Where do you stand with a university assignment mark?

AMO

Hi all,

If you got an assignment at university returned to you with a 32% (fail) mark because you went over the word count by too much (2700 words when the limit was 2000) is it fair to fail you purely based on that point alone.

More importantly......

The assignment comes in 3 case scenarios. The lecturer decided to only assess the first 2 cases because of the high word count. There were no negative comments other than high word count and repetitiveness.

The main criteria for marking were met and no comments for how to improve the assignment.

The point I am trying to make is that the lecturer appears to have:
1) Penalized once by chopping off 1/3 of the possible marks by only reading the first 2 cases.
2) Further penalised the first 2 cases again because of high word count.

The double whammy is mainly what appears to have caused the assignment to fail.

I assume that there is nothing that can be done?

Thanks.

Esqui

I would imagine not. Had you gone over by, maybe 100 words, then it might be unfair...assuming that the quality of the work is OK.

But looking at it, you went over a word count by nearly a third of the set amount. It would be fair to say, certainly from a lecturer's point of view, that you haven't paid enough attention to the parameters of the assignment set, which potentially shows either a lack of understanding of the assessment, or a disregard for its key points. It could also be that you have not checked over your work after finishing it to check it for quality. All of these are important for getting a degree.

The lecturer said that you were not only 700 words over, but that your work was repetitive. I think this one goes down to experience, and will need a bit more proof-reading on the next one.

dmg24

Yep, you're right, unless there are mitigating circumstances (and I can't think of any that would make you exceed the word count by 35%) you don't have grounds to challenge the mark. You may be offered a second attempt, but this is usually capped at the minimum pass mark.

A quick caveat - all universities will have different rules, but the general principles will be the same.

(Crosspost!)

melancholly

it takes a lot to fail someone. even if the first 2/3 had been ok, you should have just about passed, even if the last bit was ignored (and it isn't fair to go so far over the word limit; other students didn't have the extra words so you shouldn't). do you think you did enough to pass or do you think you missed the mark? have you looked at anyone else's essays and seen their marks to compare?

you can always appeal, but marks should have been moderated already and therefore someone will have checked that this is a suitable mark. this will almost definitely have happened with a fail. i honestly doubt an appeal would be successful but if this will have a big impact on your overall mark, then it might be worth a try.

have you asked for individual feedback? taken it to the marker and asked them to go through it with you? (i've done marking in the past and if the essay is just plain bad, it doesn't get much feedback - if it's not great but has points that could be improved, i'd comment in the relevant sections. if there's not much there that answers the question, it's tough to give comments that aren't something along the lines of 'this just isn't very good and doesn't answer the question', which i wouldn't ever have wanted to write!).

cardinalbiggles

AMO wrote: »

Hi all,

If you got an assignment at university returned to you with a 32% (fail) mark because you went over the word count by too much (2700 words when the limit was 2000) is it fair to fail you purely based on that point alone.

Part of your education is in learning to write concisely and to strict limits hence the lecturer failing you but I am guessing it was not just that alone that did it.

It's a skill to be able to write clearly and succintly.

lynzpower

Im at uni at the moment and the word count is drummed into us for every piece of work that we hand in.

Going over the word count is the easiest way to lose marks.

The more you go over, the more marks you lose. It shows a lack of discipline.

When I hand work in, I do all I can to save the word count, rephrasing sentences to get the most out of every word.

I would have thought you have no recourse, as m sure on the uni website & your student handbook there would have been clarification of the amount of marks you lose from going over the word count. You will have been told this.

If your marker reads the first 2000. words why should he read the rest, wouldn't that give you an unfair advantage over the other students who stick to 2000 words?

naz101

thats my experience with it as well. You were allowed a buffer of about 100 words then for every 50 you were over you started losing marks.

Think about it....why should you get the benefit of having extra works to describe and explain things when compared to everyone else who stuck to the word count but maybe missed something out because of it?

fluffnutter

I always struggled to meet the word count, let alone exceed it.

Have a word with your tutor, AMO. I'm sure they'll explain further why so many marks were deducted. There's a formula apparently. Then you get make adjustments to your writing style and essay planning in future if need be.

paddyrg

Does this mark count towards your degree or not? If yes, ask if you can re-write the essay hoping to get a 40%-capped "pass", and ask as humbly as you can muster. If it doesn't count, who cares? Learn your lesson and move on.

pinkshoes

Word count limits are there for a good reason - they are marking you on your ability to answer the question concisely, as well as follow instructions.

35% is MASSIVELY over the limit, so quite rightfully this was a fail.

At uni we did a day long team building project, and had to build a floating crane. Ours kicked !!!, and won in every single category, but they disqualified us for being 2mm over the 300mm length limit! The prize was a crate of beer - gutted!

AMO

Well, the reason for going over the word count was that the lecturer said in one of the lessons "I am not encouraging you to go over 3000 words, but I rather you went over the word count and ensure that the valid arguments are listed within the assignment." This on an assignment of 1500-2000 words.

The point I guess I was making was that the assignment was strong enough to pass on the strength of 2/3rds of the report.

However, not if you got additional penalties after the last third had been chopped off.