Can I post here for a bit of sympathy? - cocked up ou exam

[hmc]

It's not a big problem in the scale of things, and I feel guilty for moaning when posters like unfitmother are having to do exams following bereavement...

But anyway, I have worked like a slave for my current course (Total War). Really put myself through it on the TMAs and managed to get an OCAS of 84% despite the toughest marker I have ever encountered in OU. I am averagely intelligent but have achieved those marks through sheer effort and determination rather than innate ability.

Yesterday had exam - I was extremely well prepared. Put tonnes of hours into revision, probably to the detriment of family life for the past few weeks (sorry dcs and dh)and I screwed up big time.

Stressed and panicky I made tonnes of school girl errors. I left insufficient time for one of my 4 answers and it will suffer accordingly, and for an essay which accounts for 33% of the marks I stupidly (argggh) read the questions carelessly and just started writing. I answered the wrong question! - I thought it was about political revolution and it was about social revolution so very little of what I wrote will attract marks.

I think I will get a pass mark around 50% which means for this module I will get a pass 3 equivalent (3rd).

So I have totally rubbished any hope of getting either a 2:1 or a first in this degree now (despite getting a pass 1 in the other module I completed last year) since I think they have a rule that your overall degree classification can not be higher than one band higher than your lowest graded module (which if I get pass 3 in this module then one band higher means 2:2) irrespective of the fact that you got pass 1 and pass 2 in all your other modules?

Am really fed up - all that wasted effort

bit confusing - I think I've got pass 4 in this exam (50%) which is a third class degree equivalent mark, consequently will only be able to get a 2:2 (pass 3 equivalent) for overall degree, despite usually getting pass 1 (first) in other modules

Can you take another module so this one doesnt count? Or retake the module?

Hopefully you've not done as badly as you think you have.

I'd happily retake the exam but they won't let you unless you fail. I really can't face re-doing entire module.

I suppose there is not much that can be done. I just need some warm and fuzzy comforting remarks - not very mumsnet I know

I suppose I could do a diffent, additional module and ask for this not one not to count towards degree (will have to check see if Total War is a 'mandatory')

There are usually things that can be done, but it might mean redoing the module which is a bit of a PITA. You can always see how you feel when you get the result.

It's not the end of the world because if at the end of your degree you decide it really is that important you can do something about it. Chalk it up to experience and move on.

What's your next module?

The history of medicine one - forget the name.

Lol at bracing and fixing!

I think the qualification planner only predicts your current module - not overall degree, and it tells me that if i get 50% in the exam, with my 84% in OCAS i will get a grade 4 pass.

Oh wow - hope so. Thanks for that little glimmer of hope to hang on to

Thanks Prolesworth

I got a first despite having a pass 4 in one course. I never heard of the rule you mention and if they had applied it I would only have got a 2.2. They do weight your level 3 modules, what other level 3s have you done?

If you want a history degree then Total War or Empire are mandatory - but I don't recommend Empire - that's the one I got my pass 4 in. Honestly, though, I think you will be fine, and anyway you may not have done as badly in the exam as you think.

muckeditup - well done on your first and very encouraging that you got this despite one not so great module. Obviously they do employ a bit of flexibility.

I have one more level 3 to do and I was considering Empire as it happens - because the subject matter is interesting and because there is no exam. Is it really that bad?

Well to be fair, I did the first presentation of the course and there were teething problems. Also I was doing two 60pt course together, both of which had ECAs so there were big deadline timing issues towards the end - I got the pass 4 because I failed to submit one entire TMA (it was either that or screw up the ECA for the other course). The reason I did that was because I got quite low marks for my first couple of TMAs and therefore knew I could score above pass 3 overall anyway.
The course was quite interesting - I actually enjoyed a lot of it - although I had issues with some of the selection of material, particularly in the last couple of units where I felt they had arbitrarily ignored some quite important aspects of the end of Empire/post-colonialism.
My problem was really with the TMAs - the essay questions were too vague, too similar to each other and the rubric was not clearly defined. This meant that it was hard to be sure you had structured your TMA to attract the higher marks.
That said, those issues were very clearly highlighted in the feedback that most of us gave after the course and things have probably improved.

Thanks for that feedback - makes sense

A pass 3 is a 2.2 equivalent but you don't know what mark you've got, it may be better than you think.
Do have to wait until December like me for the results?
Let us know how you did, I will too.

I'd love to hear how you get on unfitmother - will be rooting for you. My results due by 17 December - probably the same for you?

I know Prolesworth - the same thing leaves me stunned too! I guess some people have a severe exam phobia.

We all have to check in come December and either congratulate or commiserate with each other