Distressed english lit student. Please help!

Hi,

I am a second year university student studying English Literature and Film Studies. My first year went really well I got a 69 and was very proud of that grade. Second year my grades have dropped dramatically and for my most recent English assessment I got a 63 - which I am not trying to dispute but very disappointed with it.

My lecturer has been no help and I really need some advice and feedback on my assignment on how to improve. It seems as though I am heavily lacking in structure and confidence in my ideas as sometimes can be a bit vague but I'm not sure how to improve that.

If somebody who is studying English lit and would be willing to provide some support I would be very grateful. If you send me a PM I will be happy to provide a sample of my writing if that will help.

Thanks in advance.

(edited 1 year ago)

Original post by fa123456789

Hi,

I am a second year university student studying English Literature and Film Studies. My first year went really well I got a 69 and was very proud of that grade. Second year my grades have dropped dramatically and for my most recent English assessment I got a 63 - which I am not trying to dispute but very disappointed with it.

My lecturer has been no help and I really need some advice and feedback on my assignment on how to improve. It seems as though I am heavily lacking in structure and confidence in my ideas as sometimes can be a bit vague but I'm not sure how to improve that.

If somebody who is studying English lit and would be willing to provide some support I would be very grateful. If you send me a PM I will be happy to provide a sample of my writing if that will help.

Thanks in advance.

Have you checked to see whether your university offers any form of academic writing support service? At Keele, for example, we have a service called Write Direction that provides our students with assistance with their academic work. They can't help with subject-specific content but they offer structural support to all elements of academic writing.

Write Direction advisors work one-to-one with students on things like essay structure, developing an academic 'voice', introductions, using critical material, referencing and citations, spelling and punctuation etc. They are offered to our students free of charge, and students can access up to six appointments per academic year - with no more than two appointments per piece of work. They also have a range of online resources that provide support on common academic writing pitfalls such as essay planning, structure, and introductions/conclusions. Most universities have something similar so it's worth speaking with Student Services - and taking a look at your university's website - to see what help is on offer to you.

You say your lecturer has been no help but have you asked them for further feedback? Different universities have different making policies but, on the modules I teach at Keele, I'm encouraged to provide clear pointers to students about two or three areas for improvement on each piece of submitted work. Getting the balance of feedback right is tricky because some students want the whole nine yards whereas others feel overwhelmed if you offer too much feedback on a piece of work.

Personally, I am always happy to expand on my written feedback if the student requests more guidance from me. However, if the issues with the student's work are to do with areas such as structure, phrasing, or style (as opposed to the ideas and subject-specific content), I'm probably going to signpost them to Write Direction because the team there are the experts when it comes to assisting students with those elements of their work.

Hope that helps,

Amy Louise
PhD Candidate & Student Ambassador, Keele University

Reply 2

Vincent Johnson

1

Original post by fa123456789

Hi,

I am a second year university student studying English Literature and Film Studies. My first year went really well I got a 69 and was very proud of that grade. Second year my grades have dropped dramatically and for my most recent English assessment I got a 63 - which I am not trying to dispute but very disappointed with it.

My lecturer has been no help and I really need some advice and feedback on my assignment on how to improve. It seems as though I am heavily lacking in structure and confidence in my ideas as sometimes can be a bit vague but I'm not sure how to improve that.

If somebody who is studying English lit and would be willing to provide some support I would be very grateful. If you send me a PM I will be happy to provide a sample of my writing if that will help.

Thanks in advance.

Hello am a university student at maseno university taking my masters. I will help you with your English Assignments, exams and cats. I am a freelancer at various platforms helping students get As. Let's communicate for more

Distressed english lit student. Please help!

Quick Reply

Related discussions

Latest

Trending

Trending

Articles for you