspondence with the university

Important information

Ground a) can not be used:

• simply because you disagree with a decision
• to challenge academic judgement alone
• concerns about supervisor, teaching staff or programme team. You will need to use the complaints process, this is not an appeal ground

Building a case for ground b (personal circumstances or new information)

This ground applies when

• personal circumstances affected your studies
• important information was not previously available
• or there was a valid reason why a PEC was not submitted earlier

Explain why you did not submit a PEC

This is one of the most important parts of a ground b appeal. You must clearly explain why

• why you did not submit a PEC before the deadline
• why the information could not be provided earlier

Many appeals are unsuccessful because this explanation is missing

If you had evidence at the time

If your supporting evidence:

• is dated around the same time as your circumstances
• or existed before the PEC deadline

You must explain why you were unable to submit it earlier. For example:

• were your circumstances affecting your ability to engage with university processes?
• can you explain why you were able to seek support for these circumstances, but at the same time unable to engage with university processes?
• were you unable to seek support at the time

Make your circumstances time relevant

Your appeal should clearly explain:

• what was happening
• when it happened
• how it affected your assessments or exams

Include a timeline

A timeline can help make your appeal clearer and easier to follow. For example:

• when your circumstances began
• important events or changes
• assessment deadlines
• medical appointments
• contact with the university

Important reminder

The university recognises that students may experience difficult personal circumstances. This is why PEC and Short Extension processes exist. Not knowing about the PEC process is unlikely to be accepted as a valid reason, as students are normally informed about PEC processes throughout the academic year.

Your appeal will not return a remark of your work

General advice for writing your appeal

Before writing your appeal, think about what are your main concerns 

• do these concerns fit within one of the appeal grounds
• can you explain how the university process affected the outcome
• did the university contribute to the issues in any way
• were there personal circumstances affecting your studies
• what is the outcome you are hoping for and is this realistic within university regulations
• be realistic about the outcome, the university does not allow remarks 
• some decisions may already be linked to other university procedures, such as academic misconduct outcomes

Need advice or support?

The Advice Team can help you:

• understand the decision made by the university
• understand the appeal grounds
• structure your case
• identify supporting evidence
• understand possible outcomes

For personalised advice or further questions, contact su.advice@northumbria.ac.uk