University. One to two marks off a first? Experiences?

Lara44

Well done Sam! :j :j

samtoby

I have just looked at the comments on my essays again. The one that I got 69 states the comment 'clearly a lot of reading and use of grey and academic literatures which assisted you to write this piece - a very good piece of writing' - He also quotes that he liked the setting of the essay which was customer service management and how the models and theories apply/don't apply in that I set the scene with the history of customer service by looking back from the 1900's and then applying these early theories to the current ones. I wish I could read an essay that's a first and see what one looks like! I know the subject has to be relevant but you know what I mean. Thank you everyone for your input!

samtoby

Lara44 wrote: »

Well done Sam! :j :j

Thank you

Mrs_Soup

That sounds promising as you are on a rising trajectory. You could ask the tutors of the highest ones what you would have needed to do to make it a first. My last mark in my first year was a 69. Two years later I got a first for my degree. While a first is nice to have it doesn't really DO much. I work in a non-graduate job as a university administrator and all 4 of us in the office have firsts.

Gloomendoom

Some universities prefer their staff to mark using a (non-linear) 17 point scale so, rather than awarding a piece of work 69%, it would be awarded 'High 2.1" with an equivalent mark of 68%. The next grade up would be a 'Low 1st' with an equivalent mark of 74%. It works quite well as it forces staff to think hard over whether a piece of work deserves a particular grade. It also helps prevent students fretting because they missed the next grade up by just one mark.

Sassenach_Quine

samtoby wrote: »

I wish I could read an essay that's a first and see what one looks like!

Just a couple of suggestions on this point you raised:


Did any of your friends get 1sts? Could you ask them if you could take a look at their work? (I proofread for a lot of my friends and was able to see how they structured their work, it was really helpful.)


When you come to do your final year dissertation or equivalent, there may well be previous ones that were given 1sts that you could take a look at. Obviously you'd have to take care not to accidentally plagiarise from anything, but it would give you an idea. My uni made most of the previous year's dissertations available online for us to look through. Some were obviously not top quality work, but they served as a marked contrast to those that scored very highly.


Finally, definitely talk to your tutor or advisor of studies. It's less important in your first year to score highly, but taking the time to explore how you can build on a really great 1st year performance will do you a world of good when you enter your final year(s) and find yourself dealing with more challenging assignments.


Oh, and congratulations on a fantastic first year! I've been a mature student but with no kids and it was pretty tough going. Keep up the good work!

Person_one

samtoby wrote: »

For essays where I am getting 69 - what do I need to think about to get 70 and above?

What is a viva?

Your university should have given you (or be able to give you) a rubric showing the criteria that need to be met in order for a piece of work to achieve 80+, 70-79, 60-69 etc. If you haven't seen it, ask for it.

Follow the feedback your markers give you, read more, use only academic references in your work, critique the sources you use.

clw1

As the others have said speak to your tutors and ask for feedback on how you can improve, most tutors will be delighted to help you as you are obviously passionate about the subject and want to do well.

You mention that you are dyslexic, it may be worth speaking to your student support services to see if they can help or offer other support. I know that at my uni they sometimes ask phd students to help proof read for dyslexic students esp in sciences etc where you need subject knowledge to understand it.

susancs

Congratulations OP. My advice would be to see your tutor as an extra resource and next year when you do your essay plan, email a rough plan and then ask for verbal or email feedback. As tutors mark the assignments they can't comment on a whole essay, but they can give information on plans and if you are on the right track.

I have found that sometimes students try to cover too much and do not narrow down an essay to give the indepth discussion, that will obtain the higher marks. Although I am not familar with your particular course, I would pick 3-4 points from a topic question to discuss in an essay and state these in your introduction. Get any core definitions out of the way at the start of your essay or introduction. Then discuss your 3 or 4 points using academic references to argue it out and draw it all to a summary type conclusion. You could start your essay from an interesting academic source statment and signpost what 3 points you will be covering in relation to this or just start by stating what you will be covering.

Also is you have a facebook course forum, it can be a place to bounce around ideas, although you have to be very careful not to reveal chunks or direct quotes etc from your essay or plan as others may use it and you could be looked at in regard to plagerism.

Hope this helps.

Person_one

Oh, also, don't stress too much about getting a first. Its a fantastic achievement if you do, but a 2:1 is still really good and won't hold you back from doing anything you want to in the future.