Failed my FIRST EVER OU essay today!!! Am peed off...

[allgonebellyup]

Have been studying with OU for 8 yrs on and off, usually get good grades, but today i got 33% !!

But have had awful circumstances, am depressed and ds been throwing up for a week.

Bugger.

Can you substitute it?

hopefully.

just worried now that i will do craply on all the essays.

Substitute and NO YOU WON'T DO BADLY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

This was a one off. It could and does happen to us all. So.... in the words of my niece

suck it up, build a bridge and get over it!

It's done now. Let it go and onwards and upwards!

My tutor just said this particular TMA is non substitutionable.

non substitutable

you can see why i failed..

Could you get a letter from your gp about yours/your ds's illness during the period you were writing it and handing it in.

I don't know about OU but my uni asked for these if you were ill to take it into consideration over the final marks of the essay/course.

I've just finished my Ou course for the year, thanks goodness. I've always got high marks in my TMA's but this year has been a disaster. I've had 3 severe throat infections and the first put me behind and I didn't catch up properly. I had one 19% and a 36% and the rest were all ok but lower than usual.(So I should still pass even though the exam was an absolute shocker!!) I kept in touch with my tutor and he was fantastic - he said the main thing was to not get behind, so to always aim to get your TMA in on time, even if it wasn't up to scratch.
I'm sure you won't do crap on all your essays - have you actually spoken to your tutor about this? I know I was lucky this year (not all tutors are so good), but if I hadn't spoken to him early on I may well have jacked it in because I was so fed up.
I agree with Marslady, try to move on now.

thanks for that.

Its just i feel pressured as this is my last OU course (well it was meant to be!), and i was hoping to do a PGCE in Sept o8, i need at least a 2:2, so basically i need a grade 2 pass for this course! (TMAs in the 70% scores)

thanks for that.

Its just i feel pressured as this is my last OU course (well it was meant to be!), and i was hoping to do a PGCE in Sept o8, i need at least a 2:2, so basically i need a grade 2 pass for this course! (TMAs in the 70% scores)

Write the letter and see. I'm sure that you will do really really well in this course and that you'll get to do the PGCE.

I would ask for special circumstances to be taken into account as well, the OU is a uni like any other and all Uni's offer this when needed A chap on ours recently got an extension because his boyfriend left him after a week together, so you should get yours!

Thanks you lot. I was given a 2 week extension because of special circumstances, i cant really ask for more!

YES! you can! So..............ask!!!!!!!!!!!! [stern look]

If you ask for another extension, just be careful that it doesn't put you even more behind. It's horrible chasing your tail all the time.
As for asking for special circumstances to be taken into account, go for it. If it was my final year I would definitely have done that this year.

Yes you can, call student services and talk to them, they are very understanding ime. good luck!

Ask them allgonebellyup.

They were really good with me when i had problems last year.

Good luck

Oh and i was given a 3 week extension for my ECA and then had to ask for a postponement as things had not improved and they then gave me about 5 more months.

i just dont see how they can change the crap grade i got as i cant substitute it.

i dont need any more extentions really.

I can't remember exactly how it works, I don't think they change individual grades, but say you were borderline for a pass 2, then they might take special circumstances into consideration and give you the pass 2. I'm sure that is what they told me.

honestly, jsut call up student services and ask - it's worth the phone call, nothing lost.

ok am about to start TMA 2 soon, if i fail this as well then i am throwing in the towel!!!