LSE Law School

The School has a “fit to sit” policy that applies to all students. If you submit an assessment, or sit an exam, the School considers you have declared yourself well enough to do so. If you experience disruption to your studies prior to the assessment (e.g. due to personal difficulties, crime, bereavement, illness etc.) you must think carefully about whether you should attempt it or whether you should apply for an extension or request to defer.  Please read on for further information about extensions and deferrals.

If something happens very close to your summative assessment deadline which means it will be impossible for you to submit your work on time, you may apply for an extension. Please remember that this is an application process and not a right.

Please read about the extensions policy BEFORE submitting an application:

• LSE Extensions Policy – information about applying for an extension
• LSE Extensions Policy – student guidance

Once you have read the above information and student guidance and if you believe your circumstances fulfil the criteria you may submit an extension request. Please remember that your circumstances must be sudden, unforeseen, out of your control and proximate to the assessment deadline in question, and that you must be able to demonstrate this in your request and evidence.

You will need to complete the Extension Application Form found here:

• Extension Application Form

For LLB please send your application form to law.llbexams@lse.ac.uk. For LLM please send to law.llmexams@lse.ac.uk.

Once you submit your application you will receive an acknowledgement from the Programmes Team and your application will be considered by a panel. Please remember to submit your application in good time, i.e. a minimum of 48 hours before the deadline, to give the Programmes Team and panel enough time to consider and process your request.

Section 3 of the Extension Application Form asks you to provide an explanation of your circumstances with the following instructions:

Please provide a brief explanation of why you are applying for an extension. Your circumstances must be sudden, unforeseen, out of your control and proximate to the assessment(s) in question. Please continue on a separate sheet if necessary. If you are able to provide any supporting evidence with this request, please list it here.

Please be aware of the following:

• Class teachers, course conveners and GTAs are not permitted to give extensions for summative assessments. You must submit your application, as stated above, to law.llbexams@lse.ac.uk or law.llmexams@lse.ac.uk.
• Ensure you write your explanation carefully, demonstrating all the above criteria. A lot of applications we receive do not provide clear timelines for situations and therefore do not demonstrate proximity. So please provide dates and remember that if this is not clear your application will not be approved.
• Ensure you explain how your circumstances impacted your ability to submit your assessment on time. This must be clear otherwise your application will not be approved.
• Your application should be supported with evidence that meets the LSE Standards of Evidence.
• Please remember the following information (taken from the student guidance) when submitting evidence. ‘A letter written by an independent third party that simply repeats what you have informed them will not be sufficient. …. Please make every effort to obtain independent corroboratory evidence of the impact upon you of your circumstances. It is best not to rely on statements of support from staff if possible’.
• Please do not submit an application and state that evidence will follow. We cannot consider an application until we receive ALL documentation.
• Ensure that all the evidence you submit in support of your application is dated.
• If you are granted an extension it will only be for a short period of time, ie, a few days.

Once the panel has reached a decision you will be notified of the outcome of your application. Please be aware that the decision you receive is final. The Law School would like to reassure students that every application is considered in a confidential and respectful manner. We also ask that students extend the same level of respect to our colleagues as has been afforded them in the application process.

Are there any circumstances where extensions will not be granted? 

Yes. Extensions will NOT be granted for:

• interviews, assessment centres, internships, any form of part-time job or work placement
• any type of extra curricula activity
• IT problems in relation to either hardware or software including loss of IT equipment or work
• an assessment for which you have already received an extension (i.e. it is not possible to receive a further extension for the same assessment)
• submission deadlines that fall at the same time (i.e. when you have multiple assessments to submit, it is your responsibility to manage your workload accordingly)

What happens if I have My Adjustments (MA)?

If you have a MA recommending an extension for assessments, you will still be required to submit an Extension Request Form in good time, i.e. a minimum of 48 hours before the deadline.

If you have an MA that does not include any recommendation for extensions on assessments, you must submit an Extension Request Form and supporting evidence in good time, i.e. a minimum of 48 hours before the deadline.

Are there any assessments where I cannot get an extension?

Yes. Extensions will not be granted for assessments lasting 24 hours or less.

Students have to sit their assessments in the same academic year in which they received their tuition. However, you might, under certain circumstances, be allowed to postpone one or more assessments to the next appropriate assessment opportunity. This process is called deferral.

Please read about the deferral policy BEFORE submitting an application:

LSE Deferral Policy – information about applying for a deferral

LSE Deferral Policy – student guidance

Please remember that this an application process and not a right.

Please read the ‘fit to sit’ policy above in conjunction with deferral guidance. Once you have read the above information and if you believe you fulfil the criteria you may submit a deferral application by completing the Deferral Application Form found here:

Deferral Application Form

For LLB please send your application form to law.llbexams@lse.ac.uk. For LLM please send to law.llmexams@lse.ac.uk.

Once you submit your application you will receive an acknowledgement from the Programmes Team and your application will be considered by a panel. Please remember to submit your application in good time, i.e. a minimum of 48 hours before the deadline, to give the Programmes Team and panel enough time to consider and process your request.

Section 3 of the Deferral Application Form asks you to provide an explanation of your circumstances:

‘Please provide a brief explanation of why you are applying to defer these assessments. Your circumstances must be sudden, unforeseen, out of your control and proximate to the assessment(s) in question.’

Please be aware of the following:

• We would advise you to get in touch with your Academic Mentor to discuss your situation.
• Please remember that class teachers, course conveners and GTAs cannot approve deferral applications. You must submit your application, as stated above, to law.llbexams@lse.ac.uk or law.llmexams@lse.ac.uk.  
• Ensure you write your explanation carefully, demonstrating all the above criteria. A lot of applications we receive do not provide clear timelines for situations and therefore do not demonstrate proximity. So please provide dates and remember that if this is not clear your application will not be approved.
• Your application should be supported with evidence that meets the LSE Standards of Evidence.
• Please do not submit an application and state that evidence will follow. We cannot consider an application until we receive ALL documentation.
• Please remember the following information (taken from the student guidance) when submitting evidence. ‘Whatever evidence you submit, it is crucial that it confirms, either implicitly or explicitly, the impact upon you of your circumstances at the relevant times (for example, your assessment deadline) and is supplied by an independent party that witnessed the impact or where the circumstances/timing are such that the impact can be clearly implied. Decisions will be made solely on your statement and the corroboratory evidence you submit.’ Please ensure the evidence you submit from an independent third party does not simply repeat what you have informed them.

Once the panel has reached a decision you will be notified of the outcome of your application. Please be aware that the decision you receive is final. The Law School would like to reassure students that every application is considered in a confidential and respectful manner. We ask that students extend the same level of respect to our colleagues as has been afforded them in the application process.

Are there any circumstances where deferrals will not be granted? 

Yes. Deferrals will NOT be granted for:

• interviews, assessment centres, internships, any form of part-time job or work placement
• assessments that have already taken place
• submission deadlines that fall at the same time (i.e. when you have multiple assessments to submit, it is your responsibility to manage your workload accordingly)

Can I change my mind after I have deferred?

You may be able to withdraw your deferral if the assessment has not yet been released - please email law.llbexams@lse.ac.uk or law.llmexams@lse.ac.uk to clarify whether this is possible.

To cancel a deferral, please submit an enquiry form to the Student Records Team stating clearly "I would like to withdraw my deferral of..." and list all the courses and components that you now intend to sit.  Your record will then be amended and a mark submitted accordingly. 

If I defer, when do I sit my assessment?

If you defer an LLB assessment during the academic year, you will sit this in the In-Year Resit and Deferral Assessment Period (IRDAP) in August. If you defer an assessment from IRDAP you will sit this the following academic year at the next available opportunity. If you defer a non-centrally scheduled assessment your new submission date will be confirmed to you.

If you defer an LLM assessment you will sit this in the Resit and Deferral Assessment Period (RDAP 1) in January the following academic year. If you defer an assessment from RDAP 1 you will sit this in RDAP 2 in the May/June exam season. If you defer a non-centrally scheduled assessment your new submission date will be confirmed to you.

Please see further information about re-entry here. If you are at all unsure about when your deferred assessment will take place please contact the relevant Programmes Team at law.llbexams@lse.ac.uk or law.llmexams@lse.ac.uk.

Are there limits on how many times I can defer?

Deferral is a permission and not always granted.  

A deferral application will not be approved if it results in the student exceeding the maximum period of registration. The normal maximum period of registration for a three year degree is five years from the initial date of registration and this is stated in the General Academic Regulations for Undergraduate Students. The normal maximum period of registration for a 12-month postgraduate degree is two years and this is stated in the General Academic Regulations for Postgraduate Students. Failure to achieve an award within the maximum period of registration allowed will result in deregistration. Please contact the Student Services Centre if you require further information.

If having submitted an assessment or attempted an exam, you feel your performance was directly impacted by circumstances which are sudden, unforeseen and out of your control you should submit Exceptional Circumstances in order to allow the Exam Board to take your situation into account. To find out more about submitting Exceptional Circumstances please follow this link:

https://info.lse.ac.uk/current-students/services/assessment-and-results/exceptional-circumstances/exceptional-circumstances