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Oscail Exam Question - Unfair marking

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  • 10-07-2009 1:30pm
    #1
    whitelightrider
    Registered Users Posts: 3,099 ✭✭✭


    Folks,

    I got my results from an exam I sat, but the marks I got seem to be extremely low. To get the paper rechecked is going to cost €100 and to resit the exam is another €190 on top of that.

    Is there anyway that I could get someone to look at the paper and my script to see if they think its worth appealing the decision?


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    #2
    Tom Dunne
    Registered Users Posts: 23,212 ✭✭✭✭Tom Dunne


    Most likely not, I would say.

    When you set exams, there are a number of checks to ensure quality:

    1: The exam is peer-reviewed (to make sure it is not too hard/too easy)
    2: You submit a marking scheme
    3: You submit sample answers (you essentially do your own exams)
    4: Marks are reviewed at an exam board. Generally speaking, any result that is "out of character" is usually given a quick check to see if it was genuinely a case of the lecturer having a bad day, or is the mark actually for real.

    I know when I correct exams, I double-check any mark below 40% to ensure there are no problems with marking/correcting.

    So, if you passed, but were disappointed with the mark, I am not so sure if it would be worth the 100 Euro.

    Even if you failed, I am not so sure if it would be worth it, given what I have said above.

    How well do you know the lecturer? Do you have an e-mail address for him/her? Maybe a polite e-mail asking how bad was it may do the trick. Then again, it may not.


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    #3
    whitelightrider
    Registered Users Posts: 3,099 ✭✭✭whitelightrider


    Tom Dunne wrote: »
    Most likely not, I would say.

    When you set exams, there are a number of checks to ensure quality:

    1: The exam is peer-reviewed (to make sure it is not too hard/too easy)
    2: You submit a marking scheme
    3: You submit sample answers (you essentially do your own exams)
    4: Marks are reviewed at an exam board. Generally speaking, any result that is "out of character" is usually given a quick check to see if it was genuinely a case of the lecturer having a bad day, or is the mark actually for real.

    I know when I correct exams, I double-check any mark below 40% to ensure there are no problems with marking/correcting.

    So, if you passed, but were disappointed with the mark, I am not so sure if it would be worth the 100 Euro.

    Even if you failed, I am not so sure if it would be worth it, given what I have said above.

    How well do you know the lecturer? Do you have an e-mail address for him/her? Maybe a polite e-mail asking how bad was it may do the trick. Then again, it may not.

    Hi Tom,

    I actually failed, and failed badly. 24%. I have failed only 1 exam in my time, and have never gotten a mark that low. Thats whats prompted this. I read through the paper, and my answers. I checked what was in the book and my answer is very close to that. I answered the question as directed and was only awarded 6 out of 20 for it. When I checked what was in the book, my answer was almost identical. There is 1 other question similar to that.
    I emailed the tutor and to be honest all she said was that was the result I got. She did say that she was shocked as my average grade for the assignments is 74%.

    Just very strange to be honest. My wife, a secondary school teacher, looked at the question, my answer and the section in the book, and even she was a little surprised that the mark was so low.


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    #4
    Tom Dunne
    Registered Users Posts: 23,212 ✭✭✭✭Tom Dunne


    whitelightrider wrote: »
    Hi Tom,

    I actually failed, and failed badly. 24%. I have failed only 1 exam in my time, and have never gotten a mark that low. Thats whats prompted this. I read through the paper, and my answers. I checked what was in the book and my answer is very close to that. I answered the question as directed and was only awarded 6 out of 20 for it. When I checked what was in the book, my answer was almost identical. There is 1 other question similar to that.
    I emailed the tutor and to be honest all she said was that was the result I got. She did say that she was shocked as my average grade for the assignments is 74%.

    Just very strange to be honest. My wife, a secondary school teacher, looked at the question, my answer and the section in the book, and even she was a little surprised that the mark was so low.

    Ok, that to me would fall under the "Extremely unusual for that student and warrants further attention". :)

    If that is the case, then it sounds like you have grounds for appeal. Be sure to point out what you said above.

    Do you mind me asking what subject? My area of expertise is Information Technology (I actually did the Oscail IT degree), plus have set and corrected IT related exams, so I would like to think I have an idea of what is being looked for in an answer. If you want to PM me with details of the question and your answer, I could give an outside opinion.


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    #5
    whitelightrider
    Registered Users Posts: 3,099 ✭✭✭whitelightrider


    Tom Dunne wrote: »
    Ok, that to me would fall under the "Extremely unusual for that student and warrants further attention". :)

    If that is the case, then it sounds like you have grounds for appeal. Be sure to point out what you said above.

    Do you mind me asking what subject? My area of expertise is Information Technology (I actually did the Oscail IT degree), plus have set and corrected IT related exams, so I would like to think I have an idea of what is being looked for in an answer. If you want to PM me with details of the question and your answer, I could give an outside opinion.

    Thanks Tom. Actually thought I had done something really, really wrong in the exam and then looked at my script and noticed that I had answered them reasonably well. Im not saying I deserved top marks, far from it. But I think I deserved to at least pass.

    Im doing the BSc in IT. Sat the Management Sciences B paper.


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    #6
    AdvancingOn
    Closed Accounts Posts: 6 ✭AdvancingOn


    Tom Dunne wrote: »
    Most likely not, I would say.

    When you set exams, there are a number of checks to ensure quality:

    1: The exam is peer-reviewed (to make sure it is not too hard/too easy)
    2: You submit a marking scheme
    3: You submit sample answers (you essentially do your own exams)
    4: Marks are reviewed at an exam board. Generally speaking, any result that is "out of character" is usually given a quick check to see if it was genuinely a case of the lecturer having a bad day, or is the mark actually for real.

    I know when I correct exams, I double-check any mark below 40% to ensure there are no problems with marking/correcting.

    So, if you passed, but were disappointed with the mark, I am not so sure if it would be worth the 100 Euro.

    Even if you failed, I am not so sure if it would be worth it, given what I have said above.

    How well do you know the lecturer? Do you have an e-mail address for him/her? Maybe a polite e-mail asking how bad was it may do the trick. Then again, it may not.

    Tom, what you have said is true in terms of setting papers in normal Irish College or British distance learning situations, however these standards do not apply when it comes to DCU's Oscail distance learning department and i will tell you why I know this is not the case! In the Oscail Management Science 2 exam of 2005 the parts a,b,c and d of the first two questions were mixed with each other, (that is part a would ask a linear equation question and part b asked you to create and run a mathematical matrix of the answer got in part a and so on- something which was not possible. This was quarter of the exam that was not answerable- in the heat of the exam everyone was not too sure was it possible to answer these questions or not.

    I had taken 4 days off work prior to the exam to specifically study these two areas so i might be able to get a good grade in the exam. To cut a long story short the error was spotted in the DCU exam centre and students were told not to waste time trying to answer the impossible- however the UCC exam centre was only told 20 minutes before the end of the exam, the Tallagh centre was not told at all and the other exam centres were only phoned half way through the exam. Students who had "banked on" answering the first 2 questions were 40% down straight away if they had chosen not to study other types of questions.

    In the wake of this Oscail fiasco- there was no explanation but an email was sent with an assurance in rather curt terms that an allowance would be made at the exams board. I somehow think the exams board did not even hear about this Oscail misadventure, as I got a mark that was 30% below what it should have been.

    I think it is safe to assume that in this case the exam was "not peer-reviewed" before it was given out.

    Though I did stick with the programme there were many in the UCC exam centre that day that upped sticks after this experience and moved to another distance education provider.


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    #7
    whitelightrider
    Registered Users Posts: 3,099 ✭✭✭whitelightrider


    Its strange because I actually felt comfortable leaving the exam "knowing" I had passed. Even reading back through the questions, and my answers, I felt as I had answered them well enough to pass. Now Ill admit, there was nothing flowery about my answer. I didnt go into huge detail in the answers, but I did answer what was asked. Ive never gotten a mark that low in any exam Ive ever done so I was, and still am shocked.

    Im still sitting here wondering whether or not to even bother appealing it. I mean they could just fob it off and Id be down the cost of the appeal and the cost of the repeat.


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    #8
    sim2
    Closed Accounts Posts: 37 ✭sim2


    My advice would be get it checked! Even if it means you have to pay the money at least you will know! You never know it could work out for the best! Do you get a refund of the appeal fee if a mistake is found!

    If you don't get it checked, you will always wonder, so I would do it just for your own peace of mind!


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