Any lecturers/law lecturers?

[vittoria]

I have a strange q. and was not sure where to post it: I have handed in a law essay and am rather nervous about what the grade will be, so much so that I fell I shall not be able to bring myself to look at the results when they are published in July. Is there any way I can get someone to unofficially 'mark' my essay and tell me what they would give me - so as to soften the blow later? I stress I handed this in in May and the deadline is long past - I am not looking for 'illegal' help with my coursework!!!

[IndieSinger]

Hi vittoria, I appreciate this wasn't the kind of answer you were looking for, but not being able to bring yourself to look at the result of your essay isn't any way to progress in a subject. It is only possible to learn from mistakes, so the best thing you can do is put it to the back of your mind (you can't change it now) and when the result comes, arrange a meeting with your lecturer to go over it in detail. Having a mark in advance can either get your hopes up, or cause you to be unnecessarily worried and so you should just await the real mark.

[vittoria]

I am afraid I disagree with this comment so if anyone has any factual information to give it will be appreciated.

[darth vader]

no two lecturers ever give the same mark for a piece of work, it's a fact of life. You'll be either pleasantly surprised or extremely disappointed with the actual result if you think you're going to get what you got in the provisional result. I agree with Indie's advice - forget about it until July. I mean, will it ever change the result by worrying about it?
If you really insist on having it provisionally marked then you'll need to get a copy and take it to someone who will mark it though i imagine you'll be hard pushed to find anyone who's willing to do this (cos they will all be busy marking actual papers, rather than provisional papers for nervous students). If it really bothers you why not send a friend in to get your result and break it to you gently? Sorry to be so blunt, we've all had to go through this sort of thing and you're not the only one it is just one of those things in life you'll have to face up to i'm afraid

[vittoria]

Sorry to be blunt but I have been long enough at this game (degree) to not be already aware of everything the two replies contained. I realise it is futile to complain about people supplying their value judgments when factual information is sought - it is one of the pleasures of this website after all - but please if anyone has any factual information, it would be appreciated. My original posting did not (intentionally) give sufficient background so the responses I have received are only tangentially relevant to my specific circumstances. The fact that no two lecturers give the same grade is only partially correct. Whilst marking is an art, not a science, there are external boards who doublemark random samples to ensure marking is uniform across not just one uni, but the whole country, and lecturers do get feedback about how accurate their marking is. So getting a second opinion should indeed mean no major surprises. I do not wish to go into my specific circumstances but I have now completed 28 modules (some were exams, some were coursework), I only have two modules left to do (next year) to graduate, and this is only the second time I have felt the need to have a second opinion, and if I can find a way (for ex. an examination board willing to oblige, for a fee perhaps) then I shall jolly well do so.

[darth vader]

complain about what? you asked a question about getting a 2nd opinion and i gave you an answer. The only feasible way to get your paper marked independently would be to hand it to someone who lectures in this area but you will be hard pressed to find anyone available to mark it as they are too busy marking actual papers to want to mark yours as a second opinion. Certainly (as you mentioned it) examination boards do not offer this as a service - can you imagine if every kid who got a mark he/she didn't like, requested a 2nd opinion? they would never bloody cope would they? I wish you'd take a chill pill sometimes we're here to help and answer questions; yours was a question that doesn't have a satisfactory answer because there isn't one to give you, so me and Indie tried to offer some alternative advice. I wish i hadn't bloody bothered now. (You were the one with the "too posh to push" thread weren't you?)

[darth vader]

ps. my wife's a teacher so don't think this is all hypothetical bull. She complains about the amount of marking she has to do already, imagine how pi$$ed off she would be about being asked to mark something as a 2nd opinion for a neurotic student who's too scared to go and get her final mark? You're not going to like me after all this but i'm really annoyed by your attitude to our attempts to help you.

[brawburd]

Vittoria, what would you hope to achieve by a dummy marking? If someone marks it and fails you, you will just hope for better results for the real thing. If someone marks it and passes you, and you subsequently fail - what have you gained other than a period of extremely false hope (which you would have recognised as such for the duration!). I would suggest you speak with your tutor about how you are feeling as a more constructive way to deal with your nervousness. Good Luck.

[Jim Bob]

I don't think there is a factual answer to your question vittoria that anybody can give to you on this site. It appears that IndieSinger and darth vader have attempted to provide good advice, but I think the answer is for you to contact your lecturers, tutors, fellow students and maybe even practicing solicitors for advice. The final decision will obviously be yours and hopefully you will find somebody who will put your mind at rest - although what ever advice you get, it will not be until July that you will get the correct answer. Good luck. Don't worry. Have fun. :-)

[AB Editor]

All, just a reminder that the AnswerBank service is for posting and answering questions - and not a forum for a small number of users to argue between yourselves. If you have no constructive input to a question or answer, then please ignore. Please be considerate and respectful to all users. Thank you. AB Editor