The Student Room Group
Reply 1
Amelie
I've been getting a lot of B grade recently in my assignments which is worrying me because I need an A grade for uni. A friend tried to reassure me and said that teachers tend to be harsher with marks than examiners, does this tend to be true?

In general, its the opposite as teachers have developed a relationship with the student and have teacher-student attachments that is built up during your course of study and even if he doesnt raise your grade knowingly he will at least hesitate to give a bad grade (this is strictly from phsyco-analytical view):p:

HOWEVER.... if u have an Ass h*le for a teacher like i do (Im sure there is one in every school, ever considiring making a society for them guys:p: ) then he could just want to make u misrable.
Long story short - it realy depends on the teacher and you could also say the examiner. That wasnt much help was it:biggrin:
just do your best.... and i guess hope your teacher is an ass h*le:wink: .
Reply 2
At AS, particularly in chemistry, i was getting marks of D's to E's. In the exam i got a B.

It was the case with a lot of people, whether she did it on purpose to make us work harder or what i dont know, although it certainly didnt work, a lot of people just gave up all hope of passing. I didnt put in any more effort for the exam than throughout the year either :smile: Maybe a couple of hours more revision but that was about it.
It depends... some schools (like mine >.>) have a general policy where the teachers will mark you harsher on purpose so that you don't slack off. I know a classmate who got 99% in her Chemistry test and she had one mark knocked off for "bad handwriting" because the Chemistry teacher didn't want to give her full marks :confused: =.=;
It might be a good idea to ask your teacher why your work was a B grade, how far you were from getting an A, and how you could improve.
If you haven't started revising for your exams yet then chances are of course you're going to be worse now than you will at exam time.

But having to go from B to an A isn't so much of a problem than say a C to an A. I wouldn't worry... in your exam you might do exceptionally well!
Reply 5
Most of my teachers mark my work more harshly than examiners. Even a good 'A' grade essay will usually come back with a whole raft of possible improvements. I actually prefer it that way - prevents me becoming complacent and big-headed.
Reply 6
I think it depends entirely on the teacher. Some will mark harshly to make sure you push yourself, others will be honest and some may mark kindly. Others simply don't have a clue.
Reply 7
I think it depends entirely on the teacher. Some will mark harshly to make sure you push yourself, others will be honest and some may mark kindly. Others simply don't have a clue.

Spot on!
Obviously, no-one here can possibly comment with any certainty about specific teachers, and there's no real way of telling.

Do bear in mind, though, that the examiners are just normal teachers. As in, your class teacher, while you're relaxing in your long summer, are marking the scripts of students across the country. There are many reasons for not bing entirely truthful about marks (getting you to work harder, or boosting confidence by upping a grade to make you feel good).
Exam conditions, too, are different. Most people tend to do better in exams due to revision done, ability to concentrate, the effect of mild panic (always good!), etc. It's all to do with performance on the day - not your 'predicted grade'.

Just keep working and hopefully enjoying it, and you'll be fine. The grade is for you to determine, not your teacher. :smile:
Reply 8
It's better to get marked down.

My GCSE English teacher absolutely REFUSED to give me anything above an A, and absolutely NEVER an A*. I was predicted 'easy As' but never, ever did I recieve it for any peice of work. Even when they marked my coursework she never told me what I got.

It worked though, because I destroyed English revision, and got doube-A* in the exam.

My current Literature teacher seems to be using the same technique.
Teachers no matter how they try to be objective will read between the lines as they know the abilities of their students (it would be hoped). External examiners mark on what they see in front of them.
Reply 10
Cindy
Teachers no matter how they try to be objective will read between the lines as they know the abilities of their students (it would be hoped). External examiners mark on what they see in front of them.

This may have already been mentioned as I haven't bothered to look through the topic, but:

Although the markers may not be different from your teacher, the pass marks most certainly are. While in school the pass marks will generally be quite rigid, in the final exams your passmarks will be nowhere near the '75%/50%' we get in Scotland.
Reply 11
this forum is older than me damn:eek: