How to write an academic appeal letter (UK)

The grounds an academic appeal can be based on

Each university sets out its own permitted grounds in its academic regulations, and an appeal outside those grounds can be rejected without being considered. The OIA's Good Practice Framework describes the grounds most commonly used. Read your own regulations first and name the ground in your letter using the university's wording.

Why "my work deserved a higher mark" usually fails

Most universities' appeal procedures do not allow students to question academic judgment: the view of academic staff on the quality of the work or on how the marking criteria apply to it. The OIA's own rules give examples of what normally involves academic judgment, including marks awarded, degree classification, research methodology and whether feedback is correct or adequate. What is not academic judgment is whether the procedures were fair and correctly applied, what the facts were and how evidence was considered, and whether there is evidence of bias or maladministration. So an appeal that the marker was wrong will usually be rejected; an appeal that the marker was not given your approved extension, or that the board never saw your evidence, can be considered.

Extenuating circumstances: the "good reason" test

If you are relying on circumstances the board did not know about, the appeal generally has to explain why you did not tell the university at the time. The framework's wording is that, for good reason, the academic body was not made aware of the circumstances when it made its decision. So the appeal needs to cover two things: what the circumstances were and how they affected the assessment, and why you could not tell the university before the board met. Give dates for both, and attach evidence for both where you can.

Evidence and deadlines

Appeal deadlines are set by each university in its regulations. Check the date and submit in time even if some evidence is still coming: say what you are waiting for and when you expect it. Evidence should prove the ground, not just the hardship — a dated medical letter covering the assessment period, the email approving your extension, or the published procedure showing the step that was missed.

After the university's final decision

If the appeal is not upheld at the last internal stage, the university should send you a Completion of Procedures letter. In England and Wales you can then ask the OIA to review the case, free of charge; it must receive your complaint within 12 months of the date of that letter. The OIA cannot look at whether your work deserved a different mark, but it can look at whether procedures were fair and correctly applied, how the evidence was considered, and whether there is evidence of bias. On plagiarism findings, the OIA's guidance says the judgment of whether work is plagiarised normally involves academic judgment but must be evidence based. In Scotland the equivalent route is the SPSO, and in Northern Ireland NIPSO.

Academic appeal letter

Edit this template with your facts, dates, and requested outcome before sending.

Subject: Academic appeal — [your name], student number [number], [module / progression decision / award]

Dear [Academic Appeals Officer / Registry],

I am submitting an academic appeal under [the university's academic appeals regulations, section reference] against [the decision — for example, the Board of Examiners' decision of [date] that I must repeat Year 2 / my mark of [mark] for [module]].

Ground of appeal: [choose the ground(s) your regulations allow — for example, procedural irregularity in the assessment process / circumstances affecting my performance that, for good reason, I could not disclose before the board met / bias or a reasonable perception of bias].

What happened:
1. [Factual account with dates — for example, the exam was run with the wrong paper for the first 20 minutes / my extension request of [date] was approved in writing but the late penalty was still applied / I was admitted to hospital on [date], two days before the deadline.]
2. [Why you could not raise it earlier, if relying on new circumstances — for example, I was not able to obtain medical evidence until [date].]

How this affected the decision: [explain the link between the ground and the outcome].

I am not asking the university to re-mark my work on its academic merit. I am asking it to [the remedy — for example, remove the late penalty / allow a further attempt without penalty / refer the decision back to the board with the evidence].

Enclosed: [medical letter, emails, extension approval, anything that proves the ground].

Please confirm receipt and the expected timescale.

Yours sincerely,
[Your name]
[Student number]
[Course]
[Contact details]

Common mistakes to avoid

• ✕Arguing that the work deserved a higher mark, which most procedures do not allow
• ✕Not naming which of the university's permitted grounds the appeal relies on
• ✕Relying on circumstances the board did not know about without explaining why you could not disclose them earlier
• ✕Missing the appeal deadline while waiting for evidence, instead of submitting and saying what is to follow
• ✕Sending evidence of hardship that does not cover the dates of the assessment
• ✕Asking for an outcome the appeal panel cannot give, rather than the remedy the regulations allow

Next steps

1. 1Download your university's academic appeals regulations and note the deadline
2. 2Match what happened to one of the permitted grounds, in the university's words
3. 3Gather evidence that proves the ground and covers the relevant dates
4. 4Write the appeal, stating clearly that you are not challenging academic judgment
5. 5If it is refused at the final stage, keep the Completion of Procedures letter and note the 12-month OIA deadline
6. 6Ask your students' union advice service to read the appeal before you submit it