Exams, Results & Special Consideration

Exam Information

• Exam timetable
• Locations and starting times
• Student identification in exams
• Exam seat numbers
• Open book exams
• Use of linguistic dictionaries
• Students with disabilities, medical conditions or injuries

Special consideration

• Special consideration due to serious illness/misadventure
• Special consideration application procedures
• Extension request
• Inability to sit an exam due to serious illness or misadventure
• Alternative exam dates and forms of assessment

Results

• Publication of results
• Results to come
• Discontinued - not to count as failure (DNF)
• Absent fail grades (AF)
• Student Appeals Against Academic Decisions
• Completion of studies
• Results enquiries

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Exam Information

Exam timetable

Postgraduate Law Exam Timetable (Semester 2, 2009)

The Semester 2, 2009 exams will officially commence on Monday 9 November and concludes on Friday 20 November 2009.

Students are required to be available during the whole of the scheduled exam period at the end of each semester (or on the dates as specified by the Unit Coordinator in the case of an early or late intensive unit) to complete their exams.

Take-home exams and in-department exams which are held outside the official exam period do not appear on the exam timetable. The Unit Coordinator will notify students regarding the exam arrangements either during class, by email or information will be posted on WebCT.

Misreading of the timetable will not be accepted as a reason for failing to attend an exam

Locations and starting times

Exams are generally held in the New Law Building on Camperdown Campus or as specified on the exam timetable. The confirmed exam venues will be available on the Postgraduate Law Exam Timetable or MyUni on 9 October 2009.

Please ensure that you arrive at least 10 minutes before the start of the exam reading time. Misreading of the timetable will not be accepted as a reason for failing to attend an exam.

Student identification in exams

Students must identify themselves in exams by placing their current University student ID card on the exam table. Students without their University student ID card must provide other acceptable identification (with photograph) in the exam room i.e. passport, driver's licence. Replacement student cards are available from from the Card Centre, Fisher Library, Level 2, Eastern Avenue, Camperdown Campus on payment of the scheduled fee.

Exam seat numbers

Students will require a seat number for most exams. Students will have to identify their own seat numbers in the exam room and the location of the exam itself. Seat numbers will be available on MyUni on 9 October 2009.
For further information or if you have problems, please visit the Exams Office website or telephone +61 2 8627 then extension 8217, 8218, 8216 or 8215 or email .

Students will have to identify their own seat numbers

Open book exams

Students may only use materials (e.g. textbooks, references, dictionaries) as prescribed by the Unit Coordinator in an open book exam. If you are unsure, please refer to instructions in the course outline or seek confirmation from the Unit Coordinator.

The use of electronic dictionaries and computers are not permitted. Mobile phones must be switched off at all times.

Use of linguistic dictionaries

Students from a non English-speaking background are eligible to apply for permission to use a standard dictionary in their native language in exams. Approval must be obtained from the Unit Coordinator well in advance of the exam.

Students with disabilities, medical conditions or injuries

Students with a disability, including a serious medical condition, or recent injury, which puts them at a disadvantage during exams should contact Disability Services at least four weeks before the scheduled exam date (if circumstances permit).

If appropriate, special arrangements can be made to meet particular requirements.

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Special consideration

Special consideration due to serious illness and/or misadventure

If a student whose work during a teaching period or performance in an exam or assessment, has been affected by serious illness or misadventure, an Application for Special Consideration form must be submitted to the Unit Coordinator within seven days of the affected exam or assessment. Please refer to special consideration application procedures. The student should also notify the Unit Coordinator of their intention to lodge an Application for Special Consideration form prior to or on the day of the exam or assessment due date.

In the case of illness, a Professional Practitioner Certificate must be supplied with the Application for Special Consideration form and should be completed by a registered medical practitioner or counsellor.

The Professional Practitioner Certificate should include:

• date(s) of consultation;
• an evaluation by the practitioner, psychologist etc as to the severity, duration and effect on the student’s ability to attend classes, learn or complete assessment requirements;
• a description of the nature of seriousness of the student’s problems, within the limits of confidentiality, so that an academic assessment can be made of the possible effects of the illness or accident on the student’s performance;
• any other relevant information relating to the student’s illness, trauma etc;
• any other documentation that may be relevant; and
• the practitioner authorizes the University to contact them to confirm the authenticity of the certificate.

In the case of misadventure, the required documentation will depend on the nature of the misadventure, but it should be provided to support the student’s account of the circumstances and indicate the likely duration and the effect of the problem on the student’s performance.

Special consideration will not be given in the following instances:

• adequate standards of documentation and processes have not been met;
• all illnesses/misadventures resulting in the student not being able to satisfy the 70% minimum class attendance requirement (80% for international students);
• the performance of the student was equivalent or superior to that demonstrated in other assessments in the unit of study; and
• employment where the request for special consideration is made less than four weeks before the date of the exam/assessment

Students should note that only well attested serious illness or misadventure during a semester or occurring at the time of an exam or assessment will warrant special consideration for academic performance. Occasional brief or trivial illness of one or two days duration that occur one week or more before an assessment is due or an exam is undertaken will not be regarded as sufficient reason to warrant special consideration.

In general, Unit Coordinators will only refer to special consideration applications to assist them when determining borderline cases in any category of grade, and in particular borderline cases of Pass/Fail.

Special consideration application procedures

Download: Application for Special Consideration form

The student should notify the Unit Coordinator that an Application for Special Consideration form will be lodged before or on the day of the exam or assessment due date.

The Application for Special Consideration form and Professional Practitioner Certificate and other relevant supporting documentation must be forwarded directly to the Unit Coordinator within seven days of the affected exam or assessment either by:

Mail: Name of Unit Coordinator, Faculty of Law, The University of Sydney, NSW 2006
In person: Information Desk, Level 3, Law School Building (F10), Eastern Avenue, Camperdown Campus

A separate application form must be submitted to each Unit Coordinator.

The Unit Coordinator will assess the application and where necessary consult with the Associate Dean (Coursework) then formally notify the student of the outcome.

Please refer to information Discontinued – not to count as failure (DNF) and Absent fail grades (AF)

Extension request

If a student is unable to meet an assessment deadline due to serious illness or misadventure (as defined in the special consideration guidelines above), the student must forward an extension request letter together with an Application for Special Consideration form to the Unit Coordinator prior to the assessment due date. Requests made on grounds of illness must include a completed Professional Practitioner Certificate. Requests based on misadventure should be accompanied by well-attested supporting documentation. Extension requests will not be considered after the assessment due date.

Any extension must be for a clearly defined and limited period of time. The Unit Coordinator may not consider an extension request if a student has not satisfied the class attendance requirement and/or failed to complete all other assessment requirements in that unit of study. Please also refer to information Discontinued – not to count as failure (DNF) and Absent fail grades (AF)

Inability to sit an exam due to serious illness or misadventure

If a student is unable to sit an exam due to serious illness or misadventure, the student should contact the Unit Coordinator either by telephone or email before or on the day of the scheduled exam. A letter requesting permission to sit a rescheduled exam together with an Application for Special Consideration form and Professional Practitioner Certificate or well-attested supporting documentation must be submitted to the Unit Coordinator within seven days of the affected exam. Please refer to special consideration application procedures above. The Unit Coordinator may authorize a student to sit a rescheduled exam provided that the student has satisfied the class attendance requirement and completed all other assessment requirements in that unit of study. If a rescheduled exam is approved, a student is expected to sit the exam which will take place within seven days from the date of written notification. If a student is unable to sit the exam at the rescheduled time, the student should consider to formally request discontinuation from the unit. Please also refer to information Discontinued – not to count as failure (DNF) and Absent fail grades (AF)

Alternative exam dates and forms of assessment

Students are required to be available during the whole of the scheduled exam period at the end of each semester on the dates specified in the exam timetable (or on the dates as specified by the Unit Coordinator in the case of an early or late intensive unit) to complete their exams. The exam timetable is normally finalized six weeks before the exam period. See important dates for exam periods in future semesters. Students have no right to request alternative forms of assessment or alternative exam dates. Only in exceptional circumstances may a Unit Coordinator permit a student to sit an exam earlier or later than the specified exam date. Special consideration may be given in cases of illness or misadventure e.g. the need for a surgical operation on the date of the exam. Special consideration will not be given to planned commitments, such as elective surgery, holiday or work, where the student could reasonably be expected to have scheduled the commitment to not adversely affect their exam. A formal request letter must be forwarded to the Unit Coordinator for consideration at least 4 weeks prior to the scheduled exam date. The request must be accompanied by an Application for Special Consideration form and completed Professional Practitioner Certificate in the case of illness or well-attested supporting documentation in the case of misadventure.

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Results

Publication of Results - Semester 2 2009

MyUni:	from Wednesday 9 December
Posted to students:	Wednesday 16 December  (mailing process may take up to 2  weeks)
Early semester intensive results	Released at the end of the semester (see official results publication dates)
Late semester intensive results:	Unit Coordinators will advise students of the expected results availability date
Late submission of assessments/exams:	Students must always obtain prior approval on an extension of time for submission by completing a Special Consideration Request form. Students should liaise with the relevant Unit Coordinator/Lecturer on the availability of results for assessments/exams which are due late.

Results to come

Results will be posted on MyUni as soon as they become available.

Please enquire directly with your Unit Coordinator regarding any late results. Other enquiries.

Discontinued – not to count as failure (DNF)

In one or all of the following circumstances, it may be in the student’s best interests to request to “discontinue – not to count as failure” (DNF) from the unit until the student is able to resume his/her study effectively:

• if a student is prevented from attending classes for prolonged periods because of serious illness or misadventure, hence, has been unable to fulfill the minimum 70% class attendance requirement (80% for international students). The student may not be permitted to take assessments for that unit; and/or
• if a student is unable to meet the assessment requirements within a reasonable timeframe due to continuing illness or misadventure.

To formally request a DNF, a student must notify the Unit Coordinator in writing as well as completing an Enrolment Variation Request form and lodge it with the Postgraduate Team well before the final exam or assessment due date. Students who discontinue a unit after the relevant census date will not be entitled to a fee refund. Please see important dates. A DNF grade will be entered on the student’s University academic record.

International students must seek advice from the Compliance Officer, International Office, regarding their visa requirements.

Absent fail grades (AF)

In accordance with Academic Board policy, students who fail to “withdraw” or “discontinue – not to count as failure” (DNF) from a unit by the relevant census date, submit assessment or sit an exam on the prescribed date, formally seek an extension to complete their assessment or undertake an exam and in the absence of any compelling grounds for special consideration, will have an "Absent Fail" (AF) grade recorded against the relevant unit(s) on their University academic record.

Completion of studies

If you will complete all course requirements by July/December, the Faculty will issue you with an award (course completion) letter by September/March respectively. Please refer to graduation details. Please do not contact the Graduations Office until you have received your award letter.

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