Failed semester assignment!!!

[croquetas]

Mature student doing tough science / engineering course. I've just failed my first semester assignment (February entry) marginal fail, and this counts towards 50% of the module. Feedback says I showed evidence of wider research but failed to nail it down, few in-text citations and poor work overall.

I'm positive I can improve the marks if I resubmit but not sure how to go about it. Do I just focus on my own exam (end of May) or push for a re-sit.?

Thanks in advance

[BlandWallpaper]

I think this will be tricky for people to answer. Wouldn't it be best to approach your course tutors?

Does it count towards your final degree?

Is a re-sit a possibility? It sounds like you were nearly there so surely it would be easy to improve it. Having another stab at it might also help for doing well in future assignments IYSWIM

[croquetas]

Thanks! I intend to speak to the tutor on Tuesday. Just not sure how to go about it, I've had a lot going on (work full time nights + 2 kids and financial issues ) I'm not sure he'll be interested in all of that and allow me to re-submit based on that, but considering it's my first research essay, I deserve a second chance.

I hope someone out there with similar experience can share their story and how they rectified it. Did well in mock exam and confident I'll do really well in exam.

[Gannet123]

It won't be down to an individual tutor as to what you can do - there will be university regulations. These regulations differ from institution to institution, so other people's experience might not be the same as yours.
There's a number of possibilities:

• if you do better in the exam, and there's no requirement to pass this coursework, then you could pass the overall module even if you've failed this coursework. If that's the case, there won't be a decision as to whether you need to resit the coursework until you have sat the exam and know what your overall mark is.
  
• alternatively, if the regulations for this module require for you to pass this piece of coursework, you will almost certainly have the opportunity to resit it. Depending on the nature of the work, this may mean resubmitting or it may mean doing a new piece of work. Often, you can only get the bare pass mark if you resit, but at least you can get through.
  
• if you pass the overall module, but your mark is reduced because of this coursework, or if you fail the module overall, but you have mitigating circumstances, you may be able to resit for full marks. There will be a procedure for doing this - making an application to a committee with evidence.
  
  Don't go in to seeing your tutor with the approach that it's up to them and whether they are interested - it's not personal. Go in and find out what your position is - what you need to do in order to pass the module. You ought to have some sort of programme handbook which will have information about this as well, so dig it out - it may be online.

[croquetas]

Thank you Gannete123. That's very helpful.

[GoatsFeet]

Are you doing a FT course and working full-time? If so, I think that's your answer - a full time course isn't something you can fit in around everything else. You may have to rethink that in the long term.

In the short term, Gannet's advice is excellent. You may still pass if your failed assignment is 50% of the final module grade, but you'll need to up your game in the other assessment task to compensate, so a chat to your tutor about how you can do that is needed.

Each university is slightly different, but in most places, you can't resit a single failed assignment. If you fail the module overall, then you are offered a resit.

If you have mitigating circumstances (working because of financial difficulties and chid care etc issues) then you may be able to have some retrospective mitigation on your fail. But at my place, we generally wait until the end of year Exam Boards in June to see whether students pass the module.

[Sofabitch]

It very much depends on the unit and course. For example there are several course in my school and one requires you to pass every submission. The other requires an overall aveage of 40%.

But in both options so long as you havent failed more than 40 credits you can resit the failed assignment over the summer but with a 40% cap
I have no idea how you are working full time and doing a full time university course. I suspect that is in part the problem. You really do need to spend a significant amount of time on uni work.

[EduCated]

In my experience it is very unusual to be allowed to resubmit an assignment simply because you failed. As others say it would normally be if the whole module is failed and later on, with a capped mark.

The exception would be where there are mitigating/extenuating circumstances, which would need to be applied for and evidenced.

Is this the first year of an undergraduate course? If so, do the marks from the year count towards your overall degree? They very often don't, precisely because it takes time to adapt to university level study, to find your feet and to understand how to structure work. It's not unusual to get low marks in the earliest assignments.

Certainly speak to your tutor for advice and to understand what areas you should work on.