11. Assessment and assessment appeals

What You Need to Know

There are a variety of forms of assessment that you will undertake throughout your education and training with TAFE Queensland, including:

• Written assessments (including projects, applied research, assignments, and case studies);
• Practical assessments (including demonstrations, practical tasks, and role plays);
• Examinations/tests; and
• Work-based activities (including vocational placements, professional practice, live work, and work-based projects);

When submitting assessment you can use the Assessment Submission Sheet (PDF, 153KB).

Educational staff will provide you with a Qualification Guide and other material about the assessment rules relevant to you at the commencement of your education and training.

What You Need to Know

To be successful, you need to:

• Attend/participate in all scheduled assessment;
• Submit written assessment on or before the due date (unless an extension has been granted);
• Follow all assessment instructions, including submission requirements;
• Undertake assessment honestly, without any form of cheating, plagiarism or collusion; and
• Retain copies of all assessment for at least 14 days after you receive your final grade. In the case of an appeal, this timeframe may be longer.

What You Need to Know

If you have an identified learning difficulty, disability, or other unique circumstance you may be eligible to have an adjustment to an assessment activity, or have an alternative assessment arranged.

A number of reasonable adjustments can be applied to modify the learning environment or making changes to the training and assessment delivered to assist a disadvantaged learner. However, a reasonable adjustment in teaching, learning and assessment activity needs to be justifiable and must uphold the integrity of the qualification.

Talk to your educational staff for more information.

What You Need to Know

You are required to submit assessment on or before the due date.

If you are unable to meet a schedule assessment or exam due date, you must make a request to extend the due date using the Request for Extension of Assessment Form at least 48 hours prior to the due date.

Be aware that extensions are only granted in exceptional circumstances and must be supported by documentary evidence (e.g. a medical certificate).

If you are unable to meet a schedule assessment or exam due date because of an exceptional circumstance (for example a death in the family, serious illness, or other serious personal circumstance) which means you cannot undertake an assessment until the following study period, you must make a request to defer the due date to the regional General Manager at least 7 calendar days prior to the due date. The request may be made later than the 7 days prior to the due date only in the following circumstances:

• Emergency circumstances; and
• In cases of serious illness or injury where you will need to provide a medical certificate. If the assessment date has passed, the application must be made within three working days of the concluding date on the medical certificate.

Be aware that deferments are only granted in exceptional circumstances and must be supported by documentary evidence (e.g. a medical certificate).

If TAFE Queensland is satisfied that by reason of illness or other exceptional circumstances you could not complete an assessment task, you may be allowed a deferred assessment.

International student rules for assessment extensions and deferments are addressed on the Further Information for International Students page.

What You Need to Know

Your teacher will mark an assessment item or provide other feedback within 10 working days of submission. Feedback may take the form of:

• Written comments;
• Verbal comments;
• Provision of sample responses; and
• Communication of the assessment outcome.

Feedback will address the assessment criteria for the task, and include marks and/or comments about your performance against the criteria.

You must keep a record of any submitted assessment item for a minimum of 14 days. This will help you in case you need to re-submit the assessment.

If you have requested an appeal, the relevant assessment items should be retained until the appeal is finalised.

What You Need to Know

Assessment Resubmissions for Vocational Education and Training (VET) Students

If you do not satisfy the assessment requirements on your first attempt, you will receive feedback and may be able to re-submit the assessment item.

Any assessment components/elements deemed as 'Satisfactory' may be carried forward and only those elements deemed 'Unsatisfactory' need to be re-submitted/re-assessed.

If you do not submit or complete an assessment on or by the due date (unless there are exceptional circumstances or an extension has been formally granted) a "did not submit/sit" (DNS) will be recorded and you will have 5 days to submit your second and final attempt.

You will only get one assessment re-submission opportunity. The assessment re-submission may involve the same assessment item as the original assessment, or it may be different.

If you do not attempt the assessment re-submission on or by the due date without prior approval or your attempt is unsatisfactory, you will be given an "unsatisfactory" outcome, and will be required to re-enrol in the competency.

Remember that no assessment re-submissions will be permitted after the close of study date or after the final result for the unit of competency has been issued.

Supplementary Assessments for Higher Education Students

In some cases if you are having difficulty in progressing in a unit, you may be able to apply to undertake a supplementary assessment, which is a new item of assessment to demonstrate that you have achieved the required learning outcome of the unit.

Supplementary assessments are only available in a limited number of cases where a grade of 3 has been achieved.

This limit is such that the maximum number overall in a course is:

• Two in the final 80 credit points in coursework programs of three or more year's full-time duration or equivalent; and
• One in the final 40 credit points in coursework programs of less than three year's full-time duration or equivalent.

You are responsible for making applications for supplementary assessment. You must apply within 5 working days of the final result for the unit being issued.

If supplementary assessment is approved, whilst under consideration, your grade of 3 will be temporarily changed to SA - Supplementary Assessment. If you successfully complete supplementary assessment requirements, you will be awarded the grade of 4. Where supplementary assessment is not successfully completed, the original grade of 3 will be reinstated.

What You Need to Know

Informal Review

If you believe that an assessment outcome is unfair or incorrect, you should first discuss it with you teacher (this is called an informal review). You will be notified of the informal review decision by your teacher in writing or via email.

Formal Review

If after this discussion you still feel the outcome is incorrect, you can submit a Request for Assessment Re-Evaluation Form (PDF, 120KB). You must submit the form to your local Student Services/Customer Services area within 10 business days of receiving notification of the informal review from your teacher. TAFE Queensland will then undertake a formal review of the assessment decision.

If there has been an error the result will be amended.

If there has not been an error TAFE Queensland will proceed with the original assessment decision.

If you are dissatisfied you have the right to request an assessment appeal.

What You Need to Know

Internal Appeals

TAFE Queensland will not charge a fee for any part of the internal or external appeals process, and will ensure that you are not victimised or discriminated against for using the appeals process.

If you are making an appeal, it must be made in writing and submitted to the regional General Manager within 20 business days of receiving the assessment decision.

The region’s Disciplinary and Appeals Committee will then consider the appeal and respond to you.

TAFE Queensland will as part of its resolution of the appeal implement any decisions made following the appeals process.

All parties who have used the appeals process will have access to the relevant records upon request to TAFE Queensland and if deemed appropriate.

 

External Appeals

If you are still dissatisfied with the assessment decision, you have the right to take the case to an external body, such as:

• The Queensland Ombudsman;
• Australian Skills Quality Authority; or
• Queensland Department of Education and Training (for apprentices/trainees).

You are only allowed one external appeal decision for each assessment decision. TAFE Queensland will give due consideration to the outcome of the external appeal.

What You Need to Know

The following conditions apply unless communicated to you prior to the commencement of the examination/test:

• The scheduled date for the examination / test will be provided to you at the commencement of study;    
• Only students enrolled in the competency, the teacher/supervisor, and other authorised personnel may enter or remain in an room during an examination;
• The supervisor may ask for photographic identification (for example, student ID card, drivers licence);    
• If you are late for an examination you will need the permission from the supervisor to enter the room, noting why, and the supervisor will record the reason for the lateness;
• If you are more than 20 minutes late, you may be refused entry;
• To avoid distracting your fellow students, you may not leave the examination during:
  1. The first 20 minutes of an examination session of up to and including 1.5 hours duration;
  2. The first 40 minutes of an examination session of more than 1.5 hours duration; and
  3. The last 10 minutes of an examination session;
• If you are given permission to enter or leave an examination room, you must comply with all conditions upon which the permission is given;
• Unless approved by the examination supervisor prior to the examination (for example, for open-book examinations) you are not to bring into an examination any devices capable of conveying information about the examination such as: textbooks, course notes, mobile phones, pagers, notebook computers, electronic organisers, electronic dictionaries, calculators, and other devices;
• Mobile phones or pagers must be placed in the designated area of the examination room and turned off prior to the commencement of the examination;
• It is your responsibility to comply with all directions:
  1. Detailed in examination material supplied;
  2. Set out on any notice displayed in the examination room; and
  3. Given by the examination supervisor;
• During an examination session you are not to:
  1. Communicate by word or otherwise with any person other than the supervisor;
  2. Assist any other person to communicate with another person; and
  3. Willingly receive a communication from any person except with the approval of the examination supervisor
• Unless permitted by the examination supervisor, you may not take from the examination room any papers or other materials provided for use during the examination;
• The examination supervisor may question you to ascertain whether there has been a breach of examination rules;
• If in the opinion of an examination supervisor, your behaviour is disturbing or distracting any other student, the examination supervisor may require that you leave the examination;
• If you refuse to leave you may be dealt with as a trespasser; and
• It is expected of you to be considerate of other students when entering or leaving the examination or when in the vicinity of an examination room.

Assessment Submission Sheet (PDF, 153KB)

Request for Extension of Assessment Form (PDF, 40KB)

Request for Assessment Re-Evaluation Form (PDF, 120KB)