Reasons and documentation

Assessment Adjustments are one of several possible adjustments to assessments available at La Trobe University.

Documentation

All applications for Assessment Adjustments must be accompanied by official and verifiable supporting evidence.

All supporting evidence must clearly demonstrate the impact the circumstances had on your ability to undertake the assessment task. Documentation must indicate the date of the exceptional or unforeseen circumstances and the duration/dates of impact.

All supplied supporting documents must be:

  • on official letterhead (where applicable), signed and dated
  • in English or translated by an accredited translation service

Certified copies are not required for Assessment Adjustments.

Fraudulent or misleading information

Falsifying documents is considered fraud under the Victorian Crimes Act 1958 and is treated very seriously. This includes:

  • creating (or allowing another person to create) and providing forged or falsified documents (both medical and non-medical)
  • changing a supporting document provided by another person
  • purchasing fraudulent documents from websites

If you’re having problems getting a suitable document, please contact us as soon as possible at ASK La Trobe to discuss your situation and options.

The consequences for providing false or misleading information in an application or supporting documentation include, but are not limited to, failure for all or any part of an assessment task, failure of a subject, suspension and expulsion.

You must be aware of your obligations and responsibilities as a La Trobe student under the La Trobe Student Academic Misconduct Policy.

Examples of acceptable grounds for Assessment Adjustments and documentation

Example CircumstanceAcceptable Evidence
Artistic or elite athlete commitments
  • Letter from area of organisation/University stating dates of the event
Other exceptional circumstance-Exam or assessment clash at other institution
  • Printed off timetable from other institution
Emergency services duty or jury service
  • Letter from the appropriate authority (Juries Commissioner Office)
  • Letter from the appropriate authority (e.g. Army Reserve)
Religious or cultural obligations
  • Personal letter of support from recognised cultural or faith leader
  • Statutory declaration

Example CircumstanceAcceptable Evidence

Medical and mental health condition including

  • Emergency surgery
  • Serious illness requiring medical treatment
  • Hospital discharge information
  • Letter or certificate from medical practitioner or counsellor which outlines dates and severity (must include provider number)
  • Appointment letter from Doctor or Physician for planned medical appointment
Compassionate grounds (victim of crime)
  • Police report
  • Practitioner certificate
  • Safer Community letter
  • Court Letter or document
  • Statutory Declaration
Loss of income or employment
  • Letter from employer
  • Notice of unexpected cessation of employment
  • Statutory Declaration
Compassionate grounds (incident of abuse)
  • Police report
  • Practitioner certificate
  • Safer Community letter
  • Court letter or document
  • District nurse or maternal and child health nurse letter
  • Family violence support letter
  • Statutory Declaration
Compassionate grounds (death of a close family member)
  • Death certificate
  • Obituary
  • Order of service
  • Funeral notice
  • Documentation such as birth or marriage certificate to confirm family relationship or Statutory Declaration
  • Where the matter is Sorry Business, First Nation/Indigenous students are invited to submit a Statutory Declaration outlining circumstances
Compassionate grounds (Carer Responsibilities)
  • Carer’s certificate (certificate must name you as the carer)
  • Medical Letter of Support
  • Personal statement highlighting exacerbating circumstances.
Technical issue (Exams or timed assessment)
  • Screenshot of technical issue or other evidence
  • Statutory Declaration
  • Insurance incident claim
  • Written confirmation of the outage and duration that includes your listed street address in StudentOnLine (e.g. text message received regarding the outage from your power or internet provider)
Other exceptional circumstance (e.g. severe weather event, critical incident)
  • Relevant documentation
  • Statutory Declaration

For further examples, please read the Assessment Procedure - Adjustments (including Special Consideration) policy.

As always, where there are special circumstances, these will be considered on a case-by-case basis.

If you are having difficulties with your studies or don’t think that you can submit your assessment task by the due date, speak to your Subject Coordinator in the first instance.

Unavoidable commitments known in advance are not handled via Special Consideration and are managed instead through an application for a Replacement Examination Date. For example:

  • armed services duty
  • artistic commitments
  • elite athlete commitments
  • emergency services employee or volunteer
  • exam or assessment clash at other institution
  • jury duty or court appearance
  • religious or cultural obligations

Read about alternative arrangements for the above circumstances.

Privacy statement

La Trobe University respects the privacy of your personal information. We collect personal information in order to assess your eligibility for special consideration. Documentation that you provide as part of a special consideration application is strictly confidential and is subject to the protections of relevant privacy laws. Your confidential information is only made available to authorised staff as part of the special consideration process. You may have the right to access the personal information that we hold about you subject to any exemptions in relevant laws, by contacting ASK La Trobe.