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Accused of plagiarism

So, I handed the first draft of my English Lit coursework in last week and waited until today to get some feedback on it... Got into the lesson and my teacher says "I need a word with each of you about your coursework, I'll start with you Liam."

I walk outside into another classroom and sit down, and as soon as I do she scrawls down a word that I've used in my coursework onto a piece of paper -

"What does this word mean Liam?"

"I'm not sure, have I used it in my coursework?"

"Yes you have."

"Could you tell me the context in which I wrote it?"

"No"

Turns out that it was a word I'd used as a synonym for 'physical' (because my essay is bout the representation of evil, and I'd used the word physical a few too many times.)

I told her that I'd just used a thesaurus to find a synonym for physical - she didn't look convinced. All the way through my essay she'd underlined phrases (that were completely mine) as the thought they were 'suspicious' (even though I wrote most of my coursework at Sixth Form, in the presence of my friends).

She said - "You do know that you have to be very careful with plagiarism... I understand that you can go on the internet and pay to download essays these days..."

I was like WTF!? :lolwut:

I told her that I was completely certain that none of my coursework was plagiarised...

Then she told me that she'd been talking with all of the other English teachers in the office and telling them that she didn't trust my coursework. My other English teacher then apparently chipped in saying that the coursework I had wrote for her was very good, and that she would "do a Google search on it".

Why? Because it was good?!

I want to study English Lit next year at Uni, why would I get into the final year of my A-levels and decide to copy and paste an entire piece of coursework? I was so pleased with the work I'd done, and now she's completely ruined it.

The reason I'm so pissed off is to do with the way she approached the problem. She didn't come to me first to talk about it, instead she told all of my past teachers that I'd copied something off the internet, placed a seed of doubt in the mind of my other teacher, and then finally asked me about it in the most condescending way possible :angry:

TL;DR - Falsely accused of plagiarism. Worked hard on coursework and now feel rubbish about it. Teacher's being a bitch.

/rant :colondollar:

Reply 1

hyn_shayan

Oh well. Hand it in anyway. It isn't plagiarized so the exam moderators will mark it fairly. Good luck! Plus, well done on writing something that aroused suspicion :wink:

Reply 2

King Leonidas

Atleast you know that you're work's so good that they think you've copied it :smile:

Reply 3

spongle

Awh, I'd rep you if I could.

A similar thing happened to me last year actually. I feel your pain. :frown:

Reply 4

Liam_G

Original post by pinda.college

Atleast you know that you're work's so good that they think you've copied it :smile:

Original post by hyn_shayan

Oh well. Hand it in anyway. It isn't plagiarized so the exam moderators will mark it fairly. Good luck! Plus, well done on writing something that aroused suspicion :wink:

Thanks

In all honesty I thought she wanted to talk to me because she thought it was good :s-smilie:

... I really want an A so I tried really hard with it, and the fact that she didn't talk to me first about it and slagged me off to the other teachers really pissed me off :mad:

I've lost quite a bit of respect for her. You put so much effort into something and it just gets thrown in your face :sad:

I'd never plagiarise work... She doesn't know me at all.

Original post by spongle

Awh, I'd rep you if I could.

A similar thing happened to me last year actually. I feel your pain. :frown:

Thanks

Sucks doesn't it :sadnod:

(edited 13 years ago)

Reply 5

f00ddude

it's a draft so it doesn't matter at all
the teacher seems like an utter **** though, everyone uses words thesaurous when they use a work a bit too much

oh, and you should report her for the way she went about dealing with it, due to the fact she spoke to other teachers, one of which could be the 2nd internal moderator, this could effect their opinions about your work giving you an unfair disadvantage
issues with plagurism can only be reported to the head of department before the student is consulted

(edited 13 years ago)

Reply 6

username225218

I understand it's a horrible situation, but if you know you haven't plagiarized, then the grade you deserve will not be at risk. I know it must feel awful to know she has spoken to other teachers about it... But better them than accusing you to the exam board? I hope it all works out!

Reply 7

Liam_G

Original post by f00ddude

Thanks, I think I'm going to have a word with my head of year about her... It seemed a bit out of character to be honest , I've always been fine with her before. I don't even think she realises how pissed off I am, or how out of order she acted.

Original post by beffnee

I know I haven't plagiarised, but even if I try and tell her that I feel like she will always have a little bit of doubt... She's completely ruined my coursework. I was so happy with it :sad:

Reply 8

username594172

Might be best to slightly alter the 'suspect' passages - maybe reword them. Using a thesaurus can sometimes make your writing seem unlike you, because you use vocabulary that you wouldn't usually. Better to change a few bits now than have to re-do it all later, which my friend had to do on his physics. He had to start from scratch - couldn't just correct the 'suspect' bit.

Reply 9

Liam_G

Original post by cchanuk

I know what you mean, but I seriously did not use a thesaurus that much, maybe for one or two words. The 'suspect' passages were the ones I was most proud of as well. If she wants me to change it there's nothing much I can do though :frown:

Thanks for the advice.

Reply 10

username594172

Well, that's a pain!... Teacher's can make mistakes though. Maybe have a word with one of the other english teachers - see if they think it's ok. They could have a word, make them reconsider...?

Reply 11

CameraGirl

eeek! get her to check all of your references, and have other teachers read through it too, and see what they think? if it gets out of hand, take it further!

i know exactly how you feel...

for my A-level physics research paper on tornadoes (i was immensely interested, I'm doing a meteorology degree!!), i handed it in, feeling oh so proud of my achievement and certain i'd done well, to have it handed back with a big fat "E" in red on the front. I honestly nearly cried. I went to talk to my teacher and he said he thought I had just plagiarised the entire piece of coursework and lectured me about how that wasn't good enough. I then proceeded to, as calmly as I could given the situation, tell him exactly how much work I had put into it, and that I would like him to check every single one of my references, and put it through one of those internet things that matches it up to articles/journals/websites to check for plagiarism. I think he realised how serious I was being and took it back, checked a couple of the references while I was there. He then had to profusely apologise about the situation, and tell me how it was too good, and he honestly didn't think it possible for an A level student to write something of that standard (maybe cos I was so darn interested! My geography teacher said the same thing when I handed in my 10,000 word research report on hurricanes when the word limit was 2500 words...). He also said I shouldn't try to improve it because he feared I'd mess something up trying too hard with it! I ended up getting 100% and it's a good job too! My ex was there at the time and said he'd never seen me so scary XD

persevere, and don't let it get you down! if it's something you're proud of and worked hard on, it should remain that way, rather than be tainted by a teacher's opinion, who then goes around spreading rumours to the other staff...professional much?! i think not :P

(rant! sorry!)

Reply 12

Liam_G

Original post by hyn_shayan

Original post by pinda.college

Original post by spongle

Original post by f00ddude

Original post by beffnee

Original post by cchanuk

Original post by CameraGirl

Hey, just thought I'd update you on the coursework situation. I confronted my teacher and told her how I felt, and I also said that if she thought I'd plagiarize a piece of work, especially for English, then she doesn't know me at all. I also told my other English teacher about the situation and she said that they believed it was my own work, in her words - "just as they had suspected" :rolleyes:

If they thought it was my work they wouldn't have said anything in the first place.

Anyway, it's been marked now and I got 28/30, finally feels like all that hard work paid off :biggrin:

Thanks everyone for making me keep at it, if I had to re-write it I don't think I'd have been able to come up with something half as good.

Cheers.

(edited 13 years ago)

Reply 13

EffKayy

Original post by Liam_G

If they thought it was my work they wouldn't have said anything in the first place.

Anyway, it's been marked now and I got 28/30, finally feels like all that hard work paid off :biggrin: