6. Essential Information for All Students

ACLT courses are governed by ACLT’s Regulations. The Regulations are available on the designated area of the ACLT website. Full texts are also available from the Administration Team.

These notes outline the main features of the regulations as guidance to you. It is very important that you read them and continue to revisit them and understand your responsibilities during the course of your studies.

You have been supplied with this Student Handbook, an Academic Handbook and module materials relevant to your course which contain important information on the structure and specific requirements for your course and modules. You must read these documents: familiarise yourself with the information and refer to it throughout your studies, especially when preparing assignments or sitting examinations. Failure to consult this information will not constitute an acceptable defence in the case of an allegation of misconduct or a missed deadline.

By enrolling with ACLT, you accept and agree to abide by ACLT’s Regulations, codes of conduct and other provisions and accept your responsibilities as a student. You also accept liability to pay fees at the appropriate rate and by the due date.

PLEASE NOTE: All official e-correspondence from ACLT will be sent to your registered email account. Failure to access information that is sent to your email account will not constitute an acceptable defence in the case of an allegation of misconduct or a missed deadline. You are required to check your inbox on a regular basis. If you change your email you must inform the Administration team (aclt@lawcabs.ac.uk) and update your details on the OLE.

6.1 Engagement and Timetabling on the new course

Engagement is via an online environment and you are expected to engage with one hour of tutorial time per week and undertake the activities set. Your tutorial will take place on a forum designated for your tutor group. There is also a general forum and you MUST check this regularly. You are required to attend one compulsory seminar each year and are also invited to a revision session. You will need to check ACLT’s Academic Calendar to identify when particular modules are being delivered. Once you have signed up, you will need to continue for the entire academic year unless you defer or postpone your studies.

If you decide defer, postpone or withdraw from the whole course, you must discuss this with the Administration Team. There are clearly defined procedures that need to be followed. If you withdraw before the induction you will be eligible for a full refund on your tuition fees. The ACL Office, in accordance with the ACLT Payment of Fees and Refund Policy, determines refunds. 

6.2 Assignment Submission

The term ‘assignment’ is used to describe any type of assessed work that falls outside the definition of examination. This may include essays, fact patterns, locally arranged phase tests etc. You will be given a schedule of what you will have to do at the beginning of each module, together with guidance on what is expected of you.

Each module will be assessed by written assignment as you go so that you will be sure that you are making progress. The deadlines are prescriptive; each module assessment must be submitted on the final Sunday of the module by 23.59.

Please consult the Academic Calendar and relevant assignment briefs. All submissions are to be made in the relevant area of the OLE. Our aim is that you will receive feedback 3 weeks after the deadline for the submission. However, please remember that until the relevant assessment board has taken place the marks are provisional and subject to change. Please make sure you make the most of feedback given and transfer any relevant points to your Personal Development Plan. If there is part of your feedback you do not understand or disagree with you should approach your tutor and discuss the same.

You are required to attempt all assessed aspects of your course at the first opportunity. If you don’t and you do not have a valid deferral (a process that a student must follow in advance to gain permission to defer their assessment due to extenuating circumstances) you will not be allowed a re-sit attempt. A deferral can be granted retrospectively but the onus will be on you to provide sufficient evidence to justify the same.

There are standard procedures for submitting your work, applying for an extension to the deadline and requesting a deferral of an assessment. These can be found on each Assignment Submission page of the OLE or in ACLT’s regulations (Chapter 3 Assessment Regulations). ACLT will also be able to offer you advise in relation to your options/applications.

6.3 Fit to Sit

ACLT has adopted a Fit to Sit Policy which means that if you sit an assessment you are declaring yourself well enough to do so. If you submit an assignment or sit an examination you cannot later claim that your performance was affected by extenuating circumstances. Therefore, if you feel that their circumstances are seriously affecting your ability to prepare for or sit an assessment; you should not take the assessment and submit an extension or deferral application in line with ACLT Policy. 

Students are deemed to make the following declaration upon submission of an assignment or attempting an examination:

I understand that by submitting this assignment or sitting this examination I am declaring that I am fit to sit it and I cannot later claim that my performance was affected by extenuating circumstances.

6.4 Assignment Word Counts

The Assignment Brief will advise you whether any word limit is a guideline or whether your ability to write within the word limit is actually part of the assessment of the piece of work concerned. If the limit set is a maximum, or a minimum, then a penalty of 10% of the total mark awarded for that piece of work will be applied for exceeding the requirement by 10% or more.

The assignment brief will advise you of the submission procedure and the date by which you are to submit your completed work. You must ensure that you manage your time to meet this deadline (otherwise you will receive a mark of zero). 

6.5 Extensions

It is essential that you hand your work in at the specified time, place and method. Work submitted after the specified deadline shall be awarded a mark of 0% or a fail grade as appropriate. If you fail to submit work for assessment or attend examinations shall be deemed to have failed the assessments concerned and shall be recorded as absent. You will not be entitled to re-sit an assessment where you are marked as absent. You will be required to pay to re take that module at the next opportunity, usually the next academic year.

Should unforeseen circumstances arise, before the due date of the work, then you may apply for an extension to the submission deadline. In usual circumstances this will be for up to two calendar weeks. Extensions can only be given for genuine extenuating circumstances and medical reasons, not for bad planning of your time. Theft or loss of assignment, or failure to keep back-up files, are not valid reasons.

You must use the appropriate application form to request an extension. This is available from the Assignment Submission page of the OLE, the ACLT Website (Chapter 3 Assessment Regulations) or LawCAB . This form must be accompanied by original, supporting documentary evidence in all cases. This evidence may take the form of a doctor’s note or some other documentation (e.g. counsellor’s report).

The completed documentation should be emailed to (aclt@lawcabs.ac.uk) before the due date/deadline. Your request will be considered and, if you are successful, you will be given a new date by which you must complete and hand in your work. It is not possible to apply for a second extension for the same piece of work.

6.6 Deferrals 

Requests for deferrals on grounds of extenuating circumstances may also be made using the procedure set out above and must be accompanied by verifiable and current third party evidence. Deferred first assessments shall be treated as a first attempt.

The deferral procedure is not an appropriate measure in respect of permanent or long-term conditions or situations. If you are experiencing special long term difficulties arising from changes in your personal, medical or work circumstances you may apply or be advised to interrupt your studies for up to 12 consecutive months. The period of interruption shall be included within the maximum registration period for the award. When you return from a period of interruption of studies you shall be subject to the Regulations that apply to the cohort being joined. Marks obtained up to the point of interruption will stand.

6.7 Extenuating Circumstances 

Where your performance or attendance at an examination or assessment has been impaired by unforeseen illness or some other unforeseeable circumstance which was outside of your control, during or immediately before an assessment or examination, you can apply to have your examination or assessment result or attempt disregarded. 

This means that the results are processed as if the assessment or examination has never been taken. If an application is granted and the Assessment Board allows a re-take of the examination or assessment, it will be treated as a first sit and the mark awarded will not be capped. However, should an application be rejected and you are offered another opportunity to re-sit an assignment the mark will be capped at the pass rate for the assignment in question.

The application must be made in writing (by email) and submitted to ACLT at LawCAB no later than 10 working days after the assessment was due or the examination was sat. Applications must be supported by third party evidence. 

6.8 Assignment Marking

Marked work will be returned to you with feedback indicating the strengths and weaknesses of that assignment. The marking of all assessed assignment tasks is subject to internal moderation. A sample of work across a range of marks will be subject to the internal moderation process. On occasions, there may be written comments on some of your assessed work which indicates that it has been included in the moderated sample although this will not be the case on every moderated assignment. The work of the assessment team and internal moderation team will then be considered by an external examiner who prepares a report for consideration by the assessment board.

6.9 Academic Dishonesty

Academic dishonesty covers any attempt by a student to gain unfair advantage (e.g. extra marks) for her/himself, or for another student, by unauthorised means. Examples of such dishonesty include collusion, falsification, deceit, plagiarism and cheating in examinations. 

Collusion includes the conscious collaboration, without official approval, between two or more students, or between a student(s) and another person, in the preparation and production of work which is then submitted as individual work. In cases where one (or more) student has copied from another, both/all students involved may be penalised. The boundary between legitimate co-operation and unacceptable collusion varies according to the type of work involved. Staff setting the assessment exercise will issue clear guidance on how much co-operation is acceptable. 

Falsification includes the presentation of fictitious or deliberately distorted data in, for example, laboratory work, surveys or projects. This also includes citing references that do not exist. 

Deceit includes misrepresentation or non-disclosure of relevant information, including the failure to disclose any cases of work being submitted for assessment which have been or will be used for other academic purposes. 

Plagiarism is the act of using other people's words, images etc. as if they were your own. In order to make clear to readers the distinction between your words, images etc. and the work of others, it is essential that you reference your work accurately. 

Clear guidance on correct referencing is provided in the Academic Handbook which is provided with your course materials; thereby assisting you with avoiding a charge of plagiarism. It is obvious when a student has copied words from a text without referencing, as there is a change of writing style each time. If you do not reference your work correctly, it will come across as if you had 'stolen' words or ideas from other sources. ACLT may use computer software to check students’ work for potential plagiarism or improper citation. 

Self-plagiarism is the re-use of significant, identical, or near identical portions of your own previously submitted work without acknowledging that you are doing so or without citing the original work.

Re-presentation is the submission of work presented previously or simultaneously for summative assessment at this institution.

Cheating is defined as any attempt to gain an unfair advantage in an assessment (including examinations) or assisting another student to do so. It includes: taking unauthorised materials into examinations, copying from other candidates, collusion, impersonation, plagiarism and unauthorised access to unseen examination papers. 

It is in the best interests of all students for ACLT to maintain the good reputation of its awards. Your co-operation is expected in actively protecting the integrity of the assessment process. It is the duty of all students to observe high personal standards of academic honesty in their studies and to report any instances of malpractice of which they become aware.

The minimum penalty for a proven case of academic dishonesty is a mark of zero in that module, with the maximum being exclusion from the ACLT course. Where there is a proven case of academic dishonesty subsequent to completion of the qualification the student may have their award rescinded.

6.10 Examinations

At the end of each unit you are required to undertake a synoptic examination representing 60% of the unit grade. You are required to attempt the examination at the first opportunity. If you don’t and you do not have a valid deferral you will not be entitled to a re-sit.

Full details of the regulations that govern the examination process are available in ACLT’s Regulations (Chapter 3 Assessment Regulations). 

It is essential that you do not book holidays or make other commitments during the examination periods or during any other assessment or re-assessment period, as on the Academic Calendar or as advised by your tutors. Examinations will be held at venues deemed convenient for all and it is your responsibility to ensure you have made the necessary travel arrangements to ensure you arrive on time.

You should always arrive in plenty of time for your examinations as you may not be permitted to start late. If you do arrive late and are permitted to start, you will not be allowed extra time at the end in compensation for your late arrival. The invigilator will explain the procedures for the examination and is available to answer any queries you may have. You should always ensure that you have the correct exam paper. If your first language is not English, you may use a bilingual dictionary for the first 15 minutes of the examination to ensure you understand the questions, after which it will be removed by the invigilator for collection by you after the session. If this applies to you then please indicate this when booking the exam with the ACLT office. Programmable calculators and portable computers are not permitted in the exam room and will be confiscated. At the end of the  examination you must remain silent and not leave your seat until all papers are placed in the envelopes provided.

If you need special examination arrangements due to illness, disability (physical or sensory) or for religious reasons you must inform ACLT well in advance of the examination period. Please contact aclt@lawcabs.ac.uk at least one month in advance of the scheduled date. 

If there is a fire alarm or other emergency during the examination, please leave the room calmly and quietly. You should not take anything with you and must not talk to other students. If there is any talking during an alarm the exam may be declared void and further assessment will then be carried out at a later date. If you do not adhere to these rules you may be accused of cheating and appropriate penalties may be applied.

6.11 Illness or other circumstances that affect your studies/examinations

If you are unwell and feel that the illness is affecting your ability to complete work or attend an examination, then you should make an appointment to see your GP and obtain certified evidence (e.g. medical certificate, doctor’s note etc.) This is a requirement of the procedures. 

If illness or other circumstances affect your ability to meet a deadline for handing in as assessed assignment or your ability to sit an examination, you should consult the detailed guidance on the procedures for dealing with extenuating circumstances. 

These may be accessed on the ACLT website or a copy is obtainable from ACLT (aclt@lawcabs.ac.uk). In brief, these procedures allow you to request:

• an extension of an assignment deadline (normally up to a maximum of two weeks);
• a deferral of assessment for an assignment or an examination.

An extension means you complete the same assignment and submit it up to two weeks late. A deferral means you defer the module and submit the assignment the following year without repeating any periods of study.

All such requests must be submitted before the hand-in date of the assignment or the date of the examination and they must be accompanied by appropriate corroborative evidence. Copies of the evidence should be submitted and all documents from medical practitioners must have a genuine practice stamp imprinted to confirm authenticity. It is not possible to accept retrospective evidence.

The handing in of an assignment or attendance at an examination will be regarded as a declaration that you were fit for the assessment or examination and no subsequent claims for extenuating circumstances regarding that assessment or examination will be accepted.

6.12 Assessment Boards, Re-assessment and Results

For module assessments provisional marks will be released to the OLE following internal moderation; for examination papers marks will not be released until the assessment procedure is complete.

After each module assessment or examination period your module assessment or examination paper will be marked. Thereafter a sample of papers will be internally moderated. External examiners (subject experts from outside ACLT) then select a proportion of papers (for module assessments and examinations) for further consideration. This is part of a national system that ensures that standards are comparable across most UK education institutions.

Once external examination is complete, an Assessment Board takes place. Your results will be considered and your position reviewed. 

The results for each module, examination and unit are considered at an Assessment Board that determines whether the components of the assessment reach the required standard. The Assessment Board will consider each student on a particular course and makes decisions on progression and awards. 

The final mark recorded for your assignment, for example, may differ from the total of the marks that you have been notified of via the OLE. After the Assessment Board has determined your marks for the module assessment or examination, your mark will be final.

If you have made a submission at the first opportunity, but do not pass your module assessment, you may be permitted to be re-assessed by either re-sitting the assessment without re-enrolment on the module or by re-taking the whole of the module at the next opportunity with a new enrolment. Re-assessment by re-sit is restricted to two attempts per module. For assignments one re-sit per module is included within the course fees but an additional payment will be required should you be required to re-sit the examination and/or complete a third assessment in respect of a module. 

If you do not succeed in redeeming the failure(s) via re-sit, you may register, at the discretion of the Assessment Board, to repeat the module. A further re-assessment attempt is associated with this repeated study and fees will be payable. The further re-assessment will be required to be undertaken when the module next runs, which is likely to be in the next academic year.

Where a module is repeated, then complete re-assessment in all components is required. Original marks for any part of an assessment completed are not carried forward to combine with repeat marks.

The overall module mark for a re-assessed module will be capped at 50%. 

Students are required to pass all assessments in order to be eligible to sit the unit examination. Students may, however, at the discretion of the Academic Board, carry forward one re-sit or deferral to the next academic year and still sit the unit examination. However, that unit will not be passed until all assessments and the unit examination have been undertaken and passed.

6.13 Reviews and Appeals 

If you wish to request a review, or make an appeal against an Assessment Board decision, you must put your case in writing stating your grounds for requesting a review and provide full supporting documentation. You should then send your request to the ACLT office (aclt@lawcabs.ac.uk) within 10 working days of the relevant Assessment Board. The relevant date for the Assessment Board is posted on the main forum of the OLE. Disagreement with the academic judgement of an Assessment Board in assessing the merits of an individual piece of work, or in reaching a decision on a student’s progression, or on the final level of an award, based on the marks, grades and other information relating to the student’s performance, cannot in itself constitute grounds for a request by a student for  reconsideration. Any alleged inadequacy of supervision or in other arrangements during a period of registration as an ACLT student is not admissible grounds for review.

Full details of how to request a review or appeal following the publication of your results is available in ACLT’s Regulations (Chapter 3 Assessment Regulations) or from ACLT (aclt@lawcabs.ac.uk).

Please note: If you have submitted a request for a review of your results, or if any subsequent appeal is still in progress, you should consider carefully before accepting your award as acceptance will indicate agreement with the award. You would therefore not be entitled to continue with your appeal.