Special and supplementary assessment
What to do if you've been offered a special or supplementary assessment.
There’s been a change to the results process for special assessments which you need to be aware of if you are granted Special consideration. Resolving the technological solution in 2024 has allowed alignment with the policy change approved by Academic Board in 2020. All information on this page has been updated to reflect this change which is now live for the 2025 academic year.
Last updated: 04 Jun 2026
Special assessment/exams
A special assessment may be awarded as a special consideration outcome to support you if you have experienced circumstances that affected your ability to prepare for, undertake or complete your original assessment.
There are different types of special assessment including special exams.
Special assessment process
- Apply for special consideration
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Refer to the special consideration page for details on how to apply.
- Special assessment awarded
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You will be notified via email if you’re awarded a special assessment as a special consideration outcome.
- Receive your pending results
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Your subject result will display a ‘SPE’ grade, and your mark will be blank. This interim result indicates that the outcome of your special assessment is pending. Your original assessment’s mark will be unavailable.
- Complete your special assessment
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Sit your special exam or submit your special assessment on or by the due date.
- Receive your final results
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Once you complete your special assessment, the SPE grade will be replaced with your finalised results by the release dates, typically within 10 working days after the assessment's completion.
What if I choose not to complete my special assessment?
You can decline your special assessment before its start date and time and/or time of the special assessment. For exams and performative assessments, you must decline before the assessment/exam starts. For submitted assessments (eg written assignments), you must decline before the assessment due date and time.
If you choose to decline, you'll receive your grade and mark based on your original assessment submission or exam sitting.
You will receive information on how to decline your special assessment in your special consideration outcome email.
If you neither decline nor complete your special assessment, you'll receive a zero mark for the assessment, and your final subject result will be calculated accordingly.
Before making a decision, please carefully consider:
- If you decline and have not completed your original assessment you will receive a zero mark for the assessment.
- You will not be able to see your original grade or mark until after your decline request has been processed.
- Once you have declined the special assessment, it cannot be reinstated.
How special assessment impacts graduation
Each graduation ceremony round has a final results deadline. By this date, all your final subject results must published and passed for you to be eligible to graduate.
For the upcoming August graduation ceremonies, the deadline is 5pm AEST, Friday 10 July.
If you have any interim or pending subject results after this date, you will not be able to graduate in August. This includes outstanding special or supplementary assessments (unless declined by the deadline).
If you miss out on the August ceremonies, we'll invite you to graduate in the next ceremony round you are eligible for.
If you decline your special assessment, provided you meet all of your subject and course requirements, you will remain on track to graduate in the current graduation round.
Why are marks withheld for interim SPE grades?
The University’s Academic Board approved a change to the Assessment and Results policy in 2020 to withhold the publication of marks where an interim grade is applied as an outcome of Special consideration. This policy change will be implemented in the 2025 academic year due to a system change enabling this.
Example scenario
The following is a fictional case study of the special assessment process.
Situation
Chris is taking a subject which has an exam as the final assessment task.
Chris attends the exam but has been feeling unwell for a few days now and is worried that they didn’t perform at their best.
Outcome
Chris visits a doctor shortly after the exam and the doctor confirms Chris was not well enough to sit the exam. Chris gathers the required documentation (in this case a medical certificate) and applies for Special consideration. Chris's application is deemed eligible and they receive a Special assessment outcome.
Chris receives details of their new exam date and time during the Special exam period.
When Chris checks their subject scores, the grade is listed as SPE and the mark is blank.
Chris is certain they can do a better job completing the exam now that they are feeling better, so they sit the Special exam. Once their paper has been marked and the grade finalised, the new result is uploaded to their student profile.
Other possible outcomes
- On reflection, Chris decides that even though they felt unwell during the original exam sitting, they did enough to pass the original exam and doesn’t want to sit it again. Chris declines the Special exam using the decline form. The original exam mark is uploaded to Chris’s student profile after a short processing period.
- Chris decides not to sit the exam again, and does not decline or attend the Special exam. In this case, Chris receives a zero mark for the Special exam.
Additional assessment
In addition to special assessments granted through the Special Consideration process, the Assessment and Results Policy sets out the following additional assessment types permitted under University policy:
Further Assessment (Supplementary Assessment / Exams)
The Board of Examiners may offer further assessment (supplementary assessment) if there is doubt about whether you have passed or satisfied the assessment requirements. If you are granted further assessment (supplementary assessment), your subject result will show an interim 'SUP' grade. Students undertaking further assessment (supplementary assessment) are eligible to receive full marks (up to 100%) for the assessment.
Reassessment
A dean may offer reassessment as a second attempt at passing a subject in cases of borderline failure in a single subject, in accordance with the rules set out in the Assessment and Results Policy (MPF1326). Reassessment is not available in all courses or subjects, and students cannot apply for it.
If you are granted reassessment, your subject result will show an interim 'SUP' grade. Students who successfully complete reassessment can only be awarded a maximum mark of 50% (pass grade).
Final Subject Assessment
A dean may grant final subject assessment to a student who has a maximum of 12.5 points remaining to complete their course, in accordance with the rules set out in the Assessment and Results Policy (MPF1326). Final subject assessment is not available in all courses or subjects, and students cannot apply for it.
If you are granted final subject assessment, your subject result will show an interim 'SUP' grade. Students who successfully complete final subject assessment can only be awarded a maximum mark of 50% (pass grade).
Need help with special consideration?
Submit an online enquiry to Stop 1 and we'll get back to you as soon as possible.