(Faculty Policy)

Special examination privileges are available only for courses in which the final examination is worth at least 50% of the final grade. Special examinations are not available in courses in which there is no final examination option or in courses in which evaluation is based on skills-based exercises such as advocacy trials, moots, negotiation exercises or clinical placements.
 
The Academic Standing and Policies Committee may grant special examination privileges on documented medical or documented personal or compassionate grounds in the following circumstances:
a Where the student's performance has been adversely affected on a required examination.
b Where the student was unable to write or complete a required examination.
 
Any student seeking such relief must submit an application for special examination privileges to the Academic Standing and Policies Committee within one week of the date of the examination for which special examination privileges will be sought. If the extent of the impairment of performance was not apparent until the grades for the term are released, then the student must submit an application for special examination privileges to the Academic Standing and Policies Committee within one week of the release of grades for the term in which the course for which the student intends to bring a request for special examination privileges was offered. These deadlines may be extended by the Committee in exceptional circumstances. The student should make submissions to the Committee through the Assistant Dean of Students, Jane Emrich (jane.emrich@queensu.ca, tel: 533-6000 ext. 74283).  Students must complete and submit the Application to Academic Standing and Policies Committee form which is available in room 200 and on-line at http://law.queensu.ca/students/jdProgram/studentForms/AcademicStandingsAndPoliciesForm.pdf. 
The student must also provide documentation of the medical, personal or compassionate grounds supporting the request. The Committee also has discretion to grant special examination privileges in exceptional circumstances.

 

Notes:

1 In considering requests for special examination privileges or other special consideration, the Committee requires supporting evidence of adverse medical or personal circumstances affecting performance. This information is kept confidential to the Committee. Applicants are strongly advised to document the claim as closely as possible to the date of the claimed special circumstances and with as specific information as possible. Such documentation should be issued by a doctor who was treating the student at the relevant time or other appropriate health professional from the Student Health, Counselling and Disability Services Office.

2 "Compassionate grounds" for a special examination will generally arise only where a serious family crisis or illness would have a direct and foreseeable impact on the student's ability to write their examinations as scheduled.  If a student misses an exam for reasons of personal exigency that do not meet this threshold for compassionate grounds, the student may be permitted to write a special examination with penalty, and the grade received will be lowered by one grade point, with or without academic penalty. 
 
SCHEDULING OF SPECIAL EXAMINATIONS
The Faculty Board has established designated time periods for writing special examinations. For fall term courses, this period is the second week of February. For winter term courses this period is the last full week of July. If a student, who has been granted special examination privileges, fails to write the examination without adequate notice of inability to write on the scheduled date, a grade of F shall be recorded for the examination. No further deferral of special examination privileges will be granted in respect to that attempt of the course. The adequacy of the notice and of the reasons given for inability to write the exam are matters for the Committee to decide. If the failure to give adequate notice is justified by the underlying medical, personal or compassionate grounds that support the need for special examination privileges, then a further deferral of the special examination privileges would be granted by the Committee upon written request from the student. As a general rule, if the Committee grants a further deferral, such exams will be deferred to the next official or designated examination period. If the student fails to write special examination privileges after two deferrals, the student may be required by the Committee to withdraw from the course without academic penalty.

 

EXAMINATION UNDERTAKINGS FOR SPECIAL EXAMINATIONS

Students who are granted special examination privileges by the Academic Standing and Policies Committee are required to complete and sign an examination undertaking. The examination undertaking expresses that the student has not, or will not discuss, or in any way attempt to ascertain the contents of the examination for which special privileges have been granted as it is possible that some of the questions may overlap with those on the special examination.  Failure to comply with the conditions of a signed undertaking constitutes a breach of professional ethics, and is considered a form of academic dishonesty that is subject to disciplinary action.
 
TRANSCRIPT NOTATION WHEN SPECIAL EXAMINATION PRIVILEGES ARE GRANTED
For all courses in which special examination privileges are granted and not lost by failure to write the examination on the scheduled date without notice or with notice, but without adequate reason for failure to write, the official transcript will reflect an examination deferred notation (GD) until such time as the final course grade is received and approved by Faculty Board.