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Special Consideration explained

If you experience difficulties or serious circumstances before or up to the day of your exam that you believe may affect your ability to sit the exam successfully or perform at your best, you can apply for Special Consideration in the marking of your exam. You should do this as soon as possible before or on the scheduled exam date.

Examples of circumstances where Special Consideration may be granted include:

  • Medical circumstances including recent hospital stay or severe illness

  • Family or personal difficulties including a medical problem within your family or personal trauma.

Please note: two or more exams scheduled consecutively or within a 24-hour period is not considered a special circumstance.

Applying for Special Consideration

Download, complete and submit the Application for Special Consideration in an Examination form. Copies of the form are also available from the Student Centre or Counselling on the Cairns and Townsville campuses.

Attach relevant documents with your application:

  • For applications on medical grounds, attach a medical certificate.

  • For applications on personal/psychological grounds, attach an appropriate counsellor certificate.

  • For applications on other grounds, supply relevant documentation. This could include, where relevant, a Statutory Declaration stating the facts on which your application relies, for example, a death certificate, funeral notice or police or accident report.

All documents must be originals, or certified copies of the original. Faxed or emailed documents will not be accepted.

When should I apply?

Submit your Application for Special Consideration in an Examination form as soon as possible before or on the scheduled exam date.

When will I learn the outcome of my Special Consideration application?

If you apply for and are granted Special Consideration, your lecturer will take your circumstances into account when marking your exam paper.

You will NOT be advised of the outcome of your application. You will learn the outcome of your application only when subject results are officially released. Possible outcomes are:

  1. You will be successful in passing your subject, and this will be shown on your subject result.

  2. You will not be successful in passing your subject and this too will be shown on your subject result.

  3. Your lecturer may recommend you sit a ‘Supplementary exam’ for your subject. If this is done and the supplementary exam is granted, this will appear on your subject results as ‘NS’ (supplementary exam granted).

Being granted Special Consideration does not guarantee that you will be offered a supplementary exam or that you will obtain a passing grade in your subject.

More information

Contact the Student Centre. See also Special Consideration, Supplementary, Deferred and Special Examinations Requirements policy.