My fault or unclear assignment brief?
I study business management and marketing (1st year) and just got my grade back today and I failed a marketing plan. I’m honestly feeling pretty confused and frustrated.
Assessment 1 (group, 40%):
We had to choose a UK company and one European country and create a market entry strategy. My group did Waitrose entering Switzerland and we passed.
Assessment 2 (individual, 60%):
The brief said: “Propose a new product launch for your company of choice in Assessment 1” and apply marketing theories (PESTLE, SWOT, STP, 7Ps, etc.). It did not clearly state that the product had to be launched into the same European market. (Switzerland)
I interpreted this as:
• Same company (Waitrose)
• New product
• Full marketing plan
• Market not specified → I planned the launch for the UK market
I followed the structure, applied theory, met the word count, etc. But I failed because the marker says the assignment required launching the product into a European market, and my plan focused on the UK.
What’s making this worse is:
• The grade was released today and I already know at least one other person who failed for the exact same reason so it’s not just me
• This requirement doesn’t seem clearly stated in the written brief and feels assumed from Assessment 1 or lectures
So im genuinely asking is this fair based on the wording of the brief?
Any thoughts appreciated.
Assessment 1 (group, 40%):
We had to choose a UK company and one European country and create a market entry strategy. My group did Waitrose entering Switzerland and we passed.
Assessment 2 (individual, 60%):
The brief said: “Propose a new product launch for your company of choice in Assessment 1” and apply marketing theories (PESTLE, SWOT, STP, 7Ps, etc.). It did not clearly state that the product had to be launched into the same European market. (Switzerland)
I interpreted this as:
• Same company (Waitrose)
• New product
• Full marketing plan
• Market not specified → I planned the launch for the UK market
I followed the structure, applied theory, met the word count, etc. But I failed because the marker says the assignment required launching the product into a European market, and my plan focused on the UK.
What’s making this worse is:
• The grade was released today and I already know at least one other person who failed for the exact same reason so it’s not just me
• This requirement doesn’t seem clearly stated in the written brief and feels assumed from Assessment 1 or lectures
So im genuinely asking is this fair based on the wording of the brief?
Any thoughts appreciated.
Reply 1
I would have written about the European market personally as that is the market you wrote about in assignment one and the assignment two brief does not mention a new market. However I do get where you are coming from and the market should have been stated to minimise confusion.
(edited 1 month ago)
Original post
by lavaModule67I study business management and marketing (1st year) and just got my grade back today and I failed a marketing plan. I’m honestly feeling pretty confused and frustrated.
Assessment 1 (group, 40%):
We had to choose a UK company and one European country and create a market entry strategy. My group did Waitrose entering Switzerland and we passed.
Assessment 2 (individual, 60%):
The brief said: “Propose a new product launch for your company of choice in Assessment 1” and apply marketing theories (PESTLE, SWOT, STP, 7Ps, etc.). It did not clearly state that the product had to be launched into the same European market. (Switzerland)
I interpreted this as:
• Same company (Waitrose)
• New product
• Full marketing plan
• Market not specified → I planned the launch for the UK market
I followed the structure, applied theory, met the word count, etc. But I failed because the marker says the assignment required launching the product into a European market, and my plan focused on the UK.
What’s making this worse is:
• The grade was released today and I already know at least one other person who failed for the exact same reason so it’s not just me
• This requirement doesn’t seem clearly stated in the written brief and feels assumed from Assessment 1 or lectures
So im genuinely asking is this fair based on the wording of the brief?
Any thoughts appreciated.
Assessment 1 (group, 40%):
We had to choose a UK company and one European country and create a market entry strategy. My group did Waitrose entering Switzerland and we passed.
Assessment 2 (individual, 60%):
The brief said: “Propose a new product launch for your company of choice in Assessment 1” and apply marketing theories (PESTLE, SWOT, STP, 7Ps, etc.). It did not clearly state that the product had to be launched into the same European market. (Switzerland)
I interpreted this as:
• Same company (Waitrose)
• New product
• Full marketing plan
• Market not specified → I planned the launch for the UK market
I followed the structure, applied theory, met the word count, etc. But I failed because the marker says the assignment required launching the product into a European market, and my plan focused on the UK.
What’s making this worse is:
• The grade was released today and I already know at least one other person who failed for the exact same reason so it’s not just me
• This requirement doesn’t seem clearly stated in the written brief and feels assumed from Assessment 1 or lectures
So im genuinely asking is this fair based on the wording of the brief?
Any thoughts appreciated.
Hey,
That sounds like a really frustrating situation, and it makes sense that you’re feeling confused. When assessment instructions aren’t crystal clear, it can be hard to know what’s expected, especially in first year when you’re still getting used to how modules are structured.
The most helpful thing is probably to focus on getting clarification rather than deciding whether it was fair or unfair. A good first step would be to ask for feedback or a short meeting with the marker or module leader and talk through how you interpreted the brief. Try to base it on the wording of the assessment and ask them to explain what they were expecting, rather than approaching it as a complaint. That can sometimes open a useful conversation or at least give you a clearer understanding of their reasoning.
It’s also worth double-checking any supporting materials like lecture slides, seminar notes, or emails to see if the market requirement was mentioned elsewhere. Universities sometimes assume students will connect assessments together, even if that link isn’t obvious from the written brief alone.
Since you’ve heard that other students had the same issue, you might want to compare notes with them and see how they’re approaching it. If several people were confused in the same way, student support services, your personal tutor, or the students’ union advice team can usually give guidance on whether it’s worth raising an academic query or appeal and how to do that properly.
Most importantly, try not to panic. First-year assessments are often more about learning how the system works than anything else, and there are usually resit, compensation, or feedback opportunities built in. Even if the mark doesn’t change, understanding exactly what went wrong will really help you going forward.
Good luck 😊
Arslan – University of Salford Student Representative
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