Grades and appeals
When you receive your grades for course work and final examinations, you should review the graded work and feedback to gain a better understanding of how your instructor arrived at the grade and what you may have missed. This is a key process in your learning and academic progression. Reviewing graded work allows you the opportunity to:
- better understand what you did well
- identify areas where you may need to devote extra study and attention
- seek clarification of concepts that you do not understand
- identify strategies for improving your performance in the future
However, there may be instances when you discover that there was a calculation error in your final mark or when you believe an error was made in the assessment. In such cases you may appeal your mark.
To advance an informal or formal request to have your grade reviewed, you must present a justification for doing so. Reasons such as attending every class, working really hard or needing a higher mark so your CGPA is not affected are not grounds for grade reviews and such requests will not be granted.
This process applies to any RSM coursework completed during the term—for example, mid-term tests, quizzes, team projects, written assignments etc. It does not apply to final examinations, which are handled through the Faculty of Arts & Science (see below). In the case of team projects or assignments, the express written consent of all team members is required to proceed with a review or re-evaluation.
Level 1: Appeal to your course instructor
If you believe that an individual item of term work has been marked incorrectly (or that the grade has been miscalculated), you may ask the course instructor for a re-evaluation. Such re-evaluation may involve the entire piece of work and can result in a raised mark, a lowered mark or no change at all. Most instructors will indicate the specific process for reviews in the course outline, on the course page or via announcement in class. You must file a request for review within two weeks from the date the item is returned to you.
Level 2: Appeal to the Rotman Commerce Director
If you are not satisfied with the re-evaluation, you may appeal to the Rotman Commerce Director provided the work you are appealing is worth at least 20% of the course mark. You must file an appeal to the Rotman Commerce Director within two weeks of receiving the results of your appeal to the instructor. To submit an appeal to the Rotman Commerce Director:
- Address the appeal to the Director – Rotman Commerce
- Explain why you believe the work was marked incorrectly (include specific instances of disagreement supported by documentation as applicable)
- Summarize all previous communications with the marker and/or instructor
- Include a scan of the original marked piece of work
- If the work in question was a collaborative or group project, each team member must sign off on the appeal
- Submit your appeal to rotmancommerce.info@utoronto.ca.
If after evaluating your appeal, the Director believes that a re-evaluation is appropriate, they will solicit an independent reader for this purpose. This reader will be given a clean, anonymous copy of the work and will not know what mark was assigned originally. The re-evaluation will be done in accordance with the marker/instructor’s original grading scheme and take into account the nature and level of the course. The re-evaluation will involve the entire piece of work and can result in a raised mark, a lowered mark or no change at all. By submitting an appeal, you agree to the terms and conditions stated above.
Level 3: Appeal to the Office of the Dean of Arts & Science
The Dean’s Office is the final level of appeal on academic matters in the Faculty of Arts & Science. An appeal must have been reviewed at the departmental level before referral to the Dean’s Office; appeals to the Dean’s Office must be in writing and include all previous correspondence on the matter. Appeals to the Dean’s Office regarding term work will be reviewed to ensure that appropriate procedures were followed in the earlier appeals, that students have been treated fairly and that the standards applied have been consistent with those applied to other students in the course. Any mark resulting from such an appeal will become the new mark, whether it is higher or lower or the same as the previous.
Exam viewing
If you have written a Faculty of Arts & Science final exam during the final exam period on the St. George campus, you can make a request to view your exam for up to six months after the exam was written. To do so, you need to make a request online via the Office of the Faculty Registrar. A supervised viewing of your exam will be scheduled. An exam viewing is an opportunity for you to verify that your final exam has been marked fairly and that the mark is calculated correctly.
Exam copy request
If you have written a Faculty of Arts & Science final exam on the St. George campus within the last six months, you may request a copy of your exam. Obtaining an exam copy allows you to review the marking and calculation of your final exam on your own time, and to consult your course materials alongside the exam. Academic units sometimes categorize final exams as restricted, which means that copies are not permitted. For such exams, you may only request a viewing appointment and if needed, repeat viewing appointments.
Exam recheck or reread
If you have written an Arts & Science faculty final exam on the St. George campus within the last six months and you believe there has been a marking error, you may request a recheck and/or a reread of your exam.
