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How to deal with low marks on essay

Hi,

I was wondering if anyone could give any suggestions as to how to cope with getting a low mark on an essay.

I find it really difficult to pull it together and even though I prepare myself for the worse, I find that I have a bit of a cry afterwards- mainly cause of the fault that I had tried so hard and felt that the hours I spent on it were pointless.

I dont want this to hold me back from carrying on studying but would like to know how other people were able to strengthen themselves and any other coping mechanisms.

Thanks xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Reply 1
Original post by Mia94
Hi,

I was wondering if anyone could give any suggestions as to how to cope with getting a low mark on an essay.

I find it really difficult to pull it together and even though I prepare myself for the worse, I find that I have a bit of a cry afterwards- mainly cause of the fault that I had tried so hard and felt that the hours I spent on it were pointless.

I dont want this to hold me back from carrying on studying but would like to know how other people were able to strengthen themselves and any other coping mechanisms.

Thanks xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx


Putting a lot of pressure on yourself is a really hard thing to deal with!
What I do when I don't do so well is I make a list of things I can do, and I don't let myself get sad until I've finished the list. The list usually looks like this:
1. Make a list of all the comments the teacher has written on the essay.
2. Work out ways to solve the problems the teacher has mentioned.
3. Put this list of solutions where I usually write my essays, so I can look at them while I do my next one to make sure I don't repeat the same mistakes again!
4. Go and see the teacher. If I've done badly because I haven't understood, ask for help with the concepts I 'didn't get'. If I've done badly because my essay technique was awful, ask for tips on how to structure an essay in the future.
If your subject teacher isn't very helpful, go and see a teacher you like from the English department, or ask a friend who is very good at essay writing for some tips.
Don't get mad at yourself or upset; learn from your mistakes so you know that each time you do an essay you will improve, and that you will not make the same mistakes again.
xxxx
Reply 2
Original post by jojee_g
Putting a lot of pressure on yourself is a really hard thing to deal with!
What I do when I don't do so well is I make a list of things I can do, and I don't let myself get sad until I've finished the list. The list usually looks like this:
1. Make a list of all the comments the teacher has written on the essay.
2. Work out ways to solve the problems the teacher has mentioned.
3. Put this list of solutions where I usually write my essays, so I can look at them while I do my next one to make sure I don't repeat the same mistakes again!
4. Go and see the teacher. If I've done badly because I haven't understood, ask for help with the concepts I 'didn't get'. If I've done badly because my essay technique was awful, ask for tips on how to structure an essay in the future.
If your subject teacher isn't very helpful, go and see a teacher you like from the English department, or ask a friend who is very good at essay writing for some tips.
Don't get mad at yourself or upset; learn from your mistakes so you know that each time you do an essay you will improve, and that you will not make the same mistakes again.
xxxx



Thanks, thats really helpful! I will start doing this and hopefully I will have a more practical approach towards improving an essay rather than getting all upset over it! Though I do find it difficult when others who obviously have gotten better marks than me boast- I try to ignore it and focus on my work but it makes me feel so stupid!
The way to deal with it is not to judge yourself...judgment is for the court room NOT your headYou are good enough for anything...this is a just a bump. remember you fell on your nappy loads of times before you got that knack of your feet. Magic is believing in yourself....if you can do that you can make anything happen. Come on kiddo...you're going to be just fine. no one said it was easy...big stuff university, you're good for it.. see you next term.
Reply 4
Original post by Mia94
Hi,

I was wondering if anyone could give any suggestions as to how to cope with getting a low mark on an essay.

I find it really difficult to pull it together and even though I prepare myself for the worse, I find that I have a bit of a cry afterwards- mainly cause of the fault that I had tried so hard and felt that the hours I spent on it were pointless.

I dont want this to hold me back from carrying on studying but would like to know how other people were able to strengthen themselves and any other coping mechanisms.

Thanks xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

it's ok to cry. get it out of your system.
then focus, and think about how to improve the next essay. see where you went wrong, learn from your mistakes and you'll produce a better essay next time.

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