Fixing problems when submitting an assignment
Submitting your assignments is an essential and important part of your learning journey, which is why it can be stressful if you are having problems when submitting your work.
This article includes the most common problems you might have when submitting an assignment and the steps you need to take to fix the problem. This article covers problems you might have when submitting essays, video, presentations, or portfolios.
This troubleshooting page is based on information from Digital Training's Submission problems help page.
I'm struggling to access Moodle
York St John University recommends using Chrome as your browser for web access to https://moodle.yorksj.ac.uk/
The MyYSJ app has a summary of Moodle but you will need to access the Moodle website on a browser to submit you work.
There is an issue with my submission point, such as, the submission dates are incorrect
You cannot fix this yourself as this needs to be fixed by the PASS team.
Contact the Student Hub:
Visit the Student Hub support desk on your campus
Ask for help by raising a case on the Student Hub’s online portal
Call the Student Hub on 01904 876500
When you contact the Student Hub, please tell us:
The module code for the assignment
Name and/or details about the assignment
I can't find the submission point for my late or re-submission.
It may have not been created or may be locked to a selective group. You cannot fix this yourself as this needs to be fixed by the PASS team.
Contact the Student Hub:
Visit the Student Hub support desk on your campus
Ask for help by raising a case on the Student Hub’s online portal
Call the Student Hub on 01904 876500
When you contact the Student Hub, please tell us:
The module code for the assignment
Name and/or details about the assignment
I have submitted an incorrect file
Turnitin submission points (blue arrow) allow multiple uploads until the deadline. If you submitted the incorrect file, you can just upload a new version to replace it.
Moodle submission points (hand under paper) can only be changed whilst in draft.
The final file you submit is the one which will be marked.
Chaning the submitted file in a Moodle submission point
Moodle file submissions are a two-step process. Until the second page has been confirmed, the work is in DRAFT and not officially submitted.
Moodle file submissions can be replaced whilst the submission is in draft. Once confirmed, the submission would need to be returned to draft
If you need to amend or add files, you need to get your submission returned to Draft.
Contact the Student Hub to get help with this:
Visit the Student Hub support desk on your campus
Ask for help by raising a case on the Student Hub’s online portal
Call the Student Hub on 01904 876500
When you contact the Student Hub, please tell us:
The module code for the assignment
Name and/or details about the assignment
I can't view my Turnitin similarity report
Some assignments may be set to not allow students to view the similarity report, or set to release the report at the same time as your results.
You can always check the similarty of your work using the dummy Turnitin submission points in Academic Integrity, Turnitin and copyright 2025-26. This is a separate set of Turnitin submission points and will not submit your work for assessment. Please see Digital Training's Check your own work in Turnitin before submission help page for more information.
The first 3 times you submit work to a similary checking point in Academic Integrity, Turnitin and copyright 2025-26 will give you the results straigth away. After 3 submissions to a submission point, there is a delay of 24 hrs before similarity report is released. Use another similarity checking submission point in Academic Integrity, Turnitin and copyright 2025-26 or wait 24 hours.
There is a Turnitin error when I try to upload a file
Common Turnitin errors are:
The file is still open in Word. Turnitin may give Error Connecting to Server. You need to close the file in Word and re-submit it.
The file is read-only. You need to save the file as a new copy so that it is editable.
The file only contains pictures. A minimum of 20 words is required in a submission.
I get a blank screen or an error message when I upload my assignment
It is likely that you have tried to upload an incorrect file type. Turnitin submission points are set to only accept specific file types. Turnitin is expecting to see text (at least 20 words). If you try to upload an image file, this will not work.
Alternatively, it may be that your file is too large.
Moodle won't accept my file type
Many file types are accepted by Moodle. However, sometimes tutors restrict the types of file that are accepted. Please check your assignment brief for restrictions.
There should be no issue with files created in Microsoft Word.
TurnItIn will not accept Picture only submissions, such as a scanned PDF or Picture only PowerPoint.
Very large (bigger than 40MB) files can sometimes be an issue – see 'Turnitin cannot read my file' below.
Turnitin also cannot read Word files submitted in View mode, or any files in a Reviewing mode. You need to ensure that it is submitted in Editing mode.
Some specialist formats such as programming scripts can be an issue for TurnItIn. Saving the file as a PDF is often the best solution in this case.
Moodle tells me my PowerPoint or Word file is too large
Please take a look at Digital Training's Reducing file sizes in Word and PowerPoint help page.
Default file sizes for Moodle assignments (although these can be changed by the tutor):
File assignment 400 mb
Video file (Media Library) 100 gb
Turnitin assignment maximum size is 100 mb (see TurnitIn file requirements for more information):
Turnitin allows for 100MB uploads for 'accepted file types'.
Any file with multiple images may cause an issue. Therefore it is best to reduce the file size to <40MB.
.pptx is not seen as an 'accepted file type' IF the file is bigger than 40MB. If this is due to lots of very large pictures, please see Digital Training's Reducing file sizes in Word and PowerPoint help page.
Turnitin cannot read my file
PDF/scanned documents must have at least 20 words for TurnItIn to recognise as an appropriate file. Please see Digital Training's Adding text to a picture only PDF help page for further help.
Large files (>40MB) can be an issue – see the file size advice above.
I have two files to submit but the second replaces the first.
Some assignments have multiple parts to them which means you have more than one file to submit.
In the Turnitin submission point there is likely more than one tab – each one can only hold one file. They are often named Part 1, Part 2 etc. however these can also be renamed by tutors.
I'm having difficulty submitting my Mahara e-Portfolio
If a submission point has been set up for Mahara, a file of this type must be submitted. There is no option for other file types.
In the assignment submission area in Moodle, you select the page or collection you want to submit FROM Moodle. All your possible pages and collections will be listed there to select.
If your page or collection does not appear, please ensure you have created your Portfolio on the YSJ version of Mahara (https://eportfolio.yorksj.ac.uk/) rather than the free version available on the internet.
If you are working on a group portfolio, one person will have to copy over the portfolio and submit on behalf of the group. Please see Digital Training's Group Working in Mahara help page.
Moodle will only accept one Mahara page/portfolio. If you have several individual pages, a Collection will have to be created prior to submission. Please see Digtial Training's Creating Collections of pages - Mahara help page.
I don't know how to submit a PebblePad portfolio
You currently do not have to submit your PebblePad portfolio via Moodle.
You will probably have shared (submitted) your Portfolio with the appropriate workspace (tutor) when you first used PebblePad.
You can check this in your Asset Store by looking at the sharing options for your workbook.
You should be able to edit up to the assignment deadline. After this you may still be able to make changes, but your tutor will only see the version at the deadline.
For further information, please see Digital Training's Submitting a creative Portfolio – PebblePad help page.
I have created my video submission on PowerPoint, but I don't have the correct .mp4 file format to submit.
You need to export your PowerPoint with voiceover to become a video in the form of a .mp4 file. This can be done from within PowerPoint (app).
Make sure you have saved your PowerPoint, then from the Record tab, select Export to Video.
I can't submit my Video assignment to Moodle – Media Library won't let me log in during submission
There is currently an issue with a minority of IT accounts where Moodle and Media Library are not linking correctly when students try to submit or view a video resource. If this happens, you will find it difficult to log into Media Library via Moodle to upload your work, or view a video resource uploaded by your Tutor. This can be fixed by the ITS team.
Please submit a case on the Student Hub Online Portal:
Say that Media library will not let you log in to submit your assignment
Say the Module code and the assignment details
ask for the query to be directed to Technology Enhanced Learning (TEL)