diff --git a/mod/assign/locallib.php b/mod/assign/locallib.php
index 4da2bdc9bb7..2aa605de10b 100644
--- a/mod/assign/locallib.php
+++ b/mod/assign/locallib.php
@@ -6420,6 +6420,11 @@ class assign {
             $submission = $this->get_user_submission($userid, true);
         }
 
+        if ($this->new_submission_empty($data)) {
+            $notices[] = get_string('submissionempty', 'mod_assign');
+            return false;
+        }
+
         // Check that no one has modified the submission since we started looking at it.
         if (isset($data->lastmodified) && ($submission->timemodified > $data->lastmodified)) {
             // Another user has submitted something. Notify the current user.