DS gutted, any advice?

[daysgettingshorter]

Results. Got 59.75% so only .25% off a 2.1.
He's got limited WiFi so I can't talk to him.
Should I mention appeal or remark or strikes or anything! I feel so bad for him.

Unfortunately I wouldn't. That close to the wire and it will have gone to the board and they will have looked at things like his attendance and whether was just one bad mark etc that let him down but and made a decision to upgrade him or not. They've decided not to so it must be where he was sat. This is of course my experience but could be different at other universities

Also I got a 2.2 and not really stopped anything for me

Thanks, I grasping at straws for him

Does he need a 2:1 for his career plans? Neighbours daughter just missed a 2:1 and despite employer putting a 2:1 or above condition on the job offer they still took her. Also some masters programs let you in to a diploma with less than a 2:1 and if you do well you can convert to the Masters.

I work freelance and was advised to loose my degree class from my CV early on by my agency (I have a first) because my degree is nerdy enough (maths) - their words. No-one has ever asked me in 30 years.

Seconding the advice for him to consider relevant postgraduate courses if that's something he'd like to do. Often the entry requirements can be a little flexible, or so I've heard, if you really put in the effort to impress, and then the undergrad degree matters less in some ways.

Has he just been given a numerical result ir a degree classification? Where I work we round up to nearest whole no so that would be a II:i...

I'd appeal. What has he got to lose? That 0.25% could make a real difference to his career choices, so to me it would always be worth appealing.

Three people appealed and won when I was at uni (4 years ago) going from a 2:2 to a 2:1. Don't see the harm in it myself.

Also ds (who got his results today), said some unis round up, so he might get a 2:1. Worth checking.

I understand how annoyed your son must be; I was 0.5% off a 1st class degree and was seriously miffed I'd missed out on it by such a small margin, but, as PPs have said, when it's so close to the next grade the work is checked by another party and at the board. It's quite common to be unable to graduate at the same time as the rest of your class if you appeal too, so it's worth taking into consideration.

Having said that though, if your son really feels that the grade is incorrect he should speak to the head of his department and they'll advise him on how to proceed with an appeal.

My university (Russel Group if that’s relevant) would definitely have rounded that up to a 2:1. Is he sure he’s being awarded a 2:2?

Thanks so much for the replies.
He hasn't been given the final classification, just the marks so maybe there's some hope.
He can't ring uni as there's no phone signal and the WiFi is patchy.
It's a Russel Group Uni and LLB so really matters.

He might just get it but a friend’s DS was 0.5 off a first and he didn’t get bumped up. Your DS is closer - fingers crossed!

I’m afraid that a 2:1 does make a difference regarding careers these days. 30 years ago, it was a different world!

My university (Russel Group if that’s relevant) would definitely have rounded that up to a 2:1

If that’s the final grade (made up of 2nd and 3rd marks), then it will already have been rounded up.

Borderline marks - if they are an aggregate of all eligible marks - go through several processes of checking to see if they can be pushed up to the next class mark.

Each university will have its own way of doing this. But believe me, most universities’ examination regulations are aimed at pushing candidates up rather than down.

I’d definitely appeal. He can speak to the undergrad tutor and ask for advice/help. These might be provisional results still as the boards are only just starting to meet. It may be a case of just one mark having to be increased.

I was 0.6% off and given a 2:2. Someone on the same course who got 66% got a first.. however they had a lot of firsts in their modules whereas I had quite a few 2:2s.
For some they offer a viva where they are very close but I haven’t heard of anyone getting their degree reclassified.
I haven’t been held back by a 2:2 either.

I’d definitely appeal. He can speak to the undergrad tutor and ask for advice/help.

His tutor will tell him that, unless there's the possibility of a procedural error or anomaly, there are no grounds for appeal.

A student cannot appeal against an academic judgement.

You might want to look at another thread in here:

Degree resut affected by strike

where a number of experienced academics explain the complex processes which are undertaken to determine a final degree result. It is never just the raw average of the 2nd & 3rd year marks!

If he is going to appeal, then he needs to do it now. My dc's uni only gives 10 days feom receipt of final results.

But just what would be the grounds for an appeal? You can't just appeal that the mark wasn't what you wanted ...

Nothing really wrong with a Desmond. It is more down to interview application etc.

The appeal would look at all his work and double check that his marks for each individual essay was correct - it's easy to get a bit of variation between tutors, where some are more generous than others. Marking can be a bit subjective, even within tight guidelines. I think he loses nothing by trying and it might make a difference.

I have an LLB and mine was calculated based on best scoring modules, so if you got x 4 2:1 and x2 2:2 you would be awarded a 2:1, this was 12 years ago though, no idea what my % score was.

DS just scraped a first. He is doing a Masters. The uni's were more interested in tbe transcripts than the class of degree. That was also the case with friends who were applying for grad schemes with 2:1's and I imagine 2:2s. A high 2:2, extra curricular stuff and good personality may be better than a 2:1.

Also can he get on the law society course (whatever it's now called) at a lower institution and go all out for a distinction. DH had a friend who did that. Joined a smaller firm, was a rainmaker by virtue of charm and switched post qual to magic circle. But it was 30 years ago.

Too many people doing law. It may be the cayalyst to ensure he finds a happy alternative.

The appeal would look at all his work and double check that his marks for each individual essay was correct - it's easy to get a bit of variation between tutors, where some are more generous than others

Is that what you do at your university? Nowhere that I e taught, or been an External Examiner would they remark, or check-mark every single piece of work just because a student was on the borderline. To do so would be to assume that the original market, plus the 2nd marker, plus any moderation, plus the External Examiner were all wrong at the time of marking.

Which is ridiculous.

Marking can be a bit subjective, even within tight guidelines. I think he loses nothing by trying and it might make a difference.

I don't know of any UK university that would allow an appeal against academic judgement, which is what is being suggested here.

An appealing student absolutely does lose something - they lose the chance to graduate on time, with all their friends. That may be worth it if they are allowed to retake assessments and get a better grade, but unless there are reasonable grounds, it's not sensible to try.

But in any case, there's no reason to worry about this - it's very likely that with 59.75 he'll be awarded a 2.1. OP, your DS needs to take a look at his university's academic regulations to stop both of you worrying unneccessarily - they will tell you if 59.75 means a 2.1 or 2.2.