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Lecturer gave me a low mark

Keep anon. I am really worried, I strongly suspect one of my lecturers dislikes me, today, I recieved back an essay I worked pretty hard on and I was given a 2.2 - it wasn't even a comfortable 2.2, it was a scrape - he didn't provide conclusive notes, just gave me the paper back. Normally in essays, I average at least a 2.1, but not with this guy. Furthermore, I reckon the guy has strong favouritism, prior to the essay in presentations he let other people go past their time limits - but with the students he disliked, without warning he cut their presentations short.

Now I am concerned because to obtain a 2.1 overall, I need to get a 2.2 in his course and a 2.1 in my dissertation, he is involved in marking both and whilst I can live with a 2.2 in the course he is running - I have a feeling he is going to deliberately downmark me on my dissertation resulting in a 2.2 overall. There is another lecturer marking my dissertation and whilst I have faith in her, as we are on good terms, I suspect that this guy might ruin it.

But yeah, I am really really anxious now, I have worked incredibly hard on my dissertation, and I don't want it all to be in vain, due to ones perception of me.

Reply 1

User69701

10

If there is a discrepency in the two marks it will go to moderation.

Chances are that he is looking for something different to the other lecturers and you should probably ask him how you can better your grades.

Reply 2

redflower

13

surely your department should be operating an anonymous marking system to prevent this kind of thing?
If you really suspect he is marking you down on purpose do you have a personal tutor you could ask to mark to essay or talk to to get a second opinion. There should be some sort of procedure in your university for this kind of this. I'd suggest looking it up and seeking advice in the correct way. I know all of the essays at our uni are cross marked and then they go away to the external invigilators to be further checked. Does this happen at your uni?

Reply 3

sir-lewis

11

Ask him how to improve,
Get it moderated,
Or man up and stop crying over it.

Reply 4

emanuel_arsenalfc

11

can you get a second opinion

Reply 5

reisen

9

I really thought this thread was going to be funnier

Reply 6

O-Ren

15

Some lecturers are harsher than others, some look for different things.

The mature thing to do is to go to him and say: 'I'm worried because I'm doing well with my other work, but not the work that gets marked by you. Is there something I'm doing wrong that's bringing me down in your eyes?'

Instead of whining about it on a forum like a little child.

Reply 7

Anonymous #1

OP

Smem

surely your department should be operating an anonymous marking system to prevent this kind of thing?
If you really suspect he is marking you down on purpose do you have a personal tutor you could ask to mark to essay or talk to to get a second opinion. There should be some sort of procedure in your university for this kind of this. I'd suggest looking it up and seeking advice in the correct way. I know all of the essays at our uni are cross marked and then they go away to the external invigilators to be further checked. Does this happen at your uni?

The in course assessments are marked by the course organiser at their own discretion. With that said as JayB124 has stated, the dissertation is cross marked by 2 lecturers and if a decision cannot be reached a moderator is than called in.

I have just noticed on my essay, the guy was going to give me a third, but crossed it out and gave me a 2.2. Don't trust this guy. I have written enough written exams to know that essays are my strong point. I was getting 2.1s overall in my january modules in these type of exams.

**** so worried.

Reply 8

Anonymous #1

OP

O-Ren

Some lecturers are harsher than others, some look for different things.

The mature thing to do is to go to him and say: 'I'm worried because I'm doing well with my other work, but not the work that gets marked by you. Is there something I'm doing wrong that's bringing me down in your eyes?'

Instead of whining about it on a forum like a little child.

Yeah, I was going to ask him that today, but I was in a room with 15 other students, so it just wasnt the right time. I will ask him after my presentation later this week.

Reply 9

pugnacitas

15

Why wouldn't he like you?

Reply 10

Anonymous #1

OP

pugnacitas

Why wouldn't he like you?

Various reasons:

a) he is my advisor of studies, but I don't actually go and see him for help - so he may take offense. Reason why I don't is because the guy gives **** advice and is hard to get hold off.

b) I have had many personal problems during my time doing my degree, so I am not exactly your model student, and its those type of characters he favours. Which I think is ********, given what I have been through over these past four years. Incidently, the other lectuer marking my dissertation knows what I have been through, so is more sympathetic, which is a good thing.

c) I reckon he just doesn't like me anyway, been a dick since first year with me. You can see it through his body language towards me. Never gives me much time when I ask him questions, like recently I asked him "when do you expect us to get our essay marks back" after a lecturer, and he got irritated.

With other lecturers, they normally just answer the question without acting so negatively.

Reply 11

easter_bunny

13

Are you serious?

Get a grip.

Reply 12

hollyy13

8

Lecturers cant really afford to risk marking you down cos they dont like you ... moderation of essays is random ... and it would look really bad on him if he gave you a low mark and the moderator thought you should get a whole grade higher! You should be able to query your mark however ... if you genguinely think you did better than the mark you got, you are perfectly in your right a) to find out why he gave you a 2:2 and really listen to his justifcation and b) if you think its still unfair after this, to go to your tutor and query it ... but definately ask him why he gave you such a low mark!

Reply 13

Anonymous #2

I get the feeling that one of my modules is being marked on attendance and not my assignments. For every other module I am averaging 1st/2.1 , I have had only 1 grade lower than a B all year.

But when you include Human Resource Management my 2 assignments have both been E grades, I worked so hard on the 2nd assignment to get a better grade. Just seems strange that I get As/ Bs in everything else but this module thinks I deserve E grades.

Reply 14

Potential Trigger

12

That reminds me, when one **** of a lecturer made me redo my essay again. Get this, I had high marks overall, but he goes 3 lines were not of a high enough standard. This didn't seem so bad until he made me do those lines over and over again, he kept rejecting what I rewrote!

Everytime my gf sees that in my email she is like what did you do to annoy him so much.

Who knows, probably a personality clash. Best is to talk to him and very discreetly suck up to him, find out where you can improve e.t.c

Reply 15

Anonymous #1

OP

hollyy13

Lecturers cant really afford to risk marking you down cos they dont like you ... moderation of essays is random ... and it would look really bad on him if he gave you a low mark and the moderator thought you should get a whole grade higher! You should be able to query your mark however ... if you genguinely think you did better than the mark you got, you are perfectly in your right a) to find out why he gave you a 2:2 and really listen to his justifcation and b) if you think its still unfair after this, to go to your tutor and query it ... but definitely ask him why he gave you such a low mark!

Thats the problem, there is no moderation with in course assignments - not even sure if there is proper moderation for modular exams too. Dissertation yeah there is, so I guess I dont have as much to worry about.

Definently have to ask him,will do next time I see him.

Reply 16

ac132

12

It should go to moderation.

Get someone else to mark your work - another seminar leader or something - and see what they say.

Reply 17

grt

14

Some modules are just harder than others... and markers might focus on different aspects (e.g. for one are the key points you make most important, for another the way they are presented).

I've had a similar problem in one module this year and it's the above without a doubt. I disagree with his point of view about what he thinks is important (content- and style-wise) but can't really be bothered with getting essays remarked. It's just about grades, after all.

Reply 18

Anonymous #1

OP

grt

Some modules are just harder than others... and markers might focus on different aspects (e.g. for one are the key points you make most important, for another the way they are presented).

I've had a similar problem in one module this year and it's the above without a doubt. I disagree with his point of view about what he thinks is important (content- and style-wise) but can't really be bothered with getting essays remarked. It's just about grades, after all.

Irony is this is supposebly the easiest module over my two years...emailed the lecturer, he hasn't emailed me back, this is precisely what I mean by this guy.

Does it every time, then when I see him in person and ask him a question,he acts so irritated.

Reply 19

zjs

18

Ask him why? Or accept not everything that you pen is sheer, unadulterated brilliance.

Either works.

Lecturer gave me a low mark

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