The Student Room Group

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Reply 1
Oh man...

I'm sure they will deduct some marks for that. Carelessness on your part (not to say I haven't made that mistake before :biggrin:).

Maybe they won't even spot the mistake...
Reply 2
my postgraduate peer group is largely international, with most having english has a second language. my peer group's sloppy transcriptional skills are less important than their critical abilities. the high marks are given to those who show an advanced conceptual ability and good grasp of the course content. primary school teachers are concerned with transcriptional skills. university academics should be concerned with thinking abilities and knowledges gained. if they award you a lower mark because of a minor typo then questions have to be raised regarding the purpose of the course.

as you may be able to gather, it drives me mad when criticism is levelled at typos rather than academic ability. it's pathetic. i buy and read countless academic books, and every so often i receive a print-out of the mistakes in the book. if professors can make transcriptional mistakes, then we should expect students to as well
Reply 3
Thanks for replies.

I'd be mighty disappointed if they do bring it up. I know who's marking them and I'd like to think that I've developed a good enough relationship with them so they won't mark me down for it. I'm expecting a joking 'cant believe you did that' but with an underlying warning of don't do it again.

Marks wise it doesnt really matter. Ive already secured my place on PHD with full scholarship but Im as competitve as ****.

Boosh: I always wait for your great replies. I agree with you 100%.

It was a pretty decent essay refocusing readings of American Psycho away from the sensationalised extracts of violence committed against the female characters to the more interesting acts of violence committed against the male characters. Great reflection of 1980s postmodernity. At least I think so even if no one else does!
Reply 4
^^^ no worries. in my opinion, you should mainly be assessed on what you have been taught and how it has been used. what the course teaches is what you are paying for.
Reply 5
Yeah we can arrange a feedback meeting with the module conveynor after the marks have been finalised and he reads the official feedback report and we can raise any issues.

Will be interesting to see considering the conveynor is probably marking my essay, will give me the feedback, and is my MA dissertation supervisor! lol!
Reply 6
70% is a distinction, pass is 50%, some universities offer a merit at 60% (not all)
Reply 7
On my MSt we have to get 60 to pass, 70 for Distinction. I handed in my dissertation on Monday, and am scared to read over it in case of mistakes. I dreamt it got a 55 last night - there's something wrong with you when you're dreaming about essay marks the night after you handed in! It's terrible because a requirement of the course is that you MUST get a Distinction in the Dissertation to get one overall. My average so far is safe, so basically if I get 70, I'm ecstatic, and if I get 69 I'm suicidal. It's sadistic!

Plus, a 69 would mean all the blood, sweat and tears that went into my other three essays would all have been for nothing, as I might as well just have got 60 in all of them for all the difference it would make.

ProEvPete, as long as your whole essay isn't littered with typos, I don't think your markers will make a fuss about it.

EDIT: I had a typo! How ironic.
Reply 8
^^ what are your marks at oxford then?
Reply 9
Mid to high 70s so far, so lower than at Hull but I'm not sure whether this is a) because Oxford has stingier marking standards, b) because any Master's has stingier marking standards than undergrad, or c) because I'm disillusioned and a bit crap nowadays. Combination of b) and c) I think.
you certainly are a gifted gal, the alba!
the_alba
Mid to high 70s so far, so lower than at Hull but I'm not sure whether this is a) because Oxford has stingier marking standards, b) because any Master's has stingier marking standards than undergrad, or c) because I'm disillusioned and a bit crap nowadays. Combination of b) and c) I think.


Are you seriously complaining about getting 70s?
Reply 12
shady lane
Are you seriously complaining about getting 70s?


Sorry, it probably looks really wanky of me. There are prescription drugs for whatever is wrong with my attitude... it's just a perfectionism / low confidence thing. Please ignore!
Reply 13
What are you doing your MA on Alba?
Reply 14
MSt English 1900 - Present. Which is a nice all-inclusive title. You?
the_alba
Sorry, it probably looks really wanky of me. There are prescription drugs for whatever is wrong with my attitude... it's just a perfectionism / low confidence thing. Please ignore!

Sounds like me - I moaned for hours because I only got 72 on one of my essays. Someone had to hit me hard in order for me to stop being such a perfectionist!
Reply 16
vickytoria77
Sounds like me - I moaned for hours because I only got 72 on one of my essays. Someone had to hit me hard in order for me to stop being such a perfectionist!


You mean you were able to stop?! :eek: Mine feels like a personality disorder, some genetic mishap at conception...
the_alba
You mean you were able to stop?! :eek: Mine feels like a personality disorder, some genetic mishap at conception...

I stopped talking about it, but am still stewing in my mind! :mad: :s-smilie: :biggrin:
Reply 18
mastersapplicant
Does this rule apply at many other universities? Sounds a bit harsh on those who have been consistent throughout and might just slip by a couple of marks in their dissertation.


I think it's fairly common, but I'm not sure. There used to be an equally harsh rule on my MSt last year, which was - as well as needing a distinction on the dissertation, no mark for your other essays could be under 66. So, if you get an 80 for everything including the dissertation, and a 65 for one essay, you're buggered. I think they scrapped that rule after protest from external examiners.
mastersapplicant
Does this rule apply at many other universities? Sounds a bit harsh on those who have been consistent throughout and might just slip by a couple of marks in their dissertation.


At LSE we don't have this rule, but when determining your final degree class, the numbers don't matter. So if you get a distinction in 2.5 units out of the total 4 and merit in 1.5, you get a distinction. If you get an 80 on your dissertation (1 unit) and an 80 in another course (1 unit) and merits in the rest (68 and 68), you will not get a distinction. I think that's ridiculous.