written work---"marked"??

hmm i have some questions concerning the school essays that have to be sent in. the letter says "please send photocopies of two essays (marked and dated) which you have prepared...etc" when it says "marked," does it mean that they want to see the actual marking that the teachers have made, or is it fine for me to submit a clean copy which i did after the marking of my teachers? most of my school essays do not have a grade on it, teachers normally only read the first draft and let us do the rest of the work, (and of course first drafts are usually crap), so im just wondering whether i should submit my first drafts or my edited drafts?

Reply 1

HappyHupo

pj1623

hmm i have some questions concerning the school essays that have to be sent in. the letter says "please send photocopies of two essays (marked and dated) which you have prepared...etc" when it says "marked," does it mean that they want to see the actual marking that the teachers have made, or is it fine for me to submit a clean copy which i did after the marking of my teachers? most of my school essays do not have a grade on it, teachers normally only read the first draft and let us do the rest of the work, (and of course first drafts are usually crap), so im just wondering whether i should submit my first drafts or my edited drafts?

It means they want to see essays with the teacher's comments on them. I can't see any reason (providing your teacher is willing) why you cannot re-write a previous essay, which you have completed and had marked, and get the teacher to re-mark it. Then submit that; if you're that worried about your first attempt not being good enough.

Reply 2

--

3

HappyHupo

It means they want to see essays with the teacher's comments on them. I can't see any reason (providing your teacher is willing) why you cannot re-write a previous essay, which you have completed and had marked, and get the teacher to re-mark it. Then submit that; if you're that worried about your first attempt not being good enough.

The reason you aren't allowed to do that is because Cambridge specifically ask you not to, as you may as well be handing in the teacher's version of the essay, rather than your own.

Reply 3

HappyHupo

3232

The reason you aren't allowed to do that is because Cambridge specifically ask you not to, as you may as well be handing in the teacher's version of the essay, rather than your own.

Are they going to know? Absolutely not. Are you really naiive enough to think that this doesn't happen at the private schools where people pay x amount a year? They get an essay practically written for them to submit. A tweak here and there can only be beneficial.

Reply 4

--

3

HappyHupo

Are they going to know? Absolutely not. Are you really naiive enough to think that this doesn't happen at the private schools where people pay x amount a year? They get an essay practically written for them to submit. A tweak here and there can only be beneficial.

No I'm not naive at all (enough to be able to spell the word, in fact), therefore I don't blindly assume that the interviewers, who are some of the most pre-eminent academics in the world and spend the majority of their weeks discussing essays with people who have written them, would not be able to spot an essay which has been corrected either through looking at the teacher's comments or simply discussing the essay with the applicant.

Reply 5

valeryblack

10

lol, my essay had just a mark on it and NO comments. but then again, in Romania teachers just give you the mark and don't bother actually commenting why a particular section was good/bad. but i can speak like 2 hours contiuously about the essay and expand other ideas on that theme so i should have no problems in convincing them it is written by me and me alone :biggrin:

Reply 6

pj1623

OP

4

as i am an IB student, what is their views on submitting extended essay and Theory of Knowledge essay??

i think my extended essay would be really interesting to talk about but im worried about the length of it...they might not even bother to read it :s-smilie:

Reply 7

The West Wing

18

pj1623

as i am an IB student, what is their views on submitting extended essay and Theory of Knowledge essay??

i think my extended essay would be really interesting to talk about but im worried about the length of it...they might not even bother to read it :s-smilie:

It depends what it's about doesn't it?

Reply 8

valeryblack

10

what do you mean by too long? mine was about 4000 words (slightly
more)

Reply 9

Alexander

12

valeryblack

what do you mean by too long? mine was about 4000 words (slightly
more)

Don't worry about it too much either way with regards length - at 4000 words they might be a bit surprised at its size (considering that your standard arts subject weekly essay will generally be around half that, for the first two years at least) but it won't harm your chances; in fact they might be particularly impressed that you can produce such a substantial piece of work.

Reply 10

valeryblack

10

well, i was given 2 weeks time for that essay. we don't really write a lot of essays, so...

Reply 11

pj1623

OP

4

I started working on my extended essay since last year...even though i didn't really work on it often...would that affect how they judge my ability?

Reply 12

DannyBoy123

15

HappyHupo

Are they going to know? Absolutely not. Are you really naiive enough to think that this doesn't happen at the private schools where people pay x amount a year? They get an essay practically written for them to submit. A tweak here and there can only be beneficial.

That is a complete lie. I go to one of those public schools where people pay X amount a year (in the region of £23,000, although I don't as my dad is a teacher :biggrin:

) where approx. 20 out of the 120 year group end up at Oxbridge and I can tell you now that both my essays that were sent in were written once, marked once and were unchanged. They were not perfect but then it is my opinion, and the opinion of my teachers who have some experience in this, that the admissions tutors are not looking for perfection at this stage - after all why would you bother going to study at University if you knew it all already.

The upshot is that I will totally comfortable discussing the work at interview should it come up and I don't feel like a cheating so and so either :cool:

Reply 13

Jigglypuff

16

3232

No I'm not naive at all (enough to be able to spell the word, in fact), therefore I don't blindly assume that the interviewers, who are some of the most pre-eminent academics in the world and spend the majority of their weeks discussing essays with people who have written them, would not be able to spot an essay which has been corrected either through looking at the teacher's comments or simply discussing the essay with the applicant.

Agreed, but with a lot of applicants' essays, I would imagine the fact they were corrected by the teachers would go unnoticed. If the essay was of a pretty good standard anyway, and there were just a few comments in the margin like 'Maybe use an example here' or 'Expand' I can't see admissions tutors would pick up on it were the student to re-draft their essay and consider those points.

I'm not condoning doing this, I'm just saying if a good essay was improved slightly through doing a second draft after having it marked, I can't see the admissions tutor would be able to tell.

Reply 14

pj1623

OP

4

but what if i did not rewrite it simply for the application itself?? i did my second drafts much earlier than i received their requests for written work but its just that my teacher haven't marked them yet

Reply 15

StandingOnAir

As far as I was aware, you weren't meant to rewrite for Cambridge.

One of my essays was a 4000-word first draft of a coursework essay, with comments written on it that both my teacher and I had made. I'm not nearly as happy with it as an essay as I am with the final draft, but I obviously don't have a marked copy of that. The other was a short essay that only had a grade on it, because my philosophy teacher doesn't write comments if it's already A grade standard. I checked with the admissions office at the college I'm applying to, and they were fine.

I think they want to see what your work is like before your teachers get their claws into it, and if you send an edited version they won't be able to tell.

EDIT: I just checked, it was 5000 words! Heh.

Reply 16

FadeToBlackout

15

We've discussed this before.

I think the requirement for the marked essay was so that the attitudes of your teachers can be seen. If all they give you is a couple of ticks and a mark at the end, then it's obvious that the essay is in your teacher's eyes better and adequate, as opposed to one covered in "suggestions" which shows you've probably had more support.

I think it's a not-so-covert way of assessing the levels of support and teaching you've recieved.

Reply 17

Craghyrax

17

HappyHupo

Are they going to know? Absolutely not. Are you really naiive enough to think that this doesn't happen at the private schools where people pay x amount a year? They get an essay practically written for them to submit. A tweak here and there can only be beneficial.

They do also read these threads, and can find out who you are if they wish.

Reply 18

Catsmeat

13

It's not going to help your application if you send in an unmarked or 'clean' essay as the interviewers will want to see what kind of environment you've been educated in. For example, if your teacher has discredited a perfectly exceptional paragraph or point within the essay the interviewer can then guage the relative accuracy of your predicted grades. Indeed, it might actually aid you rather than hamper you.

written work---"marked"??

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