Any way I can appeal this grade?

I'm upset as I got an essay back with a mark of 54%. The others I have got back recently have had marks of 72-74%, so this has really thrown me off. I worked really, really hard on it. Unfortunately I just did not answer the essay question. It is also a topic that we didn't look at at all in lectures - we did have a choice of questions but I chose this one thinking I'd do really well in it. I'm aiming for a first but this mark will lower my year grade by one mark and it's really eating away at me. Is there any way at all I can appeal it?!

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Reply 1

shawn_o1

21

Please don't, when you go out into the "real world" your grades don't mean a thing if you don't prove that you're "driven" and "ambitious".

Reply 2

Shumaya

14

..

(edited 7 years ago)

Reply 3

shawn_o1

21

Original post by Shumaya

What if his/her 'real world' plans require high grades?

Loads of graduate jobs only require 2:1 or higher. If an employer is faced with choosing between a 2:1 grad who's been a student ambassador and spent her time in between terms completing internships and placements, and a first-class grad who only turned up to lectures and completed uni assignments, and partied in her spare time, who would he choose?

Reply 4

999tigger

19

Original post by peanutbuttercup

I'm upset as I got an essay back with a mark of 54%. The others I have got back recently have had marks of 72-74%, so this has really thrown me off. I worked really, really hard on it. Unfortunately I just did not answer the essay question. It is also a topic that we didn't look at at all in lectures - we did have a choice of questions but I chose this one thinking I'd do really well in it. I'm aiming for a first but this mark will lower my year grade by one mark and it's really eating away at me. Is there any way at all I can appeal it?!

Posted from TSR Mobile

What would be the basis of your appeal?

Did you have extenuating circumstances? seious Illness, bereaved etc?

You say you had a choice of questions and you chose it because you felt it was to your advantage, even though you hadnt covered it in lectures. Whose responsibility is that?

You say you didnt answer the question. Whose responsibility is that? How can you expect the marks when you dont provide them what they asked for?

At the moment im only seeing the basis for your appeal is that you got a disappointing mark, they asked you the wrong question and you'd like a higher mark becayse you want a first? Think about it.

On a practical note you should read the Unis rules on appealing a grade. that will tell you what grounds can appeal on. If you feel they made a mistake or an error and that your work deserved a higher mark, then that may be grounds. It may cost you extra money, they probably reserve the right to give you a lower grade, you may need to back up your claim.

(edited 7 years ago)

Reply 5

Wahrheit

18

Original post by 999tigger

What would be the basis of your appeal?

Did you have extenuating circumstances? seious Illness, bereaved etc?

You say you had a choice of questions and you chose it because you felt it was to your advantage, even though you hadnt covered it in lectures. Whose responsibility is that?

You say you didnt answer the question. Whose responsibility is that? How can you expect the marks when you dont provide them what they asked for?

At the moment im only seeing the basis for your appeal is that you got a disappointing mark, they asked you the wrong question and you'd like a higher mark becayse you want a first? Think about it.

Yeah this sums it up to be honest, you can't just appeal a grade because you want a better one lol

Reply 6

peanutbuttercup

OP

18

Original post by 999tigger

What would be the basis of your appeal?

Did you have extenuating circumstances? seious Illness, bereaved etc?

You say you had a choice of questions and you chose it because you felt it was to your advantage, even though you hadnt covered it in lectures. Whose responsibility is that?

You say you didnt answer the question. Whose responsibility is that? How can you expect the marks when you dont provide them what they asked for?

At the moment im only seeing the basis for your appeal is that you got a disappointing mark, they asked you the wrong question and you'd like a higher mark becayse you want a first? Think about it.

I accept responsibility for that. At the same time I think it was slightly rushed as I was reaching a nervous breakdown at the time through stress and other things- I was going to get extenuating circs but I thought it was better to just hand everything in on time. Not sure if I can say that having received my assignment grade I can see that it affected my performance so I now want to put it forward

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Original post by peanutbuttercup

.............

Seriously - you've got no chance, you are just making more stress for yourself and paperwork for the university. Suck it up, improve your organisation and question reading/selection and work harder to improve the rest of your grades.

Reply 8

999tigger

19

Original post by peanutbuttercup

I accept responsibility for that. At the same time I think it was slightly rushed as I was reaching a nervous breakdown at the time through stress and other things- I was going to get extenuating circs but I thought it was better to just hand everything in on time. Not sure if I can say that having received my assignment grade I can see that it affected my performance so I now want to put it forward

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Then do as I said in the last paragraph. from your OP your case sounds weak and is based more on you not liking your grade so you fancied another roll of the dice.

The rules will tell you on what basis you can appeal. If you want to go the extenuating cirs route then it helps if you have independent evidence, Dr , counselor, tutor etc and over a period of time. the departmentla rules will be in your student handbook, on the webiste or available from the department. If you dont know what to do then get help from the SU.

Reply 9

Shumaya

14

Original post by shawn_o1

Loads of graduate jobs only require 2:1 or higher. If an employer is faced with choosing between a 2:1 grad who's been a student ambassador and spent her time in between terms completing internships and placements, and a first-class grad who only turned up to lectures and completed uni assignments, and partied in her spare time, who would he choose?

Loads but not all. It's possible that OP is aiming for a job where a first will massively increase their chances. First class grads can (and do) complete internships and many 2:1 grads do nothing but party. How do you know what the OP does in their spare time? There's also the possibility that they want to get on to a competitive postgrad course.

Reply 10

Shumaya

14

Original post by peanutbuttercup

I accept responsibility for that. At the same time I think it was slightly rushed as I was reaching a nervous breakdown at the time through stress and other things- I was going to get extenuating circs but I thought it was better to just hand everything in on time. Not sure if I can say that having received my assignment grade I can see that it affected my performance so I now want to put it forward

Check the rules at your university but I doubt they'll accept a retrospective claim for extenuating circumstances.

Reply 11

peanutbuttercup

OP

18

Thanks all for the advice. My uni have told me I have a strong case due to other problems that affected my ability at the time

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Reply 12

999tigger

19

Original post by peanutbuttercup

Thanks all for the advice. My uni have told me I have a strong case due to other problems that affected my ability at the time

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Are these issues you didnt bother to mention on the thread? Sounds like your Uni are on your side and have already made their mind up.

Reply 13

peanutbuttercup

OP

18

Original post by 999tigger

Are these issues you didnt bother to mention on the thread? Sounds like your Uni are on your side and have already made their mind up.

Yes I didn't mention them as personal

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Reply 14

Klix88

17

Original post by peanutbuttercup

Yes I didn't mention them as personal

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You could have told us what you subsequently posted. There was no way we could have given helpful advice based on your initial post. You don't need to go into detail, but there's no point asking a question, if the way you ask it guarantees that replies will be useless.

Reply 15

peanutbuttercup

OP

18

Original post by Klix88

You could have told us what you subsequently posted. There was no way we could have given helpful advice based on your initial post. You don't need to go into detail, but there's no point asking a question, if the way you ask it guarantees that replies will be useless.

I did touch on it in a later post

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Reply 16

username944192

21

Original post by peanutbuttercup

I accept responsibility for that. At the same time I think it was slightly rushed as I was reaching a nervous breakdown at the time through stress and other things- I was going to get extenuating circs but I thought it was better to just hand everything in on time. Not sure if I can say that having received my assignment grade I can see that it affected my performance so I now want to put it forward

Posted from TSR Mobile

You've changed your story quite considerably in the course of this thread. First it was you didn't like your grade but you seemed to concede that you hadn't answered the essay question - if that is really true, then I think a grade of 54 is pretty generous. Now you claim to have other circumstances such as stress; what uni student isn't stressed at this time of year, frankly?

If your uni policy allows for it then it sounds like you will get away with it anyway. My uni has a 'fit to sit' policy where if you hand something in or sit an exam you are saying you are ok to sit or hand in and therefore cannot retrospectively claim mitigating circumstances, so you wouldn't be able to do that at a uni like mine.