Make an appeal

If you have taken an IFoA assessment you have the right to appeal against an exam result or investigation outcome if you have reasonable grounds to do so.

On this page

• Assessment Appeals
• Inappropriate Conduct Appeals

Assessment Appeals

When can I make an Assessment Appeal?

You can appeal against your exam result (after results are released), using our Assessment Appeals process, if:

Ground One: There was irregular procedure or improper conduct of an assessment. You believe we did not follow the correct procedures in the assessment process, including question setting, marking, or result moderation of your assessment.

Ground Two: There were mitigating circumstances that could not be disclosed through the usual mitigating circumstances process following the examination.

How do I make an Assessment Appeal?

If you wish to make an appeal you need to complete a Stage One application within 21 calendar days of the release of your exam result.

Regardless of the grounds, you will need to provide evidence to support your appeal. Without such evidence, it is unlikely that your appeal will be successful. All supporting evidence must be provided at the time of your appeal, as it will only be assessed on the basis of the information submitted at that time.

For appeals made under Ground Two, we require independently verified evidence of:

• An insurmountable reason for not submitting a mitigating circumstances application within the post-examination deadline

What happens if I have already submitted a Mitigating Circumstances application?

If you submitted a Mitigating application before the deadline given and your situation met the criteria for the Mitigating Circumstances, this will have been considered by the Mitigating panel.

What happens after I submit my Assessment Appeal Stage One application form?

We will carry out a thorough review of your application. We aim to communicate the outcome of your appeal, with reasons, within 30 days from the receipt of your appeal fee, unless we have explained to you that there will be a delay in communicating the outcome to you.

What are the possible outcomes of my appeal?

If we either uphold or partially uphold your appeal application, your appeal fee will be refunded. Should your appeal be upheld, this does not necessarily mean that your mark or pass/fail decision will be amended. However, if you have booked a resit for the same assessment and the appeal results do constitute a remark, and the result is changed to a pass then the entry fee will also be returned to you.

For example, you may receive (but is not limited to): An explanation or apology, an undertaking to review the relevant administrative procedures, A remark of the assessment, Correction of the mark previously awarded, or Consideration of your mitigating circumstances.

While we may:

• If it is felt that a remark is appropriate, and if you agree to the remark of your assessment, the mark previously awarded may be corrected either up or down from the original outcome.  If the corrected mark meets the required standard of the assessment then you will receive a pass.
• Where the outcome of the appeal process indicates a failure in assessment processes that might affect other candidates, we will take steps to correct or mitigate the effect as far as possible, and ensure that such a failure does not occur.
• If your appeal application based on Ground 2: not being able to submit mitigating circumstances by the given deadline, is subsequently upheld, you will be asked to complete a mitigating circumstances application and provide further evidence at this time which demonstrates how your exam sitting was impacted.

What happens if I am unhappy with my Stage One appeal outcome?

If you believe your Stage One appeal was not correctly investigated, you are entitled to have this considered by the Director of Engagement and Learning (or nominee).

You can request this by completing the appropriate application form (Stage Two Appeals) and sending it by email to appeals@actuaries.org.uk within 10 days of receiving your Stage One Appeal outcome.

A Stage two appeal will not re-investigate the details of your original appeal, but only consider evidence that:

• Your Stage One appeal had not been investigated correctly and you have evidence to support this.
• Evidence considered during your Stage One appeal was incorrect or incomplete, to the extent, it is reasonable to conclude the outcome may have been different.
• There was prejudice or bias during your Stage One Appeal.

The outcome of any Stage Two appeal, with reasons for the decisions, will be communicated to you by a letter from the Director of Engagement and Learning (or nominee) within 30 days from the receipt of your appeal, unless we have explained to you that there will be a delay in communicating the outcome to you.

Key points to consider when making an Assessment Appeal:

• When you are considering making an appeal, it is essential that you have read and understood our Assessment Appeals policy. 
• We are confident that our approach to the marking of candidates' scripts is sufficiently robust, and  Assessment appeals will not be accepted on the basis that you believe more or additional marks should be awarded. An Assessment appeal that questions the academic judgment of the Board of Examiners will not be considered without sufficient supporting evidence.
• Candidates must be aware that the Assessment Appeal is not a re-marking service. 
• The appeal process is the final recourse for candidates who were unable to engage with the IFoA’s other procedures at the right time. If you have any issues during your exam sitting, it is very important that you seek advice and assistance at the earliest opportunity; the IFOA will always give assistance when required.

Assessment Appeal Materials:

• Assessment Appeals Policy and Procedures
• Application Form for Assessment Appeals, Stage One
• Application Form for Assessment Appeals, Stage Two

Inappropriate Conduct Appeals

If you have been investigated for a breach of our Assessment Regulations and have received an investigation outcome, you can use our Inappropriate Conduct appeals process, if you believe you have grounds to do so.

When can I make an Inappropriate Conduct Appeal? 

You will have received a letter from us explaining that you have been in breach of the Assessment regulations. You can appeal against the outcome of an investigation if:

• Ground One: you can provide evidence that the Board of Examiners failed to consider or did not have access to evidence that would have the potential to change the outcome of the investigation and/or the penalty imposed
• Ground Two: you can demonstrate that the penalties imposed by the Board of Examiners are demonstrably unreasonable (the resolution appears to be disproportionate), or
• Ground Three: Evidence that was unavailable or could not have been disclosed as part of the initial Inappropriate Conduct Investigation.

How do I make an Inappropriate Conduct Appeal?

If you wish to make an appeal you need to complete an Inappropriate Conduct Stage One application form within 30 calendar days of receiving your investigation outcome.

It is essential that before you submit your application, you have read and understood our Inappropriate Conduct Appeals Policy (130 KB PDF). We are unable to consider your application if you have not provided any new evidence or where you have solely used the same evidence or testimony already provided during the initial investigation.

What happens after I submit my Appeal Stage One application form?

We will review your application and the evidence you have submitted. If this meets our threshold for consideration your appeal will be sent to our Appeals Panel to make a decision on an appropriate outcome.

What are the possible outcomes of my appeal?

If your appeal is upheld this does not necessarily mean that the outcome of the original investigation will be amended. You may receive an explanation or apology, a review of the relevant administrative procedures, or a correction to the outcome previously given. This is not intended to be an exhaustive list. 

If your appeal is not successful, meaning that you have not met the acceptable grounds, we will advise you of this in writing.

We aim to provide you with a written outcome within 30 calendar days of receipt of your appeal application.

Inappropriate Conduct Appeal materials:

• Inappropriate Conduct Appeals Policy (130 KB PDF)
• Application form: inappropriate conduct appeals, stage one (90 KB Word doc)

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