My son has just received his mark back for his undergraduate dissertation; it was in the low 50s. Up until now coursework marks have been in the region of mid 60s to 70s. Prior to the dissertation my son questioned an earlier mark related to piece of work he had submitted with the same supervisor who was not happy at all. The supervisor's observations proved to be incorrect but no amendments were made to the original mark. There was an immediate paradigm shift in the relationship, and my son worked very hard to bring the supervisor 'back on board'. He believed that wounds had healed as the supervisor began giving him really good feedback about the quality of his work, and efforts. He was given help and reviews contained what appeared to be good pointers to include in the work. A final draft was reviewed and some minor amendments were recommended with wording, and inclusion of particular appendices.
My son was devastated when he read through comments made about the dissertation....there were major elements missing that severely effected his mark. Inclusions and amendments that his supervisor had recommended had been penalised not only by the second marker, but by the supervisor.....Marks and comments related to his attitude, performance etc. read like a character assassination. My son didn't sleep for three days and hardly ate; he's a genuinely lovely guy, certainly non-confrontational and this was the last straw....
The university doesn't want to know and has just said 'appeal'....what a complete nightmare. Anyone have any idea on how to fight an appeal about the quality of the supervision...