Can I push to 2:1 ?

2

Hi guys. I have just finished my 2nd year and only managed to get really low 2:2 that’s not bcz I didn’t worked I had so much going on altogether. I was just wondering if I can pull up to 2:1 for accounting degree and would really appreciate some advice.

Reply 1

ageshallnot

21

Original post by Smrity

Hi guys. I have just finished my 2nd year and only managed to get really low 2:2 that’s not bcz I didn’t worked I had so much going on altogether. I was just wondering if I can pull up to 2:1 for accounting degree and would really appreciate some advice.

Have you had any modules at 60+?

Reply 2

username5299926

OP

2

Yes one I got 68%

Reply 3

Anonymous #1

And the rest I just managed to get around 58 and 56% two modules really messed up my grades. I willing to put the best effort in my 3rd year as I really want 2:1 just need some kind of guidance or advice on how can I?

Reply 4

ageshallnot

21

Original post by Anonymous

And the rest I just managed to get around 58 and 56% two modules really messed up my grades. I willing to put the best effort in my 3rd year as I really want 2:1 just need some kind of guidance or advice on how can I?

Well, a few modules around the 68 would help no end. Have you worked out what you did well in that one and what went wrong in the bad ones? If so, it's certainly very possible to get a 2.1.

You also need to check your degree regulations for what happens with near misses, eg 58/59+.

(edited 11 months ago)

Reply 5

Anonymous #1

I am mainly good on coursework based rather then the exams so my 3rd year approach is to take most modules with coursework and then I can just focus on two exams.

Reply 6

Durham Rep Ghala

Official Rep

14

Original post by Smrity

Hi guys. I have just finished my 2nd year and only managed to get really low 2:2 that’s not bcz I didn’t worked I had so much going on altogether. I was just wondering if I can pull up to 2:1 for accounting degree and would really appreciate some advice.

Hey there

I don't see any reason why you couldn't still get a 2:1. Do you know if your second year counts for 40% or 50% of your final degree qualification? That means that if you get mostly 2:1 (potentially high 2:1) scores in 3rd year, they would be weighed more than your 2:2s from 2nd year. I got 56 and 58 in 2 modules in my 2nd year and was only expecting a low 2:1 in 3rd year because I had so much going on and couldn't properly focus on my studies. But I still got a 1st overall because I did the best I could in the limited time I had. You seem very willing to work hard so there is definitely a chance you can get a 2:1. Good luck :smile:

-Himieka

Reply 7

Anonymous #1

Hi himieka my second year is 1/3 and 3rd year is 2/3 yes I am definitely willing to work very hard to the best possible I can it’s just we had 6 exams in 2 weeks with two days gaps so it was a bit overwhelming so I am changing my strategy to do coursework as I am better at those. What degree did u did btw? And also any tips for writing 1st class essay? Would really appreciate ur help

Reply 8

Durham Rep Ghala

Official Rep

14

Original post by Anonymous

Hi himieka my second year is 1/3 and 3rd year is 2/3 yes I am definitely willing to work very hard to the best possible I can it’s just we had 6 exams in 2 weeks with two days gaps so it was a bit overwhelming so I am changing my strategy to do coursework as I am better at those. What degree did u did btw? And also any tips for writing 1st class essay? Would really appreciate ur help

Hey there,

That sounds great, I'm rooting for you! Yeah I know exams can be very stressful, mine were all jam-packed too. Choosing modules which assess coursework is a good strategy if that's one of your strengths. I studied law so it was a lot of reading ahah.

I would say, for a first-class essay, first keep the word limit in your mind. Most of my essays were on exams and word limit varied between 1250-1500 which isn't a lot of words so it always needed careful planning. The question itself will give you lots of ideas on what to include in the essay. Here's an example from a criminal law exam:

"The law of complicity is complex and incoherent and should be abolished. Critically discuss."

The keywords in this are 'complex', 'incoherent', and 'abolished'. Maybe your opinion is that the law of complicity is complex but not necessarily incoherent. Maybe you think it's both. Maybe you think it should be abolished as a whole, in part, or not at all. So there is a lot you could argue in every essay question and I think it's a good idea to pick out keywords from the questions that tell you what exactly the question is asking from you. Many people lose out marks because they don't answer the question directly or don't answer all of it. Like in this example, if you only argue on complexity and ignore incoherence, you will likely lose marks.

The structure is another important part of a good essay. You probably already know this but it should include an introduction, main arguments in the body, and a conclusion. The introduction should be concise but informative- outline your stance (for or against) key arguments like giving the reader a teaser of what's to come but don't reveal your conclusion just yet. This is super important because all my professors told me that a strong introduction compels the examiner to give you marks even if the rest of the essay isn't the best.

For the middle part, focus on 2-3 arguments as quality is always better than quantity. 2 is a minimum though, so I wouldn't suggest doing just 1. You can do 3 depending on how many words you're afforded. This part of the essay relies heavily on the evidence you can use to substantiate your argument. For law, judgements and academic commentary are the main secondary sources we use. I don't know how it would work in your subject but for most subjects, academic articles and books are always one of the best sources you can use. For every argument you make, have at least 2-3 academic articles to back it. Be careful not to plagiarise though- it can happen even inadvertently and you could still be punished for it. The key is to pick articles that support your argument and paraphrase what the author said in your own words. This gives the reader the sense that you've thoroughly researched the topic and you can read these articles and understand what they're really saying. Always reference all sources you use.

The conclusion is just as important but it should essentially condense your whole essay. In a way it's similar to the introduction but this time you'll recap the whole movie instead of giving just a teaser.

Also I'd say try to do as many formatives as you can during the year as you can get feedback on your writing style and see where you can improve. Practice really does help. All my essays in my first year were pretty bad but by third year, I got a hang of the writing style. I built on the feedback I got and even questioned it sometimes when I didn't understand it.

Here's another tip my professor gave- treat the examiner as if they're a first-year student attending their first ever uni lecture. They wouldn't know anything about the topic so as a teacher, you'll try to explain it to them in a way that's easy to understand. So in the above example, even though my examiner would know what 'law of complicity' is, I can never assume that. The exam isn't testing their knowledge, it's testing yours. So unless you explain to them in your essay what law of complicity is, they wouldn't know that you really understand it. You don't need to go in massive detail- just a line or two explaining any main topics/keywords is a good strategy.

This is all I can think of for now and I hope it helps you! Feel free to get in touch again if I can help in any way, good luck :smile:

-Himieka

(edited 11 months ago)

Reply 9

University of Kent

Official Rep

15

Original post by Smrity

Hi guys. I have just finished my 2nd year and only managed to get really low 2:2 that’s not bcz I didn’t worked I had so much going on altogether. I was just wondering if I can pull up to 2:1 for accounting degree and would really appreciate some advice.

Hi there

I am sorry to hear about your situation. It is definitely however still possible to aim for a 2:1! In terms of improving your grades, I would really recommend looking over and compiling your feedback that you have received. This helped me tremendously in improving my grades. Where you are uncertain about feedback that were given to you, I would also recommend reaching out to the marker/ seminar leader to discuss/ gain further advice. 🙂

Good luck
Chloe
University of Kent Student Rep

Reply 10

CardiffUni Rep

Official Rep

12

Original post by Smrity

Hi guys. I have just finished my 2nd year and only managed to get really low 2:2 that’s not bcz I didn’t worked I had so much going on altogether. I was just wondering if I can pull up to 2:1 for accounting degree and would really appreciate some advice.

Hi there,

It may be possible to push up your overall grade! I'd recommend contacting your academic tutor and relevant professors and chatting through where things may have gone wrong and how to improve. If you have something going on outside of university, it may be helpful to contact extenuating circumstances to see if there is anything that they can do to help.

All the best,
Jaz - Cardiff student rep

Can I push to 2:1 ?

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