Appeals and Complaints
What to do if you have a query about your results?
When your results are released we strongly encourage you to you take some time to consider your result, and wait until you have received all of your course results before taking action. The School has a rigorous procedure for the confirmation of course grades, which includes internal and external moderation as well as the review and confirmation of grades by the School of Law Board of Examiners. This all takes place before grades are released, however we have outlined some additional steps which may help you to better understand the result you have received. If you have a query about your course results, we encourage you to take each of the following steps in the order that they appear:
- Review your exam script or assessment submission on Learn: You can access your exam script or assessment submission by logging in to the course Learn site. This is the online equivalent of a script viewing. If you are not sure how to access your exam script or assessment submission, you should review the How to access your Exam Script & Assessment Submission instructions on Law UG Community. You will have access to your exam script on the same date that grades are released on MyEd. In most cases, you will have access to your assessment submission 15 working days after the submission deadline. If you have questions about the marks you receive, then it is vital that you review your exam script or assessment submission on Learn and review any feedback you may have received. Please be aware that for exam scripts, not all courses will provide individual exam feedback. If you do not have any individual feedback, then you should proceed to Step 2 and review the generic feedback when it is available.
- Review the generic feedback & course statistics on Learn: Each Ordinary course will produce generic feedback for exams. This will be posted on the relevant course Learn site as soon as possible and within fifteen working days of the release of grades. An announcement will be posted to notify students when the generic feedback and statistics have been made available on Learn.
If you are required to take a resit examination, then you are strongly encouraged to carefully review your exam script and the generic feedback, this will help you to identify areas for improvement, which will assist you in preparing for the resit. - Request a meeting with the Course Organiser: If you have undertaken step one and reviewed your exam script or assessment submission, and completed step two by reviewing any individual or generic feedback and course statistics, then you may contact the Course Organiser to seek further feedback. They may be able to discuss your results and identify areas for improvement.
If you have a question about the impact of your course results on your progression, or concerns about your progress in general then we encourage you to contact the Student Support Office, or to speak to your Personal Tutor: If you are unsure as to who your Personal Tutor is you can find this on MyEd.
a) Appeals guidance
An appeal is an attempt to get the University to reconsider a decision that has affected you. You can appeal against course marks, progression and exclusion decisions, decisions about your final degree classification, and the decisions of Student Discipline Officers and Fitness to Practice panels.
The University only considers appeals that meet particular criteria (or ‘grounds’). Note that the grounds for appeal are very specific, and your appeal must conform to these requirements in order to stand a chance of being upheld.
Go to the Appeals website
b) Complaints
The University of Edinburgh is committed to enhancing the experience of our students. We aim to ensure that our teaching, support services and student union activities provide positive experiences and opportunities for our students. If we are to achieve that aim, it is important that we know what is and is not working. The complaint procedure is designed to ensure that complaints are properly investigated and are given careful and fair consideration.
If you are considering making a complaint to the University, you should first:
- Try to sort out the problem with those who are directly involved if you feel able to do so. Generally complaints are resolved more easily and effectively at an early stage and by those who have a direct influence on the situation. We call this “Frontline Resolution”.
- Have a look at the information and guidance accessible via the link below which explain the complaint procedure.
- Speak to an Adviser at the Students’ Association Advice Place. Students’ Association Advisers have a great deal of relevant experience and knowledge of the University procedures, and can also assist with potential complaints about interpersonal matters involving students or staff.
Go to the Complaint handling procedure