Requests for reappraisal of assignments or tests usually must include academic grounds. Academic grounds are logical reasons for reappraisal that are directly related to the assignment/subject matter, specifically addressing the items that a student feels were not graded correctly. Academic grounds can be evaluated in terms of accuracy and relevance – they do not appeal to emotion or involve claims that cannot be assessed objectively.
Common reasons for reappraisal rationale that are NOT considered to be valid academic grounds:
- “I deserve more marks because I worked really hard and never missed a class.”
- “My mark does not reflect the amount of time, effort, understanding and knowledge of the material covered in the course.”
- “I got As and A+s in all my other courses.”
- “I’m really close to the letter grade cut-off.”
- “The majority of the other students ended up with a high grade and I am at least 2 letter grades below them.”
- “The TA marked too hard.”
- “I wasn’t feeling well and this interfered with my academic performance.” *
* Graders can only assess the work before them. Course Directors cannot guess how you might perform under better circumstances and assign a grade based on that guess. However, in some cases, extenuating circumstances may be appropriate grounds for submitting a petition to drop a course after the drop deadline. Please consult the documentation regarding undergraduate petitions for more information; please consult the Registrar’s Office Academic Petitions website.
Reappraisals are not automatically granted. Courses usually have guidelines and policies (including time limits) for reappraisal requests during the term, and formal grade reappraisals to a department (after release of final grades) must follow the University Reappraisal Policies. Many reappraisal requests are denied because students do not provide suitable academic grounds or follow the posted guidelines.
Students should be aware that where reappraisal requests are granted, the grade may be raised, lowered or confirmed.