Appendix 1
Guidance on completing a Good Cause claim
You are registered with the Disability Service with a relapsing and remitting condition. In the event that a flare up or exacerbation of that condition impacts your assessment, you may wish to make a Good Cause claim and we hope that this guidance and the attached letter will support you to make such a claim.
General information about Good Cause is available in the FAQs.
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What does Good Cause cover?
Good Cause is concerned with circumstances that affect your ability to complete assessment. The usual outcome from a successful Good Cause claim is that you will take the assessment at a later date. It is important to understand that Good Cause only relates to affected assessment, i.e. it concerns events that prevent you from demonstrating in an assessment what you have learned on the course.
If you are experiencing longer lasting difficulties, meaning that your learning has been affected too, then Good Cause is not the appropriate process. In that case you should ask for advice: this could come from your own named Adviser of Studies (if you have one), the College Advising Office or a Student Support Officer. You may also wish to discuss with your Disability Adviser whether your support needs should be reviewed. The important thing is to seek help as soon as you find that you are having difficulties keeping up with your studies. Please do not wait until your assessments are due.
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Completing a Good Cause claim
If your assessment has been affected by a flare up of your relapsing and remitting condition – meaning that you did not complete the assessment, you submitted it late or you believe that your performance was significantly affected – you should submit a Good Cause claim. This is done through MyCampus.
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Describing the circumstances
As noted above, Good Cause is only concerned with circumstances that occurred around the time of the assessment. You do not need to give an extensive description of the circumstances but it is very important that you explain that there was a flare-up of your condition and say what period of time was affected and how this related to the timing of the assessment. In the case of an exam that might include some of the revision period.
E.g. ‘I was unable to take my exam on 25 April because I was experiencing a flare up of my arthritis. The pain and swelling in my joints has been increasing for the last 10 days, meaning that my mobility has been badly affected and I have been very fatigued due to disrupted sleep. I have had to significantly increase my medication, which has also impacted my ability to concentrate.’
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Evidence to support your Good Cause claim
As you complete your Good Cause claim in MyCampus you will be prompted to upload supporting evidence. The attached letter can be used for that purpose. It confirms that you are registered with the Disability Service with a relapsing and remitting condition, and that it is not necessary for you to obtain any additional supporting evidence relating to the specific flare up at the time of the affected assessment.
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Professor Martin Hendry
Clerk of Senate and Vice Principal
May 2024