To think my essay should be marked again?

[muminthecity]

I am just reaching the end of my second year as a part time student at university. I have just received a mark for one of my essays (68% - 2% away from a first.) Looking through the comments from my tutor, there are several which criticise my grammar incorrectly. For example, where I have written
Where I have written "One of the ways children learn," the word "ways" has been highlighted, with a comment saying that it needs an apostrophe before the s. This is surely incorrect? There are other examples where the tutor has said I need an apostrophe which are just incorrect.

In another part of the essay I have written 'as well as through interaction with the environment.' She has highlighted the word 'through' and said it should be 'though,' but then the sentence wouldn't make any sense!

These are just a few examples, there are many, many more.

AIBU to contact my tutor about this and ask for the essay to be marked again? Do you think it would make any difference to my mark?

68 is a good mark. Even if another tutor strikes out the incorrect "corrections" you might not have your mark increased.

If you go the module leader asking about having your mark increased on the basis of your tutor's errors, you'll risk looking like you're grade grubbing. I'd strongly advise (senior academic here) speaking to the module leader seeking confirmation of your understanding of the incorrect "corrections".

You don't get a kind of compensation (a First) just because your tutor has made some errors. 68 is a pretty telling mark- I use it when the work is really good, but not quite what I'd expect in First Class work. It's generally not arguable up to a first, in my marking scheme, anyway.

Ask about the frankly ludicrous corrections (but they confirm everything I think about the value of an Education degree, I'm afraid) but do it tactically. You can't demand extra marks because your tutor has made mistakes in grammar. You need to get any substantive comments double-checked however.

Do you have a personal tutor/ pastoral tutor or similar? As long as they weren't the marker in question I would go to them, I think. Universities should really care if their staff are getting SPAG that wrong!

Is there a different tutor you could talk to & express 'confusion'?
That's a good tactic.

I don't think showing your tutor their mistakes is a good move either. Unless that tutor won't be marking any more of your work.

To explain away the incorrect marking by saying "it's a busy time of the year" NO NO NO No intelligent person could possibly make those mistakes. If it affects your overall mark, ask to get it remarked. If not, then a way should be found to flag this teacher's incompetence

I'd be concerned my tutor had these sort of problems marking, so could you speak to student support and find out if there was some sort of computer glitch first? Just so you are starting off by not blaming your tutor? I am also wondering which Uni you are at because I need to change - a first for the OU is 85% +

If it's online marking it might well be that damned autocorrect. Online marking fries your eyes and your brain, and is terrifically bad for the marker. I refuse to do it on grounds of health and well being.

Do it.

I got over 69% average on my MA. I was fuming when I got my feedback from the only work I had submitted over the 2 years which was below 70 which had comments about my SPAG. It was my dissertation so it has a high weighting. My SPAG was flawless, it would not necessarily always have been, but in this case I know this because I had it checked and double checked by 2 SPAG pedants who make MN pedants look positively not even a teeny bit pedantic. I did complain but nothing changed. Grrrrrrr still makes me mad.

I don't think it can be blamed on autocorrect, autocorrect wouldn't highlight the word 'ways' and insist it had an apostrophe would it? Several other comments written by the lecturer which definitely can't be blamed on autocorrect.

I do have a personal academic tutor, I am planning to speak to her tomorrow. I will query the 'corrections' but will not ask for a new mark.

The apostrophe is a primary school mistake and the "though" makes no sense at all. I was expecting some subtle and erudite grammatical clumsiness like wot I am prone to.

Definitely needs a re-mark if there's marks hanging on SPAG.

Okki an 85% piece of work at the OU would be graded a 70% at another university. For some bizarre reason most universities have 30% of marks available for firsts but only 10% for 2:1s and 2:2s. It's very bizarre and means hardly anyone gets 80%+.

The OU however are far more sane and reasonable and actually give and offer marks across the whole 0-100 boundary. I think it's a far more sensible way of doing it and differentiating between students.

However in the next few years the OU post grad modules will become standardised with other universities meaning the distinction grade will drop to a 70%. Bad move IMO.

I would be a little surprised if there was a special marking scheme allowing grammar and spelling to be picked up if it wasn't intended to count towards your overall mark. I would suggest you specifically ask your tutor whether these matters will have affected your final mark.

I agree with a previous poster that it's possible that whoever marked the assignment was new to to marking online via Turnitin, which is incredibly clunky to use, especially when you aren't used to it, and yes, can definitely in inexperienced hands end up with a rash of illogical and ill-placed corrections which have been randomly generated by the marker accidentally clicking the mouse. It's possible, for instance that you did spell a different word wrongly, but the Grademark correction migrated to 'child' rather than the intended word. Marking a lot of work via Turnitin or equivalent is brain-frazzling. There's no excuse for consistently wrongly correcting correct grammar, obviously.

But well done on a 68. I agree with Foggy's account of what a 68 means.

I think it's close enough to ask for a remark
In my post grad, I was advised by one tutor to avoid all top line punctuation as so many markers would get it wrong themselves.

Also, I did mine at evening classes and it was clearly an evening job for some staff who had full time jobs, more than full time really, working for companies and this was their extra income. The chances of a couple of marks going AWOL with tutors working while that tired, is pretty high I'm afraid.

I use it when the work is really good, but not quite what I'd expect in First Class work

Yup, same here and if awarding a 68, I would ask myself whether it actually should be a 70 and it would be highly unlikely that my decision would be based on a few grammatical errors.

I do think with grade inflation, there's a strange perception among students that anything below a first is not very good. Comparing it to my experience at uni in the early 00's, this seems bizarre. To get a first then required demonstrating real excellence and most students were pretty happy with anything above 60%, at least in first/second year. I would never have quibbled about getting a 68. Recently I had a student demanding a meeting to explain why I didn't give him a first. He had used no secondary sources beyond the core textbook. I explained that you need to do extensive further reading in order to develop the sort of argument expected from a first class essay. He then asked 'what's the minimum amount of reading I need to do to get a first?'. Sigh.

By the way OP, the above is not intended as criticism of you. I am just moaning about HE generally (I am at a post-92 university btw) and I do think you need to see someone about the 'errors' you made (or rather, didn't make).

Just be careful when considering appeal for a re-mark, as you cannot guarantee a higher mark, plus you need to be prepared for getting a lower mark too.

Any decent tutor should not be offended if you challenge their feedback. Definitely make an appointment with your tutor and go through the feedback and annotations with her/him. I actively encourage this with my students.

Check to see if the work has been internally moderated. If your work has been moderated, you are generally unable to have a re-mark. Have a good look at the appeals process but also consult the Student Union in your campus for advice.

Good luck

Running...I totally agree with your comments

Just to clarify, I am happy with 68%, it is a great mark, I was delighted when I first saw it. I just felt a bit hard done by when I read the comments, not because of the mark but because the criticism was unfair.

For those wondering about how the feedback was given, here is an example of what it looks like.

My university has a no appeals policy on grades, with the reasoning that all coursework is second marked anyway, and on the basis that academic judgement cannot be appealed.

I guess this would be the case for many universities.

You can, of course, request feedback as pp have said, where the tutor can explain the bizarre comments on grammar.

The other explanation might be the online marking system. If its anything like mine, the floating comment boxes often end up all over the place, and not where you intended. Could all be a mix up or a software malfunction?

yanbu. Universities often employ 'visiting' or freelance tutors who are not always well qualified for the roles. Other lecturers are very good at their subject, but have little knowledge of grammar. Please ask for a senior lecturer to re-mark.

Yes if the criticism appears invalid, get a remark.
Also that system on your screenshot, when they are a pain to use they occupy brain space...add it to tutor in a hurry and you never know. Uni cannot be surprised when 68 or 69 gets a remark request.

I was all set to say you were being unreasonable from your thread title. However, since your assessment criteria seem to say that you are being marked on spelling and grammar, and you've been told these are wrong when they are not, I think it needs to be mentioned. I would go and see either the head of department or the module leader (depending on if your tutor is in one of these roles - hopefully not!) and say to them you are troubled because you genuinely believe these 'mistakes' are not mistakes and if they are, you would like an explanation of exactly why they are wrong.

runningcircles makes excellent points!

Thank you again for all of your comments, they have been really useful

Yeah, muminthecity, that looks like turnitin GradeMark. I personally don't use it but many colleagues in other disciplines do. It can be a bit of a nightmare from what I have heard but it wouldn't explain the weird comments on grammar.

Also agree with those who have said that tutors shouldn't get offended if feedback is challenged. I pretty much get a barrage of emails within half an hour of releasing marks as do my colleagues. If I 'held a grudge' against all students who had complained about my marking, I would be exhausted. I just make sure that I am able to justify my mark and comments. I will usually invite the student to meet with me and go through the essay together. So if I have criticised them for being too descriptive, I will choose a paragraph and read it to the student and ask them whether they can see why I thought that was descriptive and how it could be rewritten to be more critical/analytical. The vast majority of the time, they do understand completely and are grateful for the extra feedback and will use it in future pieces of work. So please do arrange to see the tutor.