We generally encourage students who are currently ill or who have been unwell in the run up to exams to discuss their situation with their department and exams office first. There may well be options and issues you have not considered or been made aware of.

If students require a doctors written "notification" of illness to pass on to their department we can only state medical facts. We don't make the decision whether an ill student sits their exams or not. Students requesting this sort of documentation must have seen a Doctor for that illness before or during the exam period.

There are very few instances where an ill student is medically unable to even attempt an exam. But there are plenty of instances where a student will attempt an exam under adverse medical conditions, either in the exam itself or during the run up to it. On discussion with your department if you decide to sit your exams in the face of illness where possible we will make every attempt to help you.

If the doctor sees you before the start of your exam and you are held incommunicado* in our Day Resting Facility(space permitting), then if we can relieve your current symptoms you may decide to attempt your exam. You will not be able to continue revising whilst in the day resting facility.

If you have left an exam due to illness and have been accompanied by an invigilator or member of staff and have remained incommunicado* then as above if we can relieve your symptoms you may wish to finish your exam.

We can delay exams by up to 24 hours for patients who need to remain in the day resting facility for ill health reasons. If you have recovered and don't need to be in the day resting facility for medical reasons, you will then need to arrange with your department or the exams office to be kept incommunicado* elsewhere.

Patients unwell for whatever reason in the run up to the exams will obviously need to see their registered doctor before the exam period starts having asked advice from their department first. Any release of medical details from the doctor will need written consent from the patient themselves. We are bound by laws of medical confidentiality and are unable to speak directly to departments, family, friends or others.

*Incommunicado means being accompanied by a member of staff or exam invigilator once an exam has begun. You must not have contact with anyone else either personally or by any other means, including mobile phone etc. You cannot access reference texts or continue with revision.

Source: LSMP