The Student Room Group

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Reply 1
UCL's mark schemes have it as an almost statistical impossiblity to get more than 80% in an exam or coursework, in Arts courses anyway.

I know this for a fact.
Reply 2
Really, so unless you write a masterpiece which can rival an academics' then theres no chance? I guess if should forget the A level days and be content with 65-75% then.
Reply 3
Vincente
Really, so unless you write a masterpiece which can rival an academics' then theres no chance? I guess if should forget the A level days and be content with 65-75% then.


Lol, only if you're being far too melodramatic. 70% and above is a 1:1 equivalent, and thus is easily academic standard. I believe anything over 65% is considered publishable, but that one I don't know about.

Put it this way, if your lecturers/professors were to write an essay and hand it in for submission, they'd not get over 80% either.

It's not that your essay isn't amazing, anything over 70% in Arts is near perfect, but the mark schemes just don't like giving 100%, I don't know the total inner workings, but I know that you'll never get over 80% unless you are so perfect they have to, and even then it'll be around 81% and on a subject where there are no grey areas. The theory is there's always "room for improvement".
Reply 4
Lol, only if you're being far too melodramatic. 70% and above is a 1:1 equivalent, and thus is easily academic standard. I believe anything over 65% is considered publishable, but that one I don't know about.

Put it this way, if your lecturers/professors were to write an essay and hand it in for submission, they'd not get over 80% either.

It's not that your essay isn't amazing, anything over 70% in Arts is near perfect, but the mark schemes just don't like giving 100%, I don't know the total inner workings, but I know that you'll never get over 80% unless you are so perfect they have to, and even then it'll be around 81% and on a subject where there are no grey areas. The theory is there's always "room for improvement


I see, because I got mid-60% recently as my first essay which counts to my final degree and I thought C-grade because thats the score for A levels. Thank your for that information.
Reply 5
You're crazy, you've been at university for all of this time and you think 60% is a C? 60% is a 2.i
Reply 6
Hylean
Lol, only if you're being far too melodramatic. 70% and above is a 1:1 equivalent, and thus is easily academic standard. I believe anything over 65% is considered publishable, but that one I don't know about.


Pah, when I've had marks around 65 I can guarentee you they were not publishable. But anyway, I would say 75% is a crazy persons target. If you can even break into firsts at 70% then that's cracking.
Reply 7
First Class:

70-72: A-
73-76: A
77+ : A+

Upper Second Class: 60-62: B-
63-66: B
67-69: B+

Lower Second Class: C- 50-52
53-56: C
57-59 C+

Third: 40-42: D-
43-46: D
47-49 D+

Referred Fail: 35-39

Fail, below 35

got this in my student handbook. A 2:1 is great from UCL

hope this helps
Reply 8

You're crazy, you've been at university for all of this time and you think 60% is a C? 60% is a 2.i

Actually we haven't actually had any assessed work up until this point really (or notification about classing system, only %).... all we've got is just pass/non-pass. I knew that first class, second class etc system existed but I thought it was a similar system to the A levels (i.e. 80% was first class). Ah well i'm probably crazy due to the heavy drinking this year. Actually my marks from my German course had been graded with A,B,C,D,E,F so far as well.

got this in my student handbook. A 2:1 is great from UCL

Yeah that did help, thank you.
Reply 9
In first-year Law exams last year, the highest average that anybody got was a 69-and-a-bit. That was with three Firsts and a 2:1.
OMG German!o_0 I'd be amazingly happy with a B!!! (i.e. 60%)
Reply 11
I have been averaging 65-68% on my essays but it takes a great deal of effort/research to achieve a respectable mark. Dont be fooled that University is supposedly easier than A'levels. Everytime I submit my essay I have to run it through plagarism software first and there are also word count limit set.

For science based subjects it maybe easier to achieve 75% or more in their assessments.
Reply 12
simdam
First Class:

70-72: A-
73-76: A
77+ : A+

Upper Second Class: 60-62: B-
63-66: B
67-69: B+

Lower Second Class: C- 50-52
53-56: C
57-59 C+

Third: 40-42: D-
43-46: D
47-49 D+

Referred Fail: 35-39

Fail, below 35

got this in my student handbook. A 2:1 is great from UCL

hope this helps

Student handbook or not this is a bad scheme and if its not course specific should not be used for judging yourself at UCL. 70+ is amazing. 77, very very very rare if ever.
Reply 13
Madmax
For science based subjects it maybe easier to achieve 75% or more in their assessments.
I'm sure that this is the case, as more often than not there will be a right answer, which you will either get or not.
Reply 14
I have question about computing. Is it SO hard as well? Thanks
the 69 - 70 border is hard in arts subjects, don't know about the others...
Reply 16
Madmax
For science based subjects it maybe easier to achieve 75% or more in their assessments.

TommehR
I'm sure that this is the case, as more often than not there will be a right answer, which you will either get or not.


Yes, it's easier- most people on my course and similar courses (Biochemistry, Biomedical Sciences, etc) have a nice 2:1, so between 65% and 69%. It's harder to get a first, but it's still manageable to get between 70 and 80%. Getting above 80% does take an effort. Anything above 85% is usually an accident- I got more than 90% in one of my mid-term exams and I still don't know how that was possible.
Is that just at ucl then? Because my dad did a buissness studies (or someting like that ) degree at University Central Lancashire and got 92% in one of his papers.
Perhaps your dad had had a lot of experience in industry as well, etc.
Reply 19
Is that just at ucl then? Because my dad did a buissness studies (or someting like that ) degree at University Central Lancashire and got 92% in one of his papers.


I think this stretches to all respectable universities in the UK or at least universities which were created before 1992. I mean my cousin went to Westminster and the exams isin't at all rigorous and you get a chunk of your marks from attendance alone.