Handle exam requests
Review, approve, or decline student assessment, accommodation, alternative-date, and reassessment requests — and connect them to attempt tabs and workflows.
Students can submit exam requests — for example, requests for an alternative exam date, an accommodation, early assessment, or reassessment. Exam staff review and respond to these requests separately from the grading workflow. Requests are a fairness and compliance channel: they let examination regulations accommodate individual circumstances without rewriting the exam type for the whole cohort.
A request does not replace a submission. A student can have an active request and a pending submission at the same time — you triage requests on the Exam Requests tab (or the institution-wide queue), and you still grade on attempt tabs when work arrives. How requests interact with attempt consumption, auto reattempt, and reassessment period is covered in How exam attempts work.
Why it matters
Universities must handle accessibility adjustments, schedule conflicts, and reassessment pathways in a documented way. Informal email agreements are hard to audit and easy to lose. Exam requests in the Exam Center:
- Keep decisions attached to the correct exam instance and attempt
- Notify students of outcomes consistently
- Let officers triage across modules without opening every exam one by one
- Reduce grading surprises when a student was approved for an alternative date or format
- Gate Attempt 2 under a reassessment period exam-type workflow (approval required)
Resolve requests before you publish grades for affected students so published results match the approved conditions.
How it fits
| Related area | Relationship |
|---|---|
| My Exams | Per-exam Exam Requests tab and institution-wide sub-page |
| How exam attempts work | How reassessment, resit, withdrawal, and attempt tabs relate |
| Exam types | May control whether alternative assessment requests are available; defines auto reattempt vs reassessment period |
| Schedule exam sittings | Alternative-date approvals often require assigning a new appointment or deadline |
| Exam registration and deregistration | Withdrawal deadlines and reassessment registration windows on terms |
| Module Catalog | Students may elect early or alternative exam options at election time; requests cover case-by-case adjustments after the fact |
| Grade and manage an exam | Same detail page; requests are one tab in the lifecycle |
Key concepts
| Term | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Exam request | A student-initiated assessment, accommodation, or scheduling ask for a specific exam |
| Alternative assessment | A different form of assessment than the standard exam requirement |
| Accommodation | Adjustments related to accessibility or special circumstances (Nachteilsausgleich in many German statutes) |
| Reassessment | A further attempt under reassessment-period rules (typically Attempt 2 with approval) |
| Resit (domain) | A later sitting after failure — often Attempt 2 under auto reattempt, without a separate reassessment request when the workflow allows |
| Institution-wide Exam Requests | Sidebar sub-page under My Exams for cross-exam triage |
| Count badge | Indicator on the tab when requests are waiting for review |
Where to find requests
Per-exam requests tab
Open an exam from My Exams and select the Exam Requests tab. This tab shows all open and resolved requests for that exam instance. A count badge appears when requests are waiting for review.
Institution-wide requests page
Go to OrgHub → Exam Center → My Exams → Exam Requests (sidebar sub-page) to see assessment requests across all exams you have access to. Use this view to triage requests without opening each exam individually.
Request types
Common request types include:
| Request type | What the student is asking for |
|---|---|
| Alternative assessment | A different form of assessment than the standard exam requirement |
| Alternative date / appointment | A different exam date or time slot |
| Accommodation | Adjustments related to accessibility or special circumstances |
| Early assessment | To take the exam before the standard period |
| Reassessment | A further attempt under reassessment-period rules |
| Extension | More time before a submission deadline |
The exact options available depend on the exam type configuration and institution settings.
Request status at a glance
| Status (conceptual) | What staff should do |
|---|---|
| Waiting for review | Open details; decide Approve or Decline; watch the count badge |
| Approved — schedule still needed | Especially alternative date: assign the new appointment or deadline on the attempt tab |
| Approved — ready for sitting | Student proceeds under approved conditions; grade later on the correct attempt |
| Declined | Student notified; no schedule change from this request |
| Open alongside a pending submission | Resolve the request first when it would change timing or conditions, then grade |
Handle a request
Open the Exam Requests tab on the exam, or the institution-wide Exam Requests page under My Exams.
Review the request details — request type, student, exam, attempt, and any supporting information the student provided.
Select Approve or Decline. For alternative-date requests, you may need to assign a new appointment or deadline as part of approval.
Add an optional note for the student or internal staff when the interface allows it.
Save. The student is notified of the outcome and the request moves out of the pending queue.
Attempt-related scenarios
These examples connect general examination-regulation situations to documented Fuxam mechanisms. For the full attempt model, see How exam attempts work.
Reassessment period — approval for Attempt 2
The exam type uses reassessment period: maximum of two attempts; Attempt 2 requires reassessment approval; no Attempt 3+. The student submits a Reassessment request. You approve it, then schedule Attempt 2 on the attempt tab. Without approval, do not treat Attempt 2 as an open automatic resit path. Term-level reassessment registration windows (when enabled) are configured in Chronology — see Exam registration and deregistration.
Auto reattempt — failure then resit without a reassessment request
Under auto reattempt, a failed student who is still under the ruleset’s failed-attempt ceiling can appear on a later attempt while eligible. They may still submit other request types (accommodation, alternative date), but the workflow itself does not require a reassessment gate for every Attempt 2. Confirm the exam type workflow before insisting on a reassessment request. Operational follow-through is covered in Exam results and resits.
Alternative date on Attempt 1
The student cannot attend the scheduled sitting (travel conflict, overlapping exam). You Approve and assign a new appointment or deadline on Attempt 1. This is still the same attempt number — not a free extra attempt. Module completion still requires all required exams to pass at the same term and attempt number. Respect the ruleset exam appointment selection deadline when alternative dates become locked — see Schedule exam sittings.
Accommodation plus extension
A student needs accessibility adjustments and more time before a deadline. Approve the relevant request types, document notes for examiners, and ensure the Attempt tab schedule reflects the extension. Grading still happens on that attempt after work arrives — requests never auto-grade.
Withdrawal and no-show (domain context)
Regulations often distinguish withdrawal before a deadline from no-show on the day. Requests may be used for schedule changes that avoid a no-show; withdrawal deadlines themselves are configured on academic rulesets. Students who have withdrawn, are unable to take the exam, or are on leave cannot be graded — see Grade submissions. How those outcomes consume attempts is documented in How exam attempts work.
Do not publish over an open request
If a request would change attempt timing or conditions, resolve it before publishing. Publishing locks grades and notes on that attempt through the standard interface.
Who can handle requests
Handling requests requires permission to plan or grade the relevant exam (organization-wide or on that exam). See Permissions, features and visibility.
Best practices
- Triage by deadline pressure. Extensions and alternative dates near sittings should jump the queue.
- Write clear notes. Students and later examiners rely on the recorded rationale when grades are contested.
- Complete scheduling on approval. Approving an alternative date without setting the appointment or deadline leaves the student without an operational sitting.
- Know the exam-type workflow. Reassessment approval matters under reassessment period; do not invent a gate that auto reattempt does not use.
- Coordinate with grading. Do not publish grades for a student whose open request would change attempt timing or conditions — see Publish grades.
- Use bulk actions carefully. Bulk decline is efficient for incomplete or out-of-policy batches; still spot-check edge cases.
Common pitfalls
| Situation | Likely cause | What to do |
|---|---|---|
| Request option missing for students | Exam type or institution settings do not allow that request type | Check exam type alternative-request settings with an administrator |
| Approved but student still on old date | Appointment or deadline not assigned on approval | Set the new schedule on the attempt tab |
| Grading blocked or confusing | Active request unresolved alongside a submission | Resolve the request, then grade on the correct attempt |
| Expecting Attempt 3 under reassessment period | Workflow caps at two attempts with approval on Attempt 2 | Align expectations with How exam attempts work |
| Cannot act on requests | Missing plan or grade permission | Request access from an administrator |
FAQ
Does approving a request automatically grade the student?
No. Requests and grading are separate. After approval and any schedule change, grade submissions as usual on the attempt tab.
Can I approve many requests at once?
Yes. Bulk approve and decline actions are available on the institution-wide Exam Requests page when you select multiple rows.
When is a Reassessment request required?
When the exam type uses reassessment period, Attempt 2 requires reassessment approval. Under auto reattempt, eligible students can continue onto later attempts while under ruleset limits without that same gate. See How exam attempts work.
How is this different from early exam election in the Module Catalog?
The Module Catalog can offer early or alternative exam options at election time. Exam requests handle individual circumstances after the student is already on an exam instance.
Related pages
How exam attempts work
Resit, reassessment, and how attempts are consumed.
Exam results and resits
After publish — resit windows and transcript context.
Exams
Open an exam and navigate to its tabs.
Grade submissions
Grade submissions after requests are resolved.
Schedule exam sittings
Set appointments and deadlines when approvals require new dates.
Grade and manage an exam
Overview of all exam detail tabs.