I am asking the University of Aberdeen to consider using a mitigation system similar to that being used by the University of Exeter to bring about fairer results for final-year undergraduate students. COVID-19 has affected all final-year students across the UK and thus we should all be subject to the same regulations. At 9:40 AM the University of Exeter announced that student assessment would be mitigated through a "safety net" policy. The Deputy Vice-Chancellor wrote:

"So long as [students] would qualify to progress/graduate based on [their] marks obtained this year ... then [the university] will ensure that [students'] final academic year average is the same as, or higher than, the average [they] have attained up to Sunday 15th March".

"If [students] achieve higher marks in assessments submitted and examinations undertaken after Sunday 15th March then [they] will be able to raise your mark for the year." In summary, "as long as you qualify to pass the year, completing the summer assessments can only help not hinder you because we will not let the extraordinary circumstances in which you are completing these assessments leave you with a mark below your current overall mark".

Using this type of mitigating system will help to create more equal results for students being assessed at the university. This is because it allows students to achieve a grade which reflects their academic ability in normal circumstances, whilst simultaneously providing an incentive to do well in summer assessments and giving students who did not achieve their desired grades last semester a chance to improve.

It is clear that the coronavirus has affected every student at The University of Aberdeen. Even before the university closed on March 13th 2020 students were having to take the decision on whether to prioritise their university work or their health and the health of others by deciding whether to enter university buildings for lectures, library books etc.

However, since the university's closure, many students are now left without library books, a suitable place to work, seminars, practical sessions, WiFi and computer facilities. Some students' decisions regarding what to do in this difficult time, such as whether to live alone in Aberdeen instead of with family, will be heavily influenced by the university work they still need to prioritise.

Many students will now be made to complete work in an environment that will not enable them to convey their true abilities, and many students' work will be hindered by illness affecting themselves or those around them. Similarly, many students' mental health is likely to be impacted during this difficult time.