I am so unhappy right now

[LadyGlencoraPalliser]

I have just broken down in tears after getting my latest TMA result back - 45% . I NEED to get a 2.1 in this course to get a 2.1 degree overall. I have never had a problem with any other course, but this one is unbelieveable. This is the third TMA I've done, I got 65% for the first two and was disappointed so worked really hard on this essay hoping to pull my mark back up over the 70% grade boundary - and NOW this.
Everytime I get my tutor's comments back I try to take them on board and act on them for the next time, but I can't seem to please him or get it right whatever I do.
I am having a real crisis of confidence now. Nothing seems to help.

That sounds horrible LGP - I don't blame you for feeling bad. I have only done a couple of OU courses, but from talking to other students, there does seem to be a real variation in what tutors are like; what help they give, what protocols they follow and how they mark. It seems wrong that there should be such inconsistency, but it does appear to be there.
I know you can get your assignment re-marked if you apply within a set period (2 weeks maybe). Could you face that? Could you ask to swap tutor (it does happen, infrequently though)?
What course is it you are doing? Have you any idea what 'normal' marks for this course are? Is it a Level 3 and so more exacting?
If it were me, and I felt I really didn't deserve the marks I was getting, I would want to start asking questions, even if that made things a bit awkward.
Best of luck.

I have had a message from my tutor - he wants me to ring him tonight to discuss it - I feel like a naughty pupil
It is a level three course, but not my first. To make things worse, it is the first time they have presented this one, we didn't even get all the course materials until after the course started so it is a bit hard to judge 'normal' marks.
But his comments made it pretty clear my essay was very much not up to scratch.

So sorry to hear this LGP

It's a really good sign that your tutor wants to discuss it with you though - a lot of them wouldn't bother to do that. I was going to suggest ringing him to go over this and clarify exactly what has gone wrong. Good luck and I hope you get some useful feedback from that discussion.

I'm glad you are able to talk with yout tutor about this. It is odd that you seem so out of kilter with what is expected, and maybe reflects more on the course materials than you. What is the subject?