Appeals

In some circumstances a student may wish to appeal against their assessment and/or exam marks. Below are the procedures which must be followed for an Appeal.

Appeals will not be accepted unless submitted on the appropriate form. This form is available from Office of Academic & Student Affairs or can be downloaded below. The Appeals Application form must be signed by the student concerned and returned to the Office of Academic and Student Affairs with the correct payment (a schedule of charges is listed below). Third party appeals will not be accepted. Appeals must be received by the Registrar not later than five working days after the formal (on line) date of publication of results. This deadline will be strictly adhered to.

Charges for Lodgement of an Appeal (2011)

The Institute will charge a fee for an appeal of results as follows:

€25 per module up to a maximum of €100

In the event that the appeal is upheld, the fee will be refunded to the student.

Grounds for an Appeal

The apeal application form must clearly identify the element or elements of the assessment/examination for which the review is being sought. It must also specify the grounds on which the review is sought and must contain all information that the candidate requires to have taken into account in the appeal.

An appeal of an examination/assessment result shall be considered if:

The appellant believes he/she was adversely affected by an irregularity in how the examination was conducted (for example, in written exams insufficient or inaccurate information on examination papers, or faulty IT equipment).
The appellant believes he/she was adversely affected by factors which the Examination Board was unaware of when making its decision (for example, personal or medical reasons).
The appellant believes that he/she was adversely affected by an administrative or assessment error, resulting in an incorrect mark being awarded (this would involve a recheck).
The appellant belives that due process was not followed: verification that a student’s examination was assessed in accordance with IADT procedures, and that the process was conducted in a complete and impartial manner. This will include reference to:
- schedule of assessment (modes, timing, weightings of elements of the assessment and their relationship to the calculation of the final mark)
- criteria for each element of the assessment
- communication to the student of requirements for assessment
- feedback (verbal and written) provided for the student as appropriate to the schedule
- validation processes that were applied, e.g. the role of the External Examiner

In exceptional circumstances the Appeals Board may, at its absolute discretion, decide to consider an appeal at any time.

Note: An appeal on the sole grounds of disagreement with an assessment grade will not normally be considered.

Documentary Evidence

Documentary evidence will usually be required to support your appeal application.

Medical or personal nature

An appeal on medical grounds must be supported by appropriate medical certification. An appeal on personal grounds, i.e. relating to personal difficulties, must be supported by documentary evidence provided by a recognised professional (e.g. psychologist, counsellor, etc.). Documentary evidence provided must be legible and stamped by the relevant professional.

Other circumstances

If you are seeking an appeal on the grounds of extenuating circumstances relating to other factors, such as the death of a relative or other incident, written evidence must be submitted, e.g. a death notification or Garda report.

Administrative error or a material irregularity in assessment procedures

If you are seeking an appeal on the grounds of an administrative error or a material irregularity in assessment procedures, which have made a real and substantial difference to your result, you must attach any relevant documentation which supports your case.

Recheck means the administrative operation of checking the recording and addition of marks. This may result in one of the following outcomes:

Mark remains unchanged
Mark is increased
Mark is decreased

A recheck usually applies to written examinations. Before deciding on this as grounds for an appeal, students may wish take the opportunity to view their examination scripts.

Click Here to Download an Appeal Against Examination/Assessment Results Application Form >> (pdf , 40 kbs)

Notice RE Appeal of Assessment Results Spring 2011 (pdf , 106 kbs)

View Scripts Application Form (doc , 133 kbs)