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Problem with coursework

I have recently got back my criminal law essay coursework. The mark on it is 45%, and the all the marking criteria ticks indicate a solid 2.1 (60-69%). The comments on feedback were good as well. I have been trying to get hold of the person who marked my essay since the 25th March, but without success. I have called the professor, he didn't answer, and I have sent him many emails as a reminder. I have tried getting hold of my law school but they said the mark is the final mark. This is very frustrating as it is obvious there was a mistake with the mark, it should be 65% and not 45%!

Should I just give up and leave it at that? I have a feeling my school doesn't care, and are avoiding a scandal by admitting that the markers do a very poor job and don't double check their work. I was told ym essay was double marked. If it was, how come they didn't spot the flagrant error in the mark??

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Reply 1
Original post by OLawyer
I have recently got back my criminal law essay coursework. The mark on it is 45%, and the all the marking criteria ticks indicate a solid 2.1 (60-69%). The comments on feedback were good as well. I have been trying to get hold of the person who marked my essay since the 25th March, but without success. I have called the professor, he didn't answer, and I have sent him many emails as a reminder. I have tried getting hold of my law school but they said the mark is the final mark. This is very frustrating as it is obvious there was a mistake with the mark, it should be 65% and not 45%!

Should I just give up and leave it atif that? I have a feeling my school doesn't care, and are avoiding a scandal by admitting that the markers do a very poor job and don't double check their work. I was told ym essay was double marked. If it was, how come they didn't spot the flagrant error in the mark??


I can't see any reasons to give up if your essay is in fact a 2.1 essay. As a law student, you should hold your own prinicple in particular if this essay carries weight in your overall grade.
Reply 2
Original post by jivejak
I can't see any reasons to give up if your essay is in fact a 2.1 essay. As a law student, you should hold your own prinicple in particular if this essay carries weight in your overall grade.


I've been calling people, ahrassing people until they get back to me which they don't, and no-one at the law school seems to care. It carries a lot of weight, but I don't think I stand a chance. I've contacted my tutor, my dissertation supervisor, and most of my other lectures, but still with no result...
"all the marking criteria ticks indicate a solid 2.1" - what does this mean?
Reply 4
Original post by jacketpotato
"all the marking criteria ticks indicate a solid 2.1" - what does this mean?


Some law schools provide a sheet breaking down the things the essay was graded on, one I have out now is

- sources and research
- knowledge and understanding
- critical analysis
- structure presentation and referencing
- application and problem solving

Each one can have a box ticked from A - H i.e. the full range of grades awarded by the University. So if you got all B's you'd expect - not unreasonably - to get a B for the essay.
Reply 5
Original post by OLawyer
I've been calling people, ahrassing people until they get back to me which they don't, and no-one at the law school seems to care. It carries a lot of weight, but I don't think I stand a chance. I've contacted my tutor, my dissertation supervisor, and most of my other lectures, but still with no result...


Would you consider filing an official complaint to the Office of Independent Adjudicator for Higher Education? Here's the link to its web site for your reference http://www.oiahe.org.uk/.
Reply 6
Original post by OLawyer
I've been calling people, ahrassing people until they get back to me which they don't, and no-one at the law school seems to care. It carries a lot of weight, but I don't think I stand a chance. I've contacted my tutor, my dissertation supervisor, and most of my other lectures, but still with no result...


Suggest you follow this up through the admin side of your law school, not the academic side. They should be able to advise you further, confirm the mark and advise on the appeal procedures available. Generally speaking, and it's a sweeping generalisation, the academic status of a mark is not subject to appeal - any procedural matters are.
Reply 7
Original post by Norton1
Some law schools provide a sheet breaking down the things the essay was graded on, one I have out now is

- sources and research
- knowledge and understanding
- critical analysis
- structure presentation and referencing
- application and problem solving

Each one can have a box ticked from A - H i.e. the full range of grades awarded by the University. So if you got all B's you'd expect - not unreasonably - to get a B for the essay.


Yes, that's it. I have got consistent 2.1's for all of those criteria, but yet end up with 45%, which clearly outline the erroneous nature of my mark. Still no news as everything is out of office during this period, and won't have any time in May as I will be focusing on exams. It's very frustrating, as the essay was given back 2 days before the end of term, and I have no way of succesfully contacting the person hwo marked my paper.
Reply 8
Original post by cliffg
Suggest you follow this up through the admin side of your law school, not the academic side. They should be able to advise you further, confirm the mark and advise on the appeal procedures available. Generally speaking, and it's a sweeping generalisation, the academic status of a mark is not subject to appeal - any procedural matters are.


The major problem is that the person who marked this paper is my dissertation supervisor who will be marking my dissertation. I cannot reach him, i tried calling, emailing, waiting outside of his office. He is never there, and seems to ignore my emails. I don't want him to mark my dissertation in a sloppy way as he did for my coursework!
Reply 9
Original post by OLawyer
The major problem is that the person who marked this paper is my dissertation supervisor who will be marking my dissertation. I cannot reach him, i tried calling, emailing, waiting outside of his office. He is never there, and seems to ignore my emails. I don't want him to mark my dissertation in a sloppy way as he did for my coursework!


I can understand that you have a reason to feel pissed off. I agree that you do need to find out and understand why the mark was so much lower than what you expected and what the marking critieria indicated. Only thing I would suggest at this stage is that if you approach it through the admin staff you can prevent it becoming a personal issue between you and the marker. Sounds as if you will need him/her as a friend and not an enemy over the next year, as a dissertation supervisor. If you can keep this issue at a distance and maintain a good personal relationship so much the better. I would think that your paper was blind marked, then double marked and moderated. You need to make sure that there were no aministrative mistakes and then fully understand why you scored as you did. Sorry I can't help anymore.
Reply 10
Thing is, this entire year, I've had the marker of my coursework as my dissertation supervisor and he hasn't helped me at all. I schedule meetings with him and his cancels them all the time. Is this sort of behaviour acceptable? Is it normal I have to continuously email him, phone his office number, spend hours outside his office, but then again, I still never see him. When I compare this guy to my friend's supervisors for their dissertation, there is a huge disparity.
Original post by OLawyer
Thing is, this entire year, I've had the marker of my coursework as my dissertation supervisor and he hasn't helped me at all. I schedule meetings with him and his cancels them all the time. Is this sort of behaviour acceptable? Is it normal I have to continuously email him, phone his office number, spend hours outside his office, but then again, I still never see him. When I compare this guy to my friend's supervisors for their dissertation, there is a huge disparity.


Are you sure it says 45% and not 65% (I'm just thinking that 4 and 6 are pretty similar)? Just a thought!

I think, if what you have said about your supervisor is the case, you should definitely think about complaining to the Law faculty and, if they won't listen, the university. Your supervisor will be busy with his own things too, but ultimately you are paying a lot of money per year and I don't think it's unreasonable to expect to him to be available to help students at certain times. Of course, it's completely irresponsible of him if he's made a mistake with the marking of your essay since 20% makes a huge difference.
Reply 12
Original post by Rascacielos
Are you sure it says 45% and not 65% (I'm just thinking that 4 and 6 are pretty similar)? Just a thought!

I think, if what you have said about your supervisor is the case, you should definitely think about complaining to the Law faculty and, if they won't listen, the university. Your supervisor will be busy with his own things too, but ultimately you are paying a lot of money per year and I don't think it's unreasonable to expect to him to be available to help students at certain times. Of course, it's completely irresponsible of him if he's made a mistake with the marking of your essay since 20% makes a huge difference.


Yes it says 45%, and I know that it should say 65%. But the law school won't listen to me, the score is even already uploaded on my student record, even though I've complained. It's like everyone wants to hush me down, and no-one is willing to accept their mistakes, as it would be quite a scandal, specially as I'm a 3rd year, and this year counts for a lot.
Original post by OLawyer
Yes it says 45%, and I know that it should say 65%. But the law school won't listen to me, the score is even already uploaded on my student record, even though I've complained. It's like everyone wants to hush me down, and no-one is willing to accept their mistakes, as it would be quite a scandal, specially as I'm a 3rd year, and this year counts for a lot.


Would it be worthwhile seeing another law tutor or perhaps even a postgrad student? Surely someone would be able to explain why you did well according to the marking criteria but still only just passed.

If not, take it higher if you can.
Reply 14
Original post by Rascacielos
Would it be worthwhile seeing another law tutor or perhaps even a postgrad student? Surely someone would be able to explain why you did well according to the marking criteria but still only just passed.

If not, take it higher if you can.


I've seen another law tutor who said the marking was very sloppy, and there was clearly a mistake in the grade I got. But then what can I do, I was told to see the marker, who's not been in the law school for several weeks, and is only back end of May... I've sent him countless emails and never got any replies. My other friends get almost instant replies from their supervisors...
Reply 15
The main difficulty with this issue is that the marker is my dissertation supervisor, which means I can't take it higher, other I will have a hostile relationship with him, and I'm sure he would gladly fail me in the marking of my dissertation... Either way, he wins
Original post by OLawyer
I've seen another law tutor who said the marking was very sloppy, and there was clearly a mistake in the grade I got. But then what can I do, I was told to see the marker, who's not been in the law school for several weeks, and is only back end of May... I've sent him countless emails and never got any replies. My other friends get almost instant replies from their supervisors...


Go back to see that other law tutor and ask what you should do next.
Reply 17
Original post by Rascacielos
Go back to see that other law tutor and ask what you should do next.


I have, I was told to contact my marker who is my dissertation supervisor. I'm going round in a circle....
Original post by OLawyer
I have, I was told to contact my marker who is my dissertation supervisor. I'm going round in a circle....


Speak to them again?
Original post by OLawyer
The main difficulty with this issue is that the marker is my dissertation supervisor, which means I can't take it higher, other I will have a hostile relationship with him, and I'm sure he would gladly fail me in the marking of my dissertation... Either way, he wins


Then you really would have ammunition against him. He can hardly do that just because he doesn't like you.

Besides, it's the policy of pretty much every university that each essay is marked by more than 1 person so the marking is as fair as possible.

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