Open University
Milton Keynes
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Open University - 85% to get a first!? 70% to get a 2.1!?
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I have completed an open degrees and yes you positively do need to get 85% for a first class degree. It's much easier to get high marks for a one off course but studying for there years would certainly reduce your average mark.
Open University
Milton Keynes
It's not harder. The same standard of work will get you a first in either a brick or open uni. It's just the way they calculate marks that's different. The standard is the same. So a 70 at a brick uni would earn 85 at the Ou.
Original post by Coffeeneeded
It's not harder. The same standard of work will get you a first in either a brick or open uni. It's just the way they calculate marks that's different. The standard is the same. So a 70 at a brick uni would earn 85 at the Ou.
I have compared and had my work reviewed by students who have attended standard Universities on several occasions and each one has said the same thing...that the work required by OU for the level of marks is much higher. In fact I had a few raised eyebrows about the ones I got a lower mark for!
Original post by SuperCat007
Re-read what I wrote. In the interests of equality they can't stipulate a university, but in their selection process they may favour graduates from specific universities.
On your examples above one would have to assume the admin/HR/recruitment type who wrote the advert is obviously an idiot and has no idea what they're attempting to hire, because in their description of 'red brick' they rule out Oxbridge, most London universities etc. You can't stop ignorance, but the OU (certainly in research) is internationally recognised so if you had the appropriate degree there would be nothing to stop you also being eligible to apply.
My take on it is that for both graduate jobs and application for further study an OU graduate is going to have to be very selective in where and how they apply. There will be some for whom it will be an automatic rejection, but a degree is a degree and if that is all the job is asking for there should be no reason why you shouldn't be considered.
On your examples above one would have to assume the admin/HR/recruitment type who wrote the advert is obviously an idiot and has no idea what they're attempting to hire, because in their description of 'red brick' they rule out Oxbridge, most London universities etc. You can't stop ignorance, but the OU (certainly in research) is internationally recognised so if you had the appropriate degree there would be nothing to stop you also being eligible to apply.
My take on it is that for both graduate jobs and application for further study an OU graduate is going to have to be very selective in where and how they apply. There will be some for whom it will be an automatic rejection, but a degree is a degree and if that is all the job is asking for there should be no reason why you shouldn't be considered.
In my opinion, open university students are brilliant self motivated students. First class degree of open university will beat 2:2 red bricks. I will employ first class from open.
Original post by takodara
In my opinion, open university students are brilliant self motivated students. First class degree of open university will beat 2:2 red bricks. I will employ first class from open.
Obviously... That person with the first class from the OU has achieved 85%+ in their degree. The person with the 2:2 has only got about 50%... No competition surely?! Especially as the cut off for a lot of jobs is 2:1 or higher.
Hi I did my university qualifications at 'normal' universities but my partner got hers through the OU and this question of the marking scales came up in conversation between us. Needless to say, having got her degree, my partner says that it is worth more than mine because of the higher marks she had to get! I can definitely see why this may put people off especially when the OU is now in competition with other universities that offer distance learning degrees (I have a DL MSc from another university). I cannot help but think that it probably is just a question of the way marking is done and that it remains a similar challenge to get a good degree from any quality university including the OU but I also remain puzzled by the OU sticking to this at a time when the OU still struggles to be accepted as just as good as the other universities (which I think it is). I would have thought that the OU would want to do all it can to eliminate unnecessary differences in order to be accepted as just like the rest.
Original post by erikblakeley
Hi I did my university qualifications at 'normal' universities but my partner got hers through the OU and this question of the marking scales came up in conversation between us. Needless to say, having got her degree, my partner says that it is worth more than mine because of the higher marks she had to get! I can definitely see why this may put people off especially when the OU is now in competition with other universities that offer distance learning degrees (I have a DL MSc from another university). I cannot help but think that it probably is just a question of the way marking is done and that it remains a similar challenge to get a good degree from any quality university including the OU but I also remain puzzled by the OU sticking to this at a time when the OU still struggles to be accepted as just as good as the other universities (which I think it is). I would have thought that the OU would want to do all it can to eliminate unnecessary differences in order to be accepted as just like the rest.
Your partner is - as I think you know - incorrect. Her degree isn't worth more because she received higher marks; it has been made clear that the OU simply uses an entirely different grading scale. You won't be doing her any favours by allowing her to sustain that fallacy as she may say something similar in a job interview or social situation that will annoy people. A more reasonable suggestion to make is that it is perhaps more challenging to achieve good results while having to work full-time, look after children, not have access to as many resources as she might have liked etc. Or to point out that the method of awarding the lowest grade achieved in either the continuous assessment or the exam (rather than an average of the two) necessitates more consistency to achieve a given grade. These can be argued, and so can many other points, but her position is indefensible really.
It is worth noting that the OU uses external examiners (professors from traditional universities) for their modules to ensure quality and follows many of the same practices as other universities to ensure that the necessary quality of work for each grade is comparable to the majority of other universities. I've not studied with the OU so have no first hand experience, but my belief is that it is not inherently much better or worse than the bulk of other universities. I think it no doubt suffers far more in the sciences than in other areas, though there are some avenues open to students to mitigate that.
I agree with you that it seems silly to have this entirely different way of grading, but ultimately it is translated into a recognisable degree class and some simple sums can be done to generate a percentage at the end that caps out at about 82.86% which is achievable elsewhere - though that is obviously imperfect.
The OU use a 100% grading system where other universities don't. Their grading system is different, but not harder to achieve.
Current OU Student.
Current OU Student.
It is very very hard I've just got a pass 3 on a psychology module and I thought I was doing quite well up to that point got 65 for exam and 85 for course work but still a pass 3 !! Thinking of giving up now
Original post by Bongboy6969
Hi guys, I have just heard that the degree classifications at the open university is significantly higher then other uni's.
Eg. at norma uni it is 70% to get a 1st, and most people in essay based courses very rarely get over 75%.
Yest at the open university you have to score 70% just to get a 2.1, and an impossible sounding 85% for a 1st!
so is the OU VERY difficult, or is their grading system system slightly different, in that an essay usually worth 60% at a normal uni will usually be graded as 70% at the OU?
Thanks in advance for your help, becuase 85% is scaring the crap outta me!
Eg. at norma uni it is 70% to get a 1st, and most people in essay based courses very rarely get over 75%.
Yest at the open university you have to score 70% just to get a 2.1, and an impossible sounding 85% for a 1st!
so is the OU VERY difficult, or is their grading system system slightly different, in that an essay usually worth 60% at a normal uni will usually be graded as 70% at the OU?
Thanks in advance for your help, becuase 85% is scaring the crap outta me!
yeh, unless you are in private focus groups analyzing every tutor and poring over every subjective whim of all the tutors in a module it will be impossible to get such high grades unless you pick science or technical subjects with clear right and wrong answers I am finding. All those courses with essays and opinions are subjective. Your grade will then only partially be about right and wrong answers and depends on the outlook of whatever random person is assigned to mark the final exam or EMA.
Original post by Lindsey123456
It is very very hard I've just got a pass 3 on a psychology module and I thought I was doing quite well up to that point got 65 for exam and 85 for course work but still a pass 3 !! Thinking of giving up now
I was on an OCAS of 83% on science of the mind SDK228, then a different tutor maked my EMA and gave me 39% for my essay. Even though all my previous essays were 79-98% ! so hitting grade 1 in the module, I ended up with a grade 4 final. No appeal, no reasons provided. Lot of rubbish really.
Yes I agree I'm really not sure what to do now as I've still got to get another 120 points to finish and I'm not feeling very motivated now ! I also forgot to mention I found out I had breast cancer 1 month prior to the exam and applied for special circumstances however I would have had to have been 1 or 2 points below the next grade for any special circumstances to apply, so really should have banked my TMAs and taken the EMA at a later date. In addition my tutor said my writing style was good and I should think about doing an MA but the EMA marker said my writing style was basic ?? Confusing or what !! Very unmotivated now 😡😡
Some of the replies in this thread are rather misleading. I'd suggest that people read the OU's rules on degree classification.
You are NOT required to get an average of 85% in order to get a 1st nor do you need an average mark of 70% to get a 2:1. People are seemingly getting confused by the grades for individual modules - you require 85% in a module in order to get a distinction/ and 70% for a grade 2 pass, 55% for a grade 3 pass and 40% for a grade 4 pass.
There is a requirement to have 60 credits at level 3 at distinction level but there isn't a requirement to have scored above 85% across your degree... it is possible to have an average mark in the 70s across your modules and still graduate with a 1st - your average % mark doesn't determine your degree classification.
You are NOT required to get an average of 85% in order to get a 1st nor do you need an average mark of 70% to get a 2:1. People are seemingly getting confused by the grades for individual modules - you require 85% in a module in order to get a distinction/ and 70% for a grade 2 pass, 55% for a grade 3 pass and 40% for a grade 4 pass.
There is a requirement to have 60 credits at level 3 at distinction level but there isn't a requirement to have scored above 85% across your degree... it is possible to have an average mark in the 70s across your modules and still graduate with a 1st - your average % mark doesn't determine your degree classification.
I'd just like to point out that this thread was made in 2010 so I'm sure the OP doesn't need any advice about this anymore (and hopefully they've graduated!).
However, anyone looking at this thread for information, I'd like to share something another student shared about this issue with the OU percentages.
If one person has £20 and someone else has $28, they are of the same monetary value, but they're different numbers. The OU is no harder or easier than a traditional university, just their percentages and scores are done slightly differently which results in a different percentage threshold.
However, anyone looking at this thread for information, I'd like to share something another student shared about this issue with the OU percentages.
If one person has £20 and someone else has $28, they are of the same monetary value, but they're different numbers. The OU is no harder or easier than a traditional university, just their percentages and scores are done slightly differently which results in a different percentage threshold.
Original post by hannxm
I'd just like to point out that this thread was made in 2010 so I'm sure the OP doesn't need any advice about this anymore (and hopefully they've graduated!).
However, anyone looking at this thread for information, I'd like to share something another student shared about this issue with the OU percentages.
If one person has £20 and someone else has $28, they are of the same monetary value, but they're different numbers. The OU is no harder or easier than a traditional university, just their percentages and scores are done slightly differently which results in a different percentage threshold.
However, anyone looking at this thread for information, I'd like to share something another student shared about this issue with the OU percentages.
If one person has £20 and someone else has $28, they are of the same monetary value, but they're different numbers. The OU is no harder or easier than a traditional university, just their percentages and scores are done slightly differently which results in a different percentage threshold.
The thread is old, but it still serves a purpose which is why it has been left open.
Original post by hannxm
I'd just like to point out that this thread was made in 2010 so I'm sure the OP doesn't need any advice about this anymore (and hopefully they've graduated!).
However, anyone looking at this thread for information, I'd like to share something another student shared about this issue with the OU percentages.
If one person has £20 and someone else has $28, they are of the same monetary value, but they're different numbers. The OU is no harder or easier than a traditional university, just their percentages and scores are done slightly differently which results in a different percentage threshold.
However, anyone looking at this thread for information, I'd like to share something another student shared about this issue with the OU percentages.
If one person has £20 and someone else has $28, they are of the same monetary value, but they're different numbers. The OU is no harder or easier than a traditional university, just their percentages and scores are done slightly differently which results in a different percentage threshold.
"If one person has £20 and someone else has $28, they are of the same monetary value, but they're different numbers" - Probably the best analogy for the OU grading system.
Original post by Cmc1978
A 62% average at level 3 eith the OU got me a third class degree. Friends with 64 and 56 got a 2.1 and 2.2 respectively in a mainstream uni, meaning my grade wont take me on to a masters
62% at the OU is not the same as 62% at a brick or 'mainstream' university. You would have got a third-class degree at your friend's uni too.
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- Low 2.2 in 2nd yr, can I get a 2.1/1st in 3rd yr?…
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- Is my life ruined?
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