The end of semester one’s exam season may have meant a few disappointing grades for some. This can be hard to deal with, especially if you’re used to getting higher grades. However, you shouldn’t let this get you down, and should take it as a chance to learn and improve your grades in semester two.
Step 1: Read through your feedback
The first thing you should do if you get back a piece of work with a disappointing grade is read through the feedback. You might feel like your mark was harsh or unfair. But there’s not much you can do about it now except learning from the experience. If you really don’t want to rub salt in the wound as soon as you see that mark, take a little time to process the grade and come back to it once you’re less upset. This may help you see where you went wrong, and correct it in future.
Step 2: Talk to the marker
If, after reading the feedback, you still don’t understand why you got the mark you did, reach out to the marker and ask them. As long as you don’t demand a remark or question their judgement, the person who marked your work will probably be happy to explain your grade and help you improve in future. Just send them a quick email or drop into their office hours for a chat about your work. After this you might still feel the grade is unfair. But now it’s time to move on and work towards better grades in the next semester.
Step 3: Take a look at this semester’s assignments
Most module leaders will put some information about the assignment on the Moodle or Canvas page before classes start, and some will even give you essay questions early. Knowing what you have to learn will help you learn it better. For some modules, you will be assessed on a wide variety of topics that you will need at least a general understanding of. For others, you will have to understand a smaller number of topics in depth. If you know this from the start, you’ll know whether to concentrate on breadth or depth of knowledge.
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Step 4: Try to attend as much as possible
This one feels the easiest, but is sometimes the hardest way to boost your grades. At university, it is so easy to miss a class because you’re hungover, tired, or simply have something you’d rather be doing. However, making the effort to go in when you can will really help your grades. You should also do the readings where possible. Even if you don’t have time to read in depth and make notes, just reading the introduction and conclusion, and skimming the rest of the text can be really helpful.
Step 5: Attend office hours
If there are any questions you have, concepts you don’t understand, or assignments you need help with, attending office hours is often the best thing to do. This will give you the chance to talk to your lecturer one-on-one to fully understand the module’s content, and ask any questions you may feel uncomfortable asking in front of other people. Some lecturers will even look through your essay plan and give you advice, and will sometimes flag-up key problems that could have really impacted your grade.
Step 6: Start early
Yeah, yeah, we’ve heard it all before, but it’s true, the earlier you start, the easier it will be to get a good mark. Starting early will give you a chance to fully think through your ideas, and will also allow you enough time to ask for advice if you run into any problems. Starting early can also often mean you don’t have to miss as many things. If you spend a few hours a day on a piece of work for a few weeks, that probably won’t affect your social life too much. But, if you have to work on an assignment for three days straight, you probably won’t have time to do anything else.
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