The Cambridge Chat Thread

I don't think you can call anyone a toff - you play polo.

Yes, I play polo. I have a natural talent for it and was "discovered" by a rich guy who now pays me to ride his ponies and play in his colours. He also paid for my training. It is what you call a polo scholarship. Why should I be called a toff for just seizing an opportunity that my personal finances would not have allowed me to take?

So shut up about things you don't understand.

I think it was a jokey comment

I spent the whole match being taunted for my "commonness"

If it's any comfort, I had 4 English prelims last year, did night-before revision for three of them* and I didn't get 2:2s for anything. They were marked twice-over as well. If you're reasonably good at essay writing anyway, and don't piss your examiner off with bad spelling/handwriting/obvious piss-takes, you won't do badly. Remember, they want you do to do well. Ultimately a bad mark means that your teachers will feel bad too, because they are partly responsible for how you do, so they will try to give you the benefit of the doubt. Hope that makes you feel better.

*That's not an exaggeration. I literally did essay plans and crammed quotes the night before. I revised for my Paper 7 mock, though, since you can't make up linguistic skill.

Forgive me for pandering to another polo stereotype then but....can't you hit them with a stick?

Can I ask - how do they mark Cambridge exams? Is it out of 100, and then that equate to a certain degree class? If so, does anyone know the grade boundaries for each degree classification? Thanks x

1* -> 80
1 -> 70
2.1 -> 60
2.2 -> 50
3 -> 40
Ordinary -> 35
FAIL -> 0-34

Ahh Lidka. You always, always make me feel better. I'm going to finish my tea, have some lunch and then tidy my room (currently equates to a bomb-site), all of which will set me up for a good week of hard work. Yes indeed. Thanks for your tips on prelim revsion on the English forum btw

I'd also add that while those are the percentage grade boundaries, they're not always marked out of 100. For MML at least, the highest you can get is 85. Something about them not believing that you can write a perfect essay so that's the highest they'll give you!

I just realised that the info is probably on the Eng Fac website, so I went looking and ta-da. English seems to have the same 85 limit as MML - grade boundaries go like this:

First 70-85 80-85 Exceptional
75-79 Good
70-74 Low
2:1 60-69
2:2 50-59
3 40-49
Ordinary 35-39
Fail 0-34

I am comforted now. Surely I can get at least 60 in my prelims??

Well, hopefully. Do remember that it's not like A-level, though, and getting over 60 is considered pretty bloody good.

Oi, I've been trying to calm her down about Prelims! Don't go ruining all my hard work.