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How to ask for an extension

Open University students usually have lives with many responsibilities, and we recognise that in creating a more flexible assessment system. Our assignments are graduated rather than coming in one lump at the end of a term/year. You can also usually negotiate an extension on assignment deadlines if you experience difficulties which impact on your studies. 

NB - there is NOT usually any extension offered on the final piece of work on a module, often called the End of Module Assessment . Plan your studies to make sure you can work on this in a timely fashion. If you are experiencing difficulties as you come to the end of a module, make sure that you contact your Student Support Team for advice, and put in a claim for Mitigating Circumstances. 

Your tutor will be able to talk to you about extensions on your Tutor Marked Assignments (TMAs). We are of course keen to make sure you don't fall behind in your studies, so you should not assume you can just have one for the asking. 

You can contact your tutor via a link on StudentHome, or just drop them an email. Explain why you want the extension and how long you think you may need. Be realistic and reasonable about this. A day or two is very acceptable, a week is fine. If you are going to need more than a week, you will need to have a serious and good reason. (Anxiety about deadlines is a serious and good reason, however you should also make sure you have got good support so this doesn't become an ongoing problem if you suffer anxiety - your Student Support Team can help with this.) 

You won't need supporting documentation for an extension on a TMA, but you will if you apply for Mitigating Circumstances for an EMA. 

Try to let us tutors know in good time. You can ask for an extension just in case, you don't have to use it. 

These are the suggested reasons given when we enter your extension in the system. 

DISABILITY - your additional learning need means that you require a little longer to prepare your assignment (anxiety would fit here). 

FAMILY RELATED - your children had chicken pox, there was a major family event which disrupted your studies, the family guinea pig had to be rushed to the vet and nursed through the night. 

MEDICAL - you had chicken pox, or flu. 

TRAVEL RELATED - your family holiday coincided with the TMA submission date. (And you are going to have to shop, pack and make your partner sort out their passport so you can't plan to do the TMA early.) 

VARIOUS - your favourite aunt had to go into hospital, the children all had chicken pox, you had a job interview, your laptop died on you and it is coming up to Christmas, you have to do the shopping - all at once. And the family guinea pig needs to be taken to the vet. 

New comment

What a reassuring message.

Returning to study as an adult can be quite scary, we know - we do our best to support you to achieve at the OU. 

Penalty for extension?

Joe - call Student Support

Joe I'm so sorry to hear about your difficulties. We know our students have a lot of responsibilities in your lives. Student Support are there to advise you on how you can navigate your studies while juggling all of these. At the OU we have what we call the 'revolving door', where you may end up deferring but you can always come back to us. We have to manage this carefully to make sure you don't end up incurring costs because of the rules for the funding bodies, however we will do what we can to get you through. 

I do hope things settle down for you. Call Student Support as soon as you are able, they will be able to advise and support you. 

This is Not True!

I have autism and my grandma died which meant my entire family needed to go to Germany for a week to attend a funeral. My instructor Dr. Stobbart, refused to give an extension stating that if he did this for me then he would have to do this for everyone and it would be 'chaos'. He then said 2 other students had losses that month. In other words they were getting on okay so I should to. 

This isn't right.  

extension needed (but OU closed for hols)

I needed to extend an extension by another week. I had illness, then a home move (and all that entails) in the lead up to Christmas. I sent my tutor an email for an extension, without realising the OU would actually be shut!  So my tutor didn't see the email, and still hasn't. I did submit the assignment, but for all the effort made, it was incomplete! What might happen next? Might the tutor still say I could send another copy and it would be accepted? 

Thanks in advance,

Deferrals or extensions to ema

No extension for ema.

Hullo Leighton

I am sorry but there is no way to get an extension for an EMA. In very difficult circumstances, you can get what's called a Discretionary Postponement. You will need to talk to Student Support Team about this - as it will only be allowed in very exceptional circumstances. Their number is available on your StudentHome page. 

You can also put in a Special Circumstances form up to 4 days after submitting the EMA. 

You can put in something for the EMA, and a Special Circs form, and that way you may get to pass the module at least. On many modules, if you have put something in, you will be allowed to rewrite and resubmit it (with a tutor's help), if it doesn't pass. 

Good luck - and remember, Student Support Team have all these answers, they are there at the end of a phone.  

Contact tutor form not working

The contact form for my tutor is not currently working to request an extension.

How Long Does it Take to Mark an OU TMA?

• General Articles / Leanne Goodall
• 15 Nov, 2015

By Leanne Goodall

Waiting for that OU TMA to come back can bring out a huge mix of emotions

Let’s be honest, that’s the question that everyone wants the answer to when they first submit assignments with The Open University. We put all of our blood, sweat and tears into the TMA itself and can’t think beyond it yet the moment we’ve submitted it we begin to think about the result and exactly how long it takes to mark the TMA.

In my experience it varies from tutor to tutor, from module to module and even from one assignment to another within the same module. Tutors are given 10 working days to turn around their marking of your TMA which actually equates to 2 weeks. Those two weeks can be the longest two weeks ever and have been known to send students literally bonkers. The fastest TMA turnaround that I think I’ve had is 2 days but that was quite a shock as most of mine have tended to be nearer the full 2 week marker.

Waiting for those TMA results can be such hard work – how many times exactly can you refresh your Student Home page in one day?

For those that don’t know what I’m on about there: the results are loaded onto your OU Student Home page for you to see. You then get sent an email to tell you that the results are ready and that you can view them.

OU students constantly log-in

The problem is that the email is often delayed by several hours and so it’s only natural for us students to let our minds wander: maybe those results are sat waiting and we don’t even know because that email is STILL in transit… So the standard thing for many OU students is to constantly log-in to their Student Home page and check for themselves. Loads of us do it, it just can’t be helped. We need to be put out of our misery one way or another. If we’ve done well then great – let us celebrate. But if we haven’t then we still need to know so that we can commiserate that evening read over the tutor’s comments, see where we can improve and set about what to do next.

One of my TMAs was actually returned after the 10 day period. Yep, even that can happen. Obviously your tutor will do everything that they can to get them all done within the 10 days but just occasionally there will be a reason that they can’t do it. Just as we can apply for an extension from time to time, they can go over that 10 day period if they really need to. Don’t fret though, this isn’t common practice and they will let you know if they need a bit of extra time.

Try not to crash Student Home

You also need to remember that the 10 working days only starts from the day you submit your assignment. If you have submitted late due to an extension (which always needs to be pre-arranged with your tutor) then your tutor still gets the full 10 working days to mark it and get it back to you. Of course this doesn’t apply if you manage to submit early. If you do that then you just have to wait a bit longer.

So I hope that’s helped a bit for anyone who has been wondering how long it takes to mark a TMA and, more importantly, get your results back. There will be many students waiting to get the first TMA result back from their newest modules right now (me included) so good luck and try not to crash Student Home by checking it too frequently.

Leanne is half way through a BA (Hons) in History with the Open University and enjoys writing as a freelancer as well as on her blog. Find out more here . You can catch up on all of Leanne’s excellent contributions on STOU  here .

Do you think TMAs take too long to come back? Do you feel nervous waiting for it to be returned?Please LIKE/SHARE/TWEET or leave a comment below. This social currency helps us to grow and improve the value we are able to provide for OU students 🙂

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24 Responses

• Comments 24
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I’m waiting for my TMA to be marked so thanks for the info on how long it could take. And yes I’ve been logging in numerous times a day just incase the mark is there!

Did they ever mark it for you Tom? Lol.

To be honest it feels like a really long time, but then you think about the fact that they are marking what, 30 of these maybe? and they have to wait till the cut off, and they dont have to work at the weekend. So I think even if you worked flat out, it would still be like a week for every student. The way I see it, I want the best and most detailed feedback possible with the most accurate marking possible. Taking extra time is what achieves those targets, and thats OK with me. (I mean, unless im waiting for one. I ate 12 cheese strings I bought for my god daughter in one night because I was so nervous).

I’m waiting for one at the moment Angel for H800. A week has gone by and the tutor asked if we mind waiting another week as she’s busy. I don’t mind to be honest, I’m happy to wait in the post-TMA purgatory where you’re happy because you’ve submitted it but not sure what the result will be!

I am an OU tutor. I have maybe 20 TMAs to mark at the same time, although some come in early and some are given extensions. To make things easier and for consistency I mark all the question 1s first, then all the question 2s, and so on. I have a full-time job in industry and also a wife and two children, one of my children is autistic and needs that little bit more time. So it usually takes me about the 10 days to return them although sometimes it is quicker. TMA marking is a time-consuming exercise. To do it properly, you need to comment properly and often present the correct solution, but it tailored to the style of the student, to show them how they could have adapted their work to gain full marks. I love my job at the OU but around TMA time the family don’t see much of me!

Thanks for your comment Paul. It’s always good to hear from someone at the coal face, so to speak, and I’m sure this insight will help a lot of our readers.

I am a student at OU with 3 kids and part time job. and around few weeks before tma needs to be submitted my family doesn’t see much of me either. Working flat out , getting everyone ready for school, school runs, job. Then at home cooking, cleaning, looking after small baby, study and work , while he pulls at my skirt to get attention and love and just play time with mummy. It’s hard and I wish I have done studying part, when I was young and had no kids, so I didn’t have to sacrifice my family life. But there it is. And at the moment I am waiting for result for another tma 😊 hard work from all sides 😉

You’re right anonymous, it can be hard work but all worth it in the end hopefully! I didn’t start studying until I was older and with a family as well so I can empathise.

It’s nice to see the tutor perspective on things it’s understandable we all have family’s and homes and other jobs as well as our studies but I think ou have been amazing and patient with me bo complaints here except I can’t focus on anything else until these results comes that’s the adhd part of me lol

Glad to hear you’re getting on well, Julie. Keep it up!

Great article. Soooo true. First TMA and I am literally going crazy. One week to go I guess….

You’ll be fine! Good luck.

I usually submit my assignment a week in advance because I am a bit ahead. This means I usually receive it at around 1am the day after it was due. This time that hasn’t happened though and it makes me more nervous because it doesn’t usually take this long haha.

does the tutor always inform you of a mark even if its a fail, I seem to have been waiting more than 2 weeks.

Yes you will get informed Jayne, don’t worry.

This all sounds very nice but I’m at level 3 an pd in the process of writing my EMA but am waiting over two and a half weeks and still no sign of my TMA. This might not be so vital were it not for the fact that my tutor has never marked a single TMA thus far, including the performa. Each TMA has been marked by another tutor (upsettingly) and I have no idea of what this one will be looking for or what impact this will have on my EMA as she will be it’s first marker. As the EMA is worth 50% of my overall marks the stress this is causing makes studying difficult.

It can certainly be tough Karen, you’re right. Stay positive and hopefully some good news will come along soon. David.

I’m studying Law through the OU and most of my TMA’s have come back on the verge or over the ten day period without notification. As a student, if we miss a deadline for submitting an assignment we get penalised and a zero score, therefore a knock on effect for our acas. Why should experienced and qualified tutors differ? Guidelines are guidelines, and as an excuse for tutors not working weekends, why not? we have to allocate full time hours over a whole week and the units covered do not allow us to take two days off every week. This is just one drawback of distance learning, no classroom hours, just a plethora of blocks, units and hours we have no choice of stuffing into our study time with much overspill into personal time. If we want to pass, we have to crack on. Tutors should be no different.

My TMA was due back yesterday according to the two-week rule, but the exam was the day before yesterday so I was hoping for it sooner. Sadly it still hasn’t arrived, but I got the following today by e-mail:

“Dear Students,

I am really sorry for not marking yet your TMA04.

I have downloaded in two batches the submitted TMAs. However, I failed to copy one batch of TMAs in the correct folder.

I would like to apologise for the inconvenience it has caused and I will marked as quickly as I can.”

These things happen I guess, but it does make me wonder why the TMA and exam were so close together. It certainly would have been good to have the opportunity to review the TMA feedback before the exam,

Overall I have found that very few tutors exceed the 14 day limit (one in particular made a point of getting them returned within 48 hours). I have been very impressed with the OU in general.

My final TMA for a module is now 28 days from the cut off (35 from when I submitted.) I’m getting worried now I’ve read these responses. I guess 35 days must mean something has gone wrong.

I’m a bit worried about submitting TMA’s now. I’m doing level three modules. I understand you should submit them before 12 noon on the day they are due. There is also a 12 hour grace period to submit them up to midnight. I have a habit of submitting them up to midnight. It wasn’t an issue before, however the tutor I have now said that they must be submitted before noon. I’m confused. I thought the deadline could be a bit flexible. I was told the 12 hours grace was for if you had a technical fault with your Internet connection. Does anyone know for sure if I can submit the TMA before midnight or will it be before 12 noon? I am confused.

Can I submit my TMA before midnight on the day it is due or must I submit it by 12 noon? In previous modules this was ok but on this one the tutor said that the 12 hours grace is only for technical difficulties. I am confused. I haven’t had my TMA marked and I’m a bit worried.

You should be submitting by noon & as you say the 12 hour grace period is to allow for any technical difficulties. The tutor doesn’t know whether your internet is down or your computer has crashed so………..

I basically can’t move forward with mu studies because of how anxious I am of the results of my Tma02 I just can’t focus on anything else

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Six Steps to an Awesome Open University Assignment

Like almost everything in life there is a knack to doing well in an  Open University assignment (and this probably carries through to other kinds of assignments to). Knowing your stuff will get you a pass, but putting these tips into practice will turn that into a good pass, or even a distinction. This is my experience and things I’ve picked up from tutors and other students over the course of six modules from Level 1 through to Postgraduate .

OU tutors are busy people and they are following a marking scheme . Mostly they are looking to find out how well you’ve passed the Tutor Marked Assignment (TMA) or End of Module Assignment (EMA). So you need to make it as easy as possible for them to give you the best mark possible for the work you’ve done.

There are six easy to follow steps to this.

1. Read the assignment question and answer it.

This one is obvious, but the post assignment feedback from tutors shows that it doesn’t always get followed. Not doing this makes you fail.

The time to read the question before you start working through the relevant course material . TMAs are usually structured to follow the course material, often they specifically reference a unit. If you have the EMA question at the start of the course then read it then. Otherwise read it as soon as it becomes available and plan your revision on how you answer the EMA . TMAs & EMAs are open book, so you have time to read the correct bit of the course material to help you answer.

DO read the question, get clues from it, and then answer exactly what is asked .

DON’T write the answer you hoped for.

2. Use the Whole Word Count

TMAs and EMAs have a word count limit, this always comes with a 10% leeway. You must use the whole word count , and some of the leeway.

Bank on writing as much as you need to answer each part of the question, and then trim it down on an edit when you are finished. The more quality information you get into the given word count the higher your mark can be . The material needs to be in there for the marker to find.

DO pay attention to the mark allocation for each question, your word count and time should reflect the marks available for each part .

3. Have a clear open structure

• Use bullet points where appropriate
• wide margins (2.5 – 3cm) & white space (break up paragraphs)
• 12 point font, 1.5 line spacing (more than x1, not as much as x2)

4. Sign post your answers

make it very easy to scan the TMA/EMA

Use headings for each part of a question that you answer, be careful of multiple part questions and split out your answers to each part to ensure that a marker can just tick them off as you list them on their first read through.

use diagrams carefully (e.g. use a table for SWOT analysis )

• annotate diagrams
• explain what you think they show

5. Use course material

Another obvious one. The OU, like all universities, wants you to demonstrate that you have learnt from the course material . Having read the question (see step 1 above) you should look for answers in the course material , either in theory to apply, or in the case studies .

Often there will be a case study of a very similar approach to the questions that are asked in a TMA or EMA that you can use to help you know what to include in your answers. At the very least this will give you a clue on where to look in the course material for theory.

When applying theory to an answer follow this approach:

• state the context
• introduce the theory
• apply the theory to the context

6. Reference

Again, this shouldn’t need to be said, but it does. Make sure you reference appropriately. It helps to show that you:

• have read and absorbed the course material;
• give credit for others ideas; and
• for a distinction level have read further than the course material

If you have the time it is always worth reading the original ideas as referenced in the course material (and you can copy references from the course material if you need help with formatting them). Often this gives you a different take on it from the course authors and helps you to back up any arguments you need to make to justify conclusions or opinions.

DO let me know how you get on with this. 

PS – I have written a book about being an Open University student. If you liked this post you might also enjoy Themself: My Experience as an Open University Creative Writing Student

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About James

6 comments already.

Thanks for this, very helpful.

Glad you found it useful Karen!

My EMA usually refers me to certain sections of a block so should I still be incorporating stuff from the other blocks as well? I got a shock last year when I got a much lower mark in my EMA than I had in my TMAs and want to get it right this year.

Hope it’s not too late. The EMA is covering the entire module, so while they’ll certainly point you to bits that are crucial for a pass, that isn’t the only bit you need to focus on. In the EMA you need to bring out everything that you’ve learned, so if any part of the module feels like it might be relevant to the question use it. This goes double for parts that weren’t covered in the TMAs.

Good luck with your EMA!

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How to acknowledge generative ai (such as chatgpt) in assignments.

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When used appropriately, such tools can be used to support your learning and develop the skills you’ll need in an evolving digital world. However, generative AI software can make mistakes, so it’s important to use it in combination with a variety of reliable sources, such as your module materials and library resources. Cite Them Right – the online referencing guidance platform – has taken a closer look at how emerging AI tools can affect academic work and provides advice on how to stay critical and scrutinise the output of these tools. If you're thinking of using generative AI tools like Chat GPT in your assignments, check out the Open University's  generative AI for students guidelines  for advice on using them appropriately.

As with all resources, it is important that you acknowledge if you have used generative AI tools in producing your work. The university expects all submitted work to be your own, and sources should be fully credited. If you use generative AI in your assignment, make sure to reference and acknowledge it. Cite Them Right also has specific guidance on how to reference generative AI using the Harvard referencing style. The Open University's guidelines also require you to add an appendix to your submission, outlining your use of generative AI. For details on how to do this, refer to the  generative AI for Students guidelines.

The Library provides plenty of help and support  on how to keep track of and reference the information you find to avoid plagiarism, such as:

• Quick guides featuring lots of examples of how to cite different items.
• Helpful online tutorials - such as The why and how of referencing and the newly introduced Exploring Generative AI: critical skills and ethical use - that are available to watch any time.
• Easy to follow activities on the Library’s Being digital site on topics including Referencing your sources and Avoiding plagiarism (with a new activity on generative AI being introduced later this year).

If you can’t find what you need in the quick guide, you can check your module for guidance or ask your tutor. And if you need any further support, our Library Helpdesk is open 24 hours a day, 7 days a week!

Please refer to the pages listed for the latest guidance on how to reference generative AI as it is subject to change.

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Always be on the lookout for potential plagiarism or work that closely resembles the work of another student.  Occasionally, a student may copy work directly from the source. All written assignments will go through a two-part system. Aspen uses a software called Turnitin as a way to help monitor how much of the written assignment is original work versus language copied from another source. When a student submits his/her assignment to the Dropbox, it will automatically go through Turnitin. When the assignment is pulled down for grading, faculty members will be able to see the students Turnitin similarity score. As we guide students and help them learn to be a better scholar, faculty can choose to send a paper back to a student for the opportunity to resubmit. Their paper must cite all sources or they could be held accountable for plagiarism. This is a serious offense that faculty are required to report to the university.

We are providing Turnitin as a tool and a way for faculty and students to discern and correct how much of their paper is original work. Please note that Turnitin is simply a tool and not always perfect. Often a paper can show similarity through titles and lists of references. Faculty should always open a paper and review the report to see what areas of the paper are duplicated. Aspen always defers to the faculty to make the appropriate grading decisions.

When a high percentage of similarity exists in a student’s submitted work (>20%), follow these two starter rules: 1) Ask the student what happened (it is possible that he/she is retaking the course), and 2) open the Similarity Report and examine where the similarities exist. Often, these two behaviors can shed considerable light on what is happening. If, however, plagiarism is strongly suspected, the faculty should fill-out a plagiarism form and submit it to the Registrar.

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Submitting an Assignment

On this page, key features of assignment submissions, getting started, further support.

Assignments in Brightspace are a key part of your coursework, allowing you to showcase your understanding through essays, reports, and other projects. You can work on these assignments outside of Brightspace, and when you're ready, submit your files directly into the system for assessment.

You may wish to retain a copy of the assignment for your own record as assignments in Brightspace will be retained in line with the VLE Retention Schedule

• File Formats : Ensure your files are in the correct format as specified by your instructor. This may include, PDF, Word, Excel file or perhaps a video file or mp3 depending on the module. 
• File Submissions Brightspace supports various file types, so you can submit your assignments in the format that works best for you and your module. This flexibility makes it easy to upload documents, presentations, or other project files.
• Rubrics and Feedback Your instructors may use rubrics to grade your assignments, which clearly outline the criteria for assessment. Once your assignment is graded, you can view detailed feedback to help you understand your strengths and areas for improvement.
• Originality Checking Many assignments in Brightspace will include originality checking tools. These tools help ensure your work is original and properly referenced. Your instructor may choose to share the originality report with you, allowing you to review and improve your citation practices before final submission.
• Submission Confirmation : Always wait for the confirmation message to ensure your assignment has been successfully submitted.
• Tracking Submissions : Brightspace allows you to track and review your submitted assignments. Check back to confirm your submission and view any feedback from your instructor.

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• (opens in a new window) How to submit an assignment
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• (opens in a new window) Troubleshooting Assignment issues in Brightspace

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6.2 How will I get feedback on assignments?

If you submitted your TMA online you’ll receive an email telling you when it’s available to download. We call this ‘collecting’ your marked assignment. Typically, you’ll get it back within 10 working days from your submission deadline.

To collect your TMA you’ll go back to the eTMA system. Here you should see your score for the TMA and a button to collect it.

When you click ‘collect’ you’ll be able to download your TMA and tutor feedback as a zip file which you’ll need to save to your computer or device. When you open the file you’ll find your tutor’s comments and feedback.

Do make sure that you collect your work and read all of the feedback – there is usually feedback on your TMA document as well as an attached form with a summary of the feedback. Don’t just look at the mark, as the feedback you get is really important and will help you improve.

Again, you can see how all of this works if you submit TMA00, as you can collect this just like a real TMA.

Before finishing this session you’ll take a quick look at an important academic skill: referencing.