Explanation of grades and appeals - Kunnskapsbasen
Explanation of grades and appeals
Here you will find information on how to request for an explanation of grade, how to appeal a grade or appeal of other individual decisions.
Norsk versjon - Begrunnelse og klage
Topic page about exams | Pages labelled with exam
Explanation of grades
If you plan to request for an explanation of grade, you should first read through the guidelines for examiners. A written guideline is prepared for all examinations and should be available after the grade has been announced.
Deadline
- 1 week from the date the exam results were announced.
- You can only request an explanation after the examination result is announced.
- If a course consists of multiple sub-assessments, you must request an explanation after each sub-assessment has been announced.
- For oral or practical examinations, you must request an explanation immediately after you have been informed of the grade.
- When you request an explanation of grade for a group work where a common grade is given, you must request an explanation individually. When the explanation is given individually, only the group member(s) who have requested an explanation will get an extended deadline for appeals.
Requesting an explanation of grade awarded
Request an explanation of the grade through Studentweb
Click "More" in the top menu and select "Exam appeals". Find the correct course and click the button "Request explanation of grade". If it is not possible to request for an explanation of grade in Studentweb, use the PDF-form below.
Processing the explanation of grade
You should receive an explanation of the grade within two weeks, either orally or in writing, at the examiner's discretion.
If you have requested an explanation through Studentweb, you will receive an email notification when the written explanation is available. You will find the explanation in Inspera Assessment. Log in to Inspera Assessment and find the relevant exam under "Archive". Click "See more details" in order to read the explanation.
Appealing a grade
- You can complain about the grade if you believe that it does not match your academic performance. If you plan to appeal a grade, you should first read through the guidelines for examiners and request for an explanation of grade. You may appeal without asking for an explanation of the grade.
- Complaints about the grading of group work, where a common grade is given, must be sent individually. Any change of grade will only apply to the complainant.
- You cannot appeal the assessment of an oral examination. The same applies to other assessments that cannot be reviewed because of the nature of the test (such as practical training).
- Students can appeal a grade only after the final grade in the course has been announced. If the course consists of several assessments, you need to specify whether you are appealing the grade from one or more assessments. This is only possible when each assessment is given a grade. Note that if you appeal a grade on a portfolio assessment, all parts of the portfolio will be assessed again.
- The course description can state that you can appeal a grade after a mid-term assessment, when the received grade prevents you from finishing the course on time.
- New examiners must be appointed for any appeal. These examiners should not have any information about the initial grade, the explanation for it or the basis for the student's appeal.
- The result from the appeal process is final and may be the same as, better or worse than the original grade. You can not appeal against the new grade.
- If you re-sit an exam to improve your grade and appeal this grade, the grade you will be awarded is the better grade after the first and final grades are compared.
- If the grade is based on both a written and an oral examination, and the assessment of the written part of the examination is changed, a new oral examination will be held to determine the final grade.
- Results from the appeal process who deviates with two or more grades from the original grade, will be reviewed again before a final grade is determined. It is only at this stage that your justification becomes available to the examiners.
- You are able to withdraw the appeal until the complaint is settled.
- If you have failed your exam and are awaiting your appeal to be processed, you must register for the re-sit exam within the registration deadline. It is not possible to register for the re-sit exam after the deadline if your appeal is unsuccessful. If the result is changed from a passing grade to fail after the registration deadline, you must contact the Examinations office as soon as possible for registration to the re-sit exam.
Deadline
- 3 week from the date the exam results were announced.
- If you have asked for an explanation of grade or sent a complaint regarding a procedural error in connection with an examination, the deadline for sending the appeal against the grade is three weeks from you receive the explanation or when the ruling on the procedural error is given.
Send the appeal
Appeal a grade through Studentweb.
Click "More" in the top menu and select "Exam appeals". Find the correct course and click "Appeal against grade". If it is not possible to appeal a grade in Studentweb, use the PDF-form below.
Processing the appeal
Appeals should be processed as soon as possible. See the Public Administration Act §11a. If the appeal is not properly processed within a month, the department is obligated to send a temporary response to the student. The new grade will be visible in Studentweb, and you will receive an email when the new grade is registered.
Appeal individual decisions?
As a student you can appeal individual decisions, for example:
- Decisions on admission
- Grade awarded
- Procedural errors in connection with exams, such as errors in the way the exam was held, in an exam question or the grading of exams
- Denial of your application to take an exam
- Denial of your application for exemption from an exam
- Refusal to recognize a course / professional training which is a necessary element of the study programme
- Refusal to recognize the academic training component of a doctoral programme
- Denial of your application for specific recognition of external studies
- Denial of your application for exemption from the rule on admission to the next year of study and termination of admission
- Denial of your application for the right to use a title on the basis of education obtained outside Norway
- Denial of special needs accommodation
Appeals of admissions decisions
For admissions under the Norwegian Universities and Colleges Admissions Service, send the appeal to the institution that has dealt with the application or that has given you the reason for the decision. To appeal against refusal of an application for admission, send your appeal to the organization that rejected the application. The appeal deadline is three weeks from the date on which you received notification of the refusal or from the date on which you received the reason for the refusal.
Appeal of procedural errors
If there has been an error in the examination procedure, the questions, or the award of grades, you can appeal the procedural errors related to the examination. Send the appeal to the Faculty that is the course owner. (Use the e-mail address postmottak@[faculty].ntnu.no, which can be found under "Contact us" on the faculty website.) The appeal deadline is three weeks from the date you find out, or should have found out, about the matter that gives you reason to appeal. If you have asked for an explanation of a grade or appealed against a grade, the time limit starts when you receive the explanation or the final ruling on the appeal.
Where should you send the appeal – and what is the deadline?
Send the appeal to the unit that made the decision. The appeal deadline is three weeks from the date on which you receive the decision. In certain cases, the appeal may be dealt with even though the deadline has expired.
Who considers the appeal?
The appeal shall first be considered by the same unit that has previously made the decision, and which may:
- Dismiss the appeal (for example, if the appeal deadline has passed)
- Annul or change the decision if it finds that the appeal was justified
- Uphold the decision
If the decision is upheld, the appeal should be submitted to the superior authority (appeals body), which will make a final ruling on the appeal. For most individual decisions, the central Appeals Committee at NTNU is the appeals body. However, the academic regulations and special regulations may have other provisions. For refusals of applications for admission, which are organized through the Norwegian Universities and Colleges Admission Service, a joint National Appeals Committee has been established.
The Central Appeals Committee
The Central Appeals Committee at NTNU is established by the university's Kollegiet (Senate), and has five members. The chair must fulfill the statutory requirements for judges. Two members must be from the academic staff and two must be students.
Legislation and regulations
- Forvaltningsloven - the Public Administration Act
- Universitetsloven - the Act relating to universities and university colleges
- NTNUs studieforskrift - Examination Regulations at NTNU (in Norwegian)
Contact
If you have questions regarding explanations or appeals, contact the department with academic responsibility (see "Contact information" on the course information site)