So Close!

[Tinker]

I got a my degree results back last week and i got 69% which is a 2:1. If i had got 70% i would have got a first! How annoying! Anyway, is there any kind of process I can go through to maybe get 'them' to bump it up to a first? I'm thinking maybe getting work remarked etc. What are my chances of this happening and does anyone know of anyone who has been successful doing this? Thanks guys.

[football]

Post to this site or to me. We'll see what we can do.

[Quizmonster]

Good grief! Can one get a First with just 70% nowadays?

[beenee]

Honestly, I'm sure that the examiners must have specially considered your case as it was so close to the margin and they would only settle on a near miss if they thought that's what you deserved. Remember that your department would have no reason for giving you a 2.1 for any other reason. It's in their interest to have as many firsts as possible.

I realise this isn't the answer you're looking for, but it might help explain your uni's actions.

And anyway an upper 2.1 is pretty good too. Congratulations!

[IndieSinger]

Quizmonster, don't forget that "these days", the maximum is rarely 100%. In any single or double modern language degree for example, the maximum possible result is 80%.

[Quizmonster]

Thanks for that, Indie. As you may know, it's some time since I was personally involved in academia. You have me puzzled, though, since my maths isn't too hot either. Are you seriously telling me that a perfect student studying French cannot score over 80%? What on earth does that mean? Maybe I'm becoming more Homer Simpsonish by the day, but...Doh! Tinker, I didn't wish to demean your achievement...congratulations on it, indeed...I was just flabbergasted by your figures. Sorry.

[IndieSinger]

It's a strange system isn't it, Quizmonster? The rationale behind it is based on the premise that a degree in languages, for example, is not as - for want of a better word - difficult as a, say, degree in Physics. Therefore, if you got full marks in every French exam ever set, you would achieve a score of 80%. So yes, a "perfect" student would receive 80%. This is because, I guess, a student obtaining full marks in French does not have the same... "intelligence level"... of a student with full marks in Physics. The mark for a First is still 70% regardless of your course.

I don't entirely agree with the system. We're all good at different things, after all. And as a Double Honours student of French and German (with Dutch and Luxembourgish (!)), I think a physisist would find my degree just as hard as I would find theirs. But hey, maybe it's just my sour grapes :)

To make it more confusing, many "newer" universities, that is, mainly the ex-polytechnics, don't stick to this system, especially with their vocational courses. Therefore a student of, say, Occupational Therapy can gain as many marks as an Astro-physisist. Rightly?

In fact, Quizmonster, I reckon your degree would be marked out of 80% these days. You studied English at one of our more established universities, didn't you? I'm at the University of Sheffield (not Hallam!) and I know English (and English Literature) come under the category of "Faculty of Arts" and are therefore subject to the 80% rule!

Sorry to hijack your question, Tinker! And don't forget that remarking, like interest rates, can go up or down...

[Quizmonster]

Thanks again, Indie. I get the general point now, but who decided which faculties and subjects were to be allocated which percentages...and when?

I would imagine someone who gained a First in Philosophy (surely as intellectually rigorous as physics) in an Arts Faculty would have been highly piddled off to discover that his degree was considered to be worth only 8/10 of some chemist's, say, in a Science Faculty.

It seems most odd to me that scientists - of all people - can claim that 100% (a perfect French student's actual score in his actual exams) will be considered to be just 80%. I think this is a perfect example of where that wonderful word 'deemed' comes into its own!

[j2buttonsw]

When I was at college, students on the cusp of 1st/2.1 or 2.1/2.2 were given a viva-voce which enabled them to bump up their grade.

[Miss Zippy]

I think Indie's answer just further highlights the arbitrary nature of the whole higher education marking system. I used to lecture at two unis, both ex-polys, to a range of arts and sciences undergrads but I never came across the "80% rule". Tinker - if you are borderline, the policy of many departments is to 'bump' you up to the next grade so there must be a good reason why this was not done in your case. As Buttons said, many unis offer you the choice to take a viva-voce exam; if you achieve 70% or above in this exam you would then be awarded a 1st (your 2:1 degree is not jeopardised if you fail or do poorly in this exam).

[Miss Zippy]

I think Indie's answer just further highlights the arbitrary nature of the whole higher education marking system. I used to lecture at two unis, both ex-polys, to a range of arts and sciences undergrads but I never came across the "80% rule". Tinker - if you are borderline, the policy of many departments is to 'bump' you up to the next grade so there must be a good reason why this was not done in your case. As Buttons said, many unis offer you the choice to take a viva-voce exam; if you achieve 70% or above in this exam you would then be awarded a 1st (your 2:1 degree is not jeopardised if you fail or do poorly in this exam).

[Gef]

Well done Tinker! I just wonder why you were told your percentage anyway as the pass mark might vary from year to year. In the National exams in Scotland (school rather than Uni) the pass marks vary from year to year to take account of the difficulty of the papers etc By the way, when my daughter (I hope she is not looking) studied medicine a few years back the pass mark was 45%!

[IndieSinger]

The pass mark is often 40% or 45%, Gef. This would be a Pass, a few more marks are required for a Third, then a few more for a 2:2, more for a 2:1, then 70% for a First.

[Gef]

Indie - Doctors don't get firsts , 2.1s etc. The point I was making, albeit tongue in cheek, is that your doctor might have got 55% of the answers wrong!!