Appeal Policy and Procedure for FRCR and DDMFR Exams

1. Definition/purpose of appeal policy

The Royal College of Radiologists’ (RCR) appeals procedure provides a formal means for reviewing candidates’ exam results if issues arise during the exam which the candidate believes had an impact on their performance and/or result. It is applicable to all exams set and run by the RCR. It is not a complaint procedure but enables candidates to challenge a fail result on specific grounds (see below). All appeals will be considered by the RCR in a fair and consistent way.

This policy and procedure applies to all FRCR and DDMFR exams.

Candidates are asked to read this policy in full to ensure that they have valid grounds before raising an appeal (and paying the fee). Should candidates have questions that have not been answered in this page, please email [email protected].

2. Acceptable grounds for appeal

An appeal will only be deemed valid for consideration when based on procedural irregularity in the conduct, or determination of the result, of the exam.

In order to raise an appeal about a procedural irregularity with the delivery of the exam, candidates must complete and submit an Incident Form on the exam day, or within 48 hours following the exam via the Exam Hub, detailing the issue experienced and the associated
impact.

Acceptable criteria for a procedural irregularity:

• a significant disruption or (repeated disruptions) caused by a technical issue, either during a single exam or across multiple exam experiences at one exam sitting*
• an incident that is not resolved through being given extra time during the exam
• evidence of bias
• an incorrectly implemented approved reasonable adjustment
• matters of equivalent or more serious nature.

*Technical issues are not acceptable grounds for appeal unless they are raised with the invigilator or examiner during the exam and a suitable solution was not found on the day.

Learn more about using the RCR exam hub.

3. Invalid grounds for appeal

It is important to note that appeals based on, or arising from, the following will not be valid:

• academic judgement of RCR examiners
• personal circumstances (such as ill-health, personal issues) affecting performance
• lack of candidate awareness of exam regulations and procedures
  Examples of issues that are not a procedural irregularity:
• failing the exam by a half or one or two marks
• a candidate feels that they did better than their marks or the examiner feedback indicates
• a candidate disagrees with their marks or examiner feedback
• the removal of questions from the exam paper after the exam (this is a normal adjudication procedure)
• For Final Part B exams, scrolling and imaging concerns, unless they caused repeated disruption, were raised with the invigilator or examiner at the time of the exam, and a suitable solution was not found on the day.

In addition, the following scenarios would not be relevant to an appeal:

• achieving higher (component) scores in previous exam sittings 
• issues that occurred prior to arriving to the exam venue (e.g. issues with booking)
• successful completion of preparation courses or formative assessments in the workplace. 

The appeal process cannot be used to request for the exam to be remarked or for results to be reviewed. All exam results are checked thoroughly before they are released.

Please note: the recordings from Clinical Oncology Final Part B exams are not available to review for appeals. No other exams are recorded.

4. Lodging an appeal

The appeal must be submitted within 10 working days of the publication of exam results via the candidate’s profile in the Exam Hub. (The Appeal button will be available under the exam result for the relevant sitting). A fee of £500 must be paid at the time of submitting. 

Within 10 working days of lodging the appeal, the candidate will be notified of the date by which the outcome of the appeal will be communicated.

The candidate will be sent appeal documents to be submitted on their behalf. Candidates have three working days to notify the RCR of any inaccuracies or omissions. This may include, where relevant and available, result letters and incident forms. (Please note that amendments or additions cannot be made to the original appeal request once submitted.) 

5. Consideration of appeal

The Panel will be constituted independently from the Examiners and will comprise:

• Medical Director for Education and Training (Chair)
• senior Fellow of the RCR (who has expert knowledge of the exam process)
• RCR’s Head of Exams (or nominated deputy)
• Exam Manager (Secretary).

Other members may be co-opted at the discretion of the Chair. If the Chair is unavailable, or it is not appropriate for them to act, an Officer at the equivalent (or more senior) level will Chair. 

The Appeal Panel will consider all submissions that have been lodged according to the process defined in this policy, including all appropriate supporting evidence. Evidence, previously sent to the candidate for approval, will be anonymised for the Panel, alongside the candidate’s redacted appeal request. 

An appeal is not an opportunity for a review or remark of the exam. However, the Panel will check the candidate’s submission and follow a set, objective process to ensure that no administrative, procedural, numerical, data transcription or computing errors have occurred, and that the result accurately reflects the assessment of the candidate by RCR examiners during the exam and results-awarding process.

The appeal decision will be by majority vote of Panel members. The candidate will receive a decision within 30 working days of the result date by email. 

6. Withdrawing an appeal

If the candidate wishes to withdraw their appeal, they must request the cancellation in writing to [email protected] within three working days of submitting. A 50% refund will be returned within 10 working days after receipt of the request is confirmed. The appeal cannot be reinstated once withdrawn. 

7. Appeal outcomes

Following consideration of the appeal, the Panel will reach its findings. As detailed below, it is important to note that the identification of a procedural irregularity will not automatically result in a fail result being amended to a pass. Potential appeal outcomes are likely to be as follows:

1. The appeal is deemed invalid and is not upheld.
2. The appeal is deemed valid, in that a procedural irregularity did occur, but that its impact is not sufficient to justify a change in the candidate’s exam outcome. The candidate will be refunded the appeal fee.*
3. The appeal is deemed valid, in that a procedural irregularity did occur, but that there is uncertainty as to its impact on the candidate’s exam outcome. The attempt will be nullified, and the candidate can demonstrate their level of knowledge at a subsequent attempt at the exam. The candidate will be refunded the exam and appeal fee.*
4. The appeal is upheld as it meets the following two criteria: 
   
   1. that a procedural irregularity occurred, which affected the candidate’s score/result 
   2. as the candidate is deemed a borderline fail, there is high confidence that the candidate would have attained the required standard at the exam had the procedural irregularity not occurred.
      
      The candidate’s result will be changed to a pass and a revised result letter will be issued within five working days. The candidate will be refunded the appeal fee.

* Refunds will be processed within 10 working days of the decision email date.

8. Appeal review process

Should a candidate believe that an administrative or procedural error occurred in the handling of their appeal and, as a result, the Appeal Panel failed to follow the published process, the candidate can lodge an application for an appeal review, to request an independent review of the appeal process. 

Please be aware that the appeal review process is not an opportunity to have the appeal considered again but to address any procedural issues in the running of the original appeal. There are two stages of the test to be applied by the appeal review process:

1. that the Appeal Panel, in considering the appeal, failed to follow the process as set out in this policy; and
2. that the result of this error could materially change the outcome they decided upon.

Valid ground for an appeal review: 

• an administrative or procedural error occurred in the handling of the original appeal.

Invalid grounds for an appeal review:

• dissatisfaction or disagreement with the original appeal outcome
• requesting a review of the original appeal when no administrative or procedural irregularity occurred during appeal process 
• adding new or amended information to the appeal that should have been submitted as part of the original appeal.

The appeal review must be requested via the Exam Hub within five working days of the original appeal decision email. Candidates must pay a fee of £500 to proceed. It is not possible to withdraw an application for an appeal review once lodged.

Within five working days of lodging the appeal, the candidate will be notified of the date by which the outcome will be communicated.

The candidate may be contacted if clarification is required. If invited to attend a virtual meeting, the candidate may designate a colleague to attend with them for additional support. (The colleague can advise, but not speak on behalf of, the candidate.)

The Appeal Review Panel will be made up of RCR staff, examiners and officers not involved in the Appeal Panel, with the exception of the Secretary who has no voting rights. 

The Appeal Review Panel will comprise:

• Vice President (Chair)
• RCR Executive Director
• Lay member of an RCR Committee
• Exam Manager (Secretary)

Other members may be co-opted at the discretion of the Chair. If the Chair is unavailable, or it is not appropriate for them to act, an Officer at the equivalent (or more senior) level will Chair.

If an appeal review is successful, in that an administrative or procedural error did occur, the case will be referred back to the Appeal Panel for reconsideration in light of the error in the process. Please note that a reconsideration may not lead to a change to the original appeal outcome. 

The candidate will be notified of the outcome of their appeal review within 30 working days of the initial appeal decision email date. In the case of a successful review (in that an administrative or procedural error did occur), the appeal review fee (of £500) will be refunded to the candidate within 10 working days of the appeal review decision email date. 

The decision of the Appeal Review Panel is final.

9. Booking further exams

If a candidate wants to book a place onto the same exam while the appeal process is underway, they should book in the usual way via the Exam Hub. All bookings are subject to the RCR’s exam regulations and policies. For information about the number of exam attempts permitted, please read the attempts FAQs.

Please note that it is not possible to request to receive an appeal outcome by an earlier date (e.g. before the next exam).

Learn more about the number of exam attempts. 

10. Contact

If a candidate has a question that has not been answered in this page, please email: [email protected]