Alternative assessment schedules

Alternative Assessment Schedules (AAS) are changes to the scheduling of an assessment or examination during the final assessment period following each teaching period.

Alternative dates or times for examinations or assessments via this mechanism are allocated to eligible students within this period.

Availability for final assessments

The University advises all students to make themselves available for the duration of all final assessment periods. Holidays, travel plans and weddings are not valid reasons to request alternative assessment times.

You can apply for an AAS if you experience any of the following clashes with a scheduled exam or assessment:

• armed services duty, jury duty, emergency services employee/volunteer
• a religious event or holy day
• a cross-institutional assessment clash
• are required to participate in a state or national sporting, artistic, cultural, academic, or civil event
• practical or clinical placements

If you are unable to attend an assessment event that is scheduled during the teaching period, please speak to your lecturer or subject coordinator.

How to register

If you cannot attend your scheduled assessment for any of these reasons, please submit an AAS form as soon as possible.

Applications close 10 business days prior to the commencement of the Semester 1 and Semester 2 Final Assessment Period. For Terms, applications close 5 business days prior to the start of the final assessment period. Check the dates of the final assessment period on the Exams and results page.

Submit an AAS form

Seeking a review

If your Alternative Assessment Schedule application was unsuccessful, you may seek a review of the decision if you have evidence the decision was not made in accordance with the criteria set out in the Assessment Procedures - Adjustments.

You have 5 business days from the date you were advised of your unsuccessful Alternative Assessment Schedule application to submit your application for review.

It is important that you submit further supporting documentation or your application will be deemed unsuccessful.

How to seek a review

1. Reply to your Alternative Assessment Schedule outcome email outlining how the outcome was not assessed in accordance with the Assessment Procedure - Adjustments.
2. Upload/submit any related documentary evidence

I have submitted an application for review. What happens next?

The review team will assess your application and provide an outcome via your student email within 5 business days.

• Successful outcome (review upheld): Your application is now eligible for Alternative Assessment Schedule and an appropriate outcome will be decided by your school.
• Unsuccessful outcome (review dismissed): Your application was not successful, and the original Alternative Assessment Schedule decision is unchanged.

Ongoing conditions

Students may be eligible for a range of reasonable adjustments to their exams or other assessments, where they have an ongoing mental health or medical condition, neurodiversity, or disability (including physical, neurological, intellectual, sensory, an acquired brain injury, or a specific learning difficulty).

Such adjustments could include, but are not limited to additional time, rest breaks or being seated in a room with fewer students.

If you have an ongoing condition that will affect your assessment, please contact AccessAbility and Inclusion, ideally at the beginning of the teaching period, to discuss what arrangements may be put in place for you. These requests must be made via AccessAbility four weeks prior to the assessment period.

Supplementary/Special assessment period

You will be allowed to sit a supplementary assessment in the next Supplementary Hurdle/Special Assessment period if you have been awarded an SPE (Special exam) or SAHE (Supplementary additional hurdle exam) grade.

If you have an SPA grade, you will be given an alternative assessment by your subject coordinator.

The Supplementary/Special Assessment timetable will be published 1 week prior to the assessment period along with a confirmation email to your student email account.

Any attempted exams from the main assessment period will not be marked and only the results from the supplementary/special assessment will count.