Appeals against enquiry or Malpractice Review Panel outcomes: process and timeline

At Stage 2 you can request two types of appeal.

Appeal the outcome of your enquiry

You can appeal the outcome of your enquiry only if you:

• are still not satisfied that your result for an assessment, and/or the assessment percentage score, overall grade and/or percentage score for a graded qualification or End Point Assessment (EPA) has been calculated correctly
• are not satisfied that all aspects of your performance in the assessment were fully considered in reaching a decision
• feel that all or part of your complaint has not been answered
• feel that AAT did not follow due process in arriving at a decision.

An appeal against the outcome of an enquiry will only consider whether due process was followed during the enquiry stage.

Appeal the outcome of a Malpractice Review Panel (MRP) decision

You can appeal the outcome of your MRP hearing only if you:

• are not satisfied that all aspects of your case were considered in reaching a decision during the original review
• feel that all or part of your statement/evidence was not taken into consideration
• feel that AAT did not follow due process in arriving at a decision.

For both appeal types, a senior officer at AAT will review your application, collate all the information and documents relevant to your case, review the process followed in your case against the procedures and refer your appeal, with all supporting documentation, to the Appeals Panel.

The Appeals Panel will comprise a minimum of three members, including:

• AAT's Compliance Director, acting as Chair
• an independent member of AAT staff who was not associated with the original investigation (enquiry or MRP)
• an independent member who is not an employee of AAT, a marker or an assessor working for AAT, or otherwise connected to AAT.

The Appeals Panel will conduct a thorough review of your case and will check:

• all aspects of the original enquiry carried out at Stage 1 or as part of the MRP hearing
• that all AAT procedures have been followed correctly
• for MRP appeals, that the MRP took all relevant evidence into consideration in arriving at a decision, and that any sanctions or disciplinary action was applied correctly and fairly, in line with published guidelines. 

Apply as an individual

Complete the Stage 2: Appeal (individual) form (PDF) and select either "Stage 1 outcome" or "MRP decision" in Section 1.

Send your completed form to assessment.operations@aat.org.uk.

The fee is £132. 

Apply for a group

Training providers and employers can submit an appeal for a group of two or more students if not satisfied with the outcome of a Stage 1 group enquiry for the same students.

We're unable to accept group appeals relating to Malpractice Review Panel decisions. You should submit an individual form for each case.

To proceed with an appeal for a group of students, please complete the Stage 2: Appeal (group) form (PDF).

The fee is £132 per student, per assessment. 

Timeline

• You must submit your form within ten business days of receiving the outcome of the enquiry or MRP decision.
• If you haven't signed the form we can't process it and we'll return it to you for signature. We'll accept forms with a typed name in the signature box as long as the name and email address from which it's sent exactly matches a name and email address registered with AAT.
• AAT will confirm receipt of the form and if payment was not included, we'll place an invoice on your account and send an email instructing payment to be made within ten business days.
• If either the form or payment is not received within these timeframes, the appeal request may not be accepted.
• The Appeals Panel will consider and respond to an appeal within 30 business days (six weeks).
• If the outcome finds in your favour we'll correct any errors and issue you a full refund of all fees paid as part of the enquiries process.