Dear supporters,

We have collected more than 1000 signatures for the petition in just two days. The LSE Directorate has answered our formal request for introducing a “no-detriment” policy. This is a brief summary of the response:

• The LSE Directorate will not introduce a “no-detriment” policy, “because LSE has exceptionally varied patterns of assessment across programmes”.
• The examiners will fix issues according to their subjective goodwill: “Exam boards will have the opportunity to exercise discretion at the time of making final classification decisions (...) with compassion”
• The school’s policy aims at students self-describing as being “fit to sit”: If you hand in your assessment you are waiving your right to retrospectively appeal the results of your summative assessment. The alternative is to agree to deferral. 

We do not agree to this practice. The issues that we have described in an email to the LSE Directorate and in this petition cannot be solely solved by offering extensions or deferrals. This is the main reason why universities such as Cambridge, UCL, KCL or Imperial College London have agreed to “no-detriment” policies. We, therefore, repeat our request to the LSE Directorate: We ask LSE to introduce a “no-detriment” policy and trust that the School will implement it fairly.

We also ask you to take the following steps in support of this cause:

• Share the petition with your friends at LSE.
• Share the petition in the communication channels of your hall, society, and programme.
• Send an own email in support of the petition to LSE.Director@lse.ac.uk. (
• Ask your friends, whether they have signed the petition.

Together we can let the LSE Directorate know what the voice of LSE Students is. We want to be assessed fairly.

Thank you for taking the time. Stay safe. Wash your hands.

For further information, read this article in The Beaver.

All the best,

Anton (a.s.schultz@lse.ac.uk), Felix (f.j.westeren@lse.ac.uk), Hazel (h.m.boyd@lse.ac.uk), Philip (p.bessermann@lse.ac.uk)