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Late coursework & extension requests

Advice on what to do if you think you may miss a coursework deadline, and the School of Informatics policy on coursework deadlines, which applies across all taught courses.

Late submission of coursework

You should submit assessed coursework by the published deadline. In general, you are expected to plan your time well and include contingency time. For example, if you expect a piece of work to take two days, you should begin it more than two days before its deadline.

However, we recognise that there are sometimes good reasons to submit coursework late. Each piece of coursework has a late submission rule, which tells you whether you can submit it late or not, the penalty for submitting late, the maximum length of extension, and other important information. You should find which late submission rule applies to a piece of coursework on the Course Learn Page. Full details of all the rules used in Informatics are listed in the policy below.

If there are circumstances that affect your ability to complete your coursework on time, and where late submissions are allowed, you can apply for an extension to avoid incurring a late penalty. To request an extension for a piece of coursework, use the online Assessment Support Tool to make the request to the University Extensions and Special Circumstances Service (ESC) team. The ESC team will assess your request and let you know if your request has been accepted. It can take the ESC team several days to let you know their decision, so you should apply for an extension as soon as you think you may need one.

Apply for an extension

If you are registered with the Disability & Learning Support Service and have learning adjustments for extra time on coursework or assessments, you can request to apply an extra time adjustment to pieces of coursework that allow late submissions. You should have learning adjustments for extra time in exams applied to timed Class Tests without having to ask.

Apply for an extra time adjustment

If there are circumstances preventing you from submitting your work within the permitted time, you will need to apply for Special Circumstances.  Please contact your Student Adviser, Personal Tutor or the Student Support Team for more information.  

Contact the Student Support Team

School of Informatics Late Submission Rules and Penalties Policy

The following sets of late submission rules and penalties apply to courses and in some cases individual assessments covering Extensions, Extra Time Adjustments (ETA, a Learning Adjustment permitting an extension on request) and late penalties. They are aligned to the University Taught Assessment Regulations, Extensions and Special Circumstances Service (ESC) and Special Circumstances Policy.

Course Organisers choose which rule and corresponding late penalty to use for individual and group work assessments and must include this information on the Course Learn Page for student reference. Course Organisers must inform the ITO of course late submission Rules and penalties in advance of the start of the course. This information is maintained in EUCLID APT for use by the University’s Extensions and Special Circumstances (ESC) Service. Failure to do so will result in extensions being denied by ESC to students on the course.

Late penalties are applied by ITO as part of mark processing according to each rule. Raw marks without penalty must be provided to ITO for entry/upload into EUCLID APT (Assessment and Progression Tool). EUCLID remains the official University channel for students to receive their marks.

Rule 1: Extensions are permitted (7 days) and Extra Time Adjustments (ETA) are permitted and can be combined.  

Penalty: If assessed coursework with a numerical mark is submitted late without an approved extension, it will be recorded as late and a penalty of 5% per calendar day will be applied for up to 7 calendar days from the original deadline, after which a mark of zero will be given.  If Pass/Fail assessed coursework is submitted late without an approved extension, it will be recorded as late and will be graded as a Fail.

Application of Rule 1

  • To be used for single assessments worth at least 10% of the overall course mark. 

  • ETA for extra time and proofreader are possible, 7 days for each type.     

  • Extra time granted via extensions and both types of ETA can be combined so the maximum extension possible is 21 days where both types of ETA plus an extension are approved. 

  • For electronic submissions, the last version that has been submitted will be marked.   

  • For example, where the deadline is 12:00 UK time, the extended deadline will be 12:00 UK time 7 calendar days from the original deadline. 

  • If a student with an approved extension submits late (>7 calendar days from the original deadline) a mark of zero will be given. 

  • If a student with an approved ETA extension submits late (>7 calendar days from the original deadline) a mark of zero will be given. 

  • If a student with an approved extension plus ETA(s) extension submits late (>14 or >21 calendar days from the original deadline) a mark of zero will be given. 

  • If you are granted an extension for assessed group work please inform the other members of your group and the ITO so they are aware of the extension. 

  • If there are circumstances preventing you from submitting your work within the permitted time, you will need to apply for Special Circumstances.  Please contact your Student Adviser, Personal Tutor or the Student Support Team for more information.  

  • Marks are expected to be returned to students within 28 days of the original submission deadline. 

Rule 2: Extensions are not permitted and Extra Time Adjustments (ETA) for extensions are not permitted.     

Penalty: If assessed coursework is submitted late, it will be recorded as late and a mark of zero will be given.    

Application of Rule 2

  • Only to be used for continuous assessment, individual assessments worth ≤10% of the overall course mark or timed Class Tests.  

  • For electronic submissions, the last version that has been submitted will be marked.   

  • If there are circumstances preventing you from submitting your work within the permitted time, you will need to apply for Special Circumstances.  Please contact your Student Adviser, Personal Tutor or the Student Support Team for more information.  

  • Marks are expected to be returned to students within 14 days of the submission deadline. 

Rule 3: Extensions or Extra Time Adjustments (ETA) s are permitted up to a maximum of 6 days but cannot be combined.     

Penalty: If assessed coursework is submitted late without an approved extension or ETA, it will be recorded as late and a penalty of 5% per calendar day will be applied up to the specified number of calendar days (up to 6 days maximum) from the original deadline, after which a mark of zero will be given.  If Pass/Fail assessed coursework is submitted late without an approved extension, it will be recorded as late and will be graded as a Fail.

Application of Rule 3

  • To be used for assessments where feedback is required to proceed to the next assignment.  Extensions, Extra Time Adjustments (ETA) or Learning Adjustments for extra time for proofreader are permitted, but cannot be combined. The maximum extension is 6 days, but may be fewer if specified.  

  • For electronic submissions, the last version that has been submitted will be marked.    

  • For example, where the deadline is 12:00 UK time, the extended deadline will be 12:00 UK time on the specified number of calendar days from the original deadline (≤6).   

  • If a student with an extension or either type of ETA submits late beyond the specified extended deadline a mark of zero will be given.    

  • If you are granted an extension for assessed group work please inform the other members of your group and the ITO so they are aware of the extension.  

  • If there are circumstances preventing you from submitting your work within the permitted time, you will need to apply for Special Circumstances.  Please contact your Student Adviser, Personal Tutor or the Student Support Team for more information. 

  • Marks are expected to be returned to students within 21 days of the original submission deadline. 

Policy history

  • The June 2017 Teaching Committee was called specifically to discuss potential changes to the late coursework policy, including the adoption of late penalties on a daily basis - 5% per day as stated in the Taught Assessment Regulations to replace the preceding School policy of awarding zero for all late submissions without an approved extension or Extra Time Adjustment (ETA).
  • This policy was reviewed and updated by Teaching Executive in September 2021, to reflect changes in the University’s extensions and special circumstances policy.
  • This policy was last reviewed and updated by Teaching Executive in August 2022. Major changes include:
    • The application of rule 2 to is individual assessments worth ≤10% of the overall course mark or timed Class Tests is now mandatory rather than guidance. The use of rules 1 and rule 3 has been clarified. 
    • Expected mark return dates have been added.
    • Rather than marking the first submission before the deadline, we mark the latest submission submitted, to be more compatible with submission systems now used. 
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