UK tort law on aggravated damages:

• A. Rare.
• B. Common.
• C. Always awarded.
• D. Unrelated to compensation.

Answer: (A)

Aggravated damages are an extra slice of compensation that can be given when the way the tort was committed worsens the harm to the claimant—typically because the conduct was insulting, high-handed, oppressive, or malicious, amplifying distress or humiliation beyond the actual loss suffered.

They’re not awarded in every case; you need to show there were aggravating factors in the defendant’s conduct. Because this requirement is not present in most torts, aggravated damages are relatively rare. That’s why the statement that they are rare best describes the position.

They’re not common or automatic, and they’re not unrelated to compensation—aggravated damages are still a form of compensatory damages addressing the impact of the conduct, not a separate punishment.