Feeling very despondent. I've got the results for my first TMA and they are not good

[NoHank]

Just having a moan really. Last month I started my 6th and final year with the OU studying towards a degree. I've just had the results for my first TMA and they are the worst I have ever received. I know the first one can be slightly lower but my tutor has basically rubbished the whole assignment. Things I have been prasied for previously such as essay structure and style have been torn apart and I have barely scraped a pass

I know I am not amazing but I have been getting good grades and even achieved a distinction on one module. I'm now worried I won't be able to make the massive improvements she seems to want to maintain my previous scores and this will affect my degree classification.

Bugger

And please don't attack my spelling, I didn't preview first

wow. it does seem like quite a drop. did your tutor definitely receive the correct version? what module is it? can you email them asking for more detailed feedback?

Thanks for answering TinyDiamond. There was only one complete version so she did get the right one. The course is KE312, Working together for children.

I am going to read through all the assessment summary again in a minute and see if I feel a bit better about it and can take on the criticisms better now I've had a night to think about it.

It just felt very negative and very much you didn't do ABC, you need to work on XYZ but no real guidance on how I could have achieved what I didn't do.

I may e-mail her and ask for more specific guidance but don't want to appear like I am disagreeing with her or feel I should have been scored higher.

I've completed an online predictor for my degree classification going off my previous module results and predicting a grade 3 pass for this one and it shows I should still achieve a 2:1 which is what I was hoping for so I feel a bit better about that at least.

In my last course I consistently scored much lower than all my other ones and I didn't really get to grips with why.

After my first TMA I tried to incorporate all the tutor's points in the next one but still got a similar mark (for the third one I ignored her completely and got the best mark of all )

The assessment summary in the cold light of day can help and I would definitely email your tutor for guidance, if you are asking for help it isn't a criticism - you just want to improve.

I'd call her on the phone to discuss it. just explain that you are usually a pass 1 student (lay it on thick if you have to) and that you need some more information from her to know how to improve as you really need a good mark on the module for your final classification. are all your other courses from the same faculty? I'm social sciences and on my last course tma01 I scored much, much lower than I usually do and couldn't figure out why. I asked for a re-mark in the end and ended up with another 3 marks which I was happy with as it pushed me into the next grade.
call her and talk to her openly and then maybe she will have some tips. do you get tutorials with her?

I'm in my second year of a masters. I think my tutor this year has marked very differently to the one last year who's standards seemed higher. I did really well in my first tma this year I'm not sure how well I deserved it. You can't loose anything by contacting the head of the course and asking them as they need to be getting consistency between tutors. She might be getting the same queries off other students. Maybe she needs some guidance on marking.

On my first TMA for my last module I got 37. The lowest mark by far for the whole course. I was absolutely gutted. I spoke to my tutor more frequently afterwards and got to know her pet likes and dislikes. I also found someone on my course who'd done very well and she let me read through her assignment which was very helpful.

I ended up with a merit for that module so don't be too disheartened.

Is it your first level 3 course? I found what they were looking for changed between level 2 and 3 and things I previously got marks for weren't considered correct!

I used to be an OU tutor for 3rd level modules. there is a leap in expectations between level 2 and 3 but you are entitled to query the marks and also ask for a re-mark. Another ou tutor will do a second marking and if it comes out higher you will be awarded that one.

Your tutor should give very clear and positive criticism on your TMAs so that you can improve the next time. Tutors are given training on how to mark TMAs so that students can improve and not end up as despondent as you. The marking also undergoes a quality control system so that there is consistency between tutors in respect of the marking. I'm really sorry that you have been left feeling upset. Just keep going and believe in your abilities. Just remember that if it was easy to get an ou degree, everyone would do ione

Thanks again everyone for taking the time to answer. I am feeling a bit better about things after rereading the assessment summary although still quite disappointed overall.

The degree is in Health and Social Care and this is my second level 3 module so I thought I knew what to expect! Last year I achieved an OCAS of 81, the previous year it was 84

webwiz that is my concern, that I will be marked much lower throughout this module although I have to consider that I really did a much poorer job than normal I'm going to make sure for the next one that I go over her feedback in detail and try not to do (or not do) the points she has raised for this one.

We do have tutorials but there are only 3 this year. I wasn't able to attend the first, the second is the day we fly back from holiday and the third is the weekend of our 10th wedding anniversary and we have booked a short break away so I'm not able to attend that either.

andadietcoke My husband said the same, I need to figure out what it is she is looking for particularly. I am going to go ahead and e-mail her and perhaps ask for a telephone conversation. I think it would be really helpful too if I could see a "better" version to get a clearer idea of what I should be aiming for but I'm not sure if this would be something she would be willing to do. I can only ask though.

I'm just really glad this is my final year and not my first!