failed my uni assignment

Tricks And Hacks For A Failed Assignment, Essay Or Exam

21 Oct 2022

Dealing with failure of any kind can be hard but experiencing failure at university can leave students feeling upset, unmotivated or doubting their abilities.

Whether you’ve failed an assignment, essay or exam, there are things you can do so don’t get yourself too down.

Carry on reading to find out reasons why students may fail at university, and the tricks and hacks to help you out if you’ve not done as well as you hoped on a piece of work!

Common Causes of Failure At University

There are several factors that can come into play when it comes to reasons why a student may have failed an assignment, essay or exam.

It may be that they didn’t understand the subject topic of the specific piece of work, or they may have a lack of confidence in their ability.

It could even be that their quality of teaching wasn’t beneficial to their learning, or they could be an international student who is facing language challenges.

More often than not, a student’s circumstances and mental and physical health is the cause of failure at university.

Such as, they may be worried about their financial circumstances, they may be feeling anxious about being away from home or they could be feeling lonely.

Which in turn, is distracting them from focusing on their degree and their learning.

It’s no surprise that this can lead to failing elements of their course, as there are so many things to think about whilst at university.

Of course, there are other reasons why a student may fail like missing lectures or seminars, as well as a lack of preparation and revision for the assignment, essay of exam.

It could also be that they lacked motivation or interest in the piece of work, so they didn’t put any effort in.

Tricks & Hacks For Dealing With Failure At Uni

If you find yourself experiencing failure at university, there are things that can be done to prevent this from happening again, and to deal with the current situation you’re faced with.

Find out with our 8 tricks and hacks below!

1. Put Things Into Perspective

If you have failed an assignment, essay or exam try to remember to keep things in perspective.

It can be hard to stop yourself from overthinking and presuming the worst, but chances are you will be able to do something about your situation.

If you start to think that that there’s nothing that can be done to change your position or that there’s no use in trying again, try and reframe your negative thoughts into positive ones.

Yes, you may have not done as well on this piece of work, but you can learn from your mistakes and improve for the future.

At the end of the day, it’s very unlikely that you’ll be the only one to have failed a piece of work on your course, so try not to get yourself too worked up.

So, stop and consider whether it’s worth letting yourself get super upset over something that can be changed!

2. Allow Yourself To Feel Your Feelings

Whilst it is important to reframe your negative thoughts and stop yourself from getting too stressed out when dealing with failure at uni, it’s also necessary to allow yourself to feel your feelings.

When experiencing failure, most people experience a range of negative feelings such as sadness, frustration, embarrassment and shame.

Rather than bottling up your emotions, try to get everything out into the open and allow yourself to face failure head on, it’s a key to success after all!

The same goes for preventing failure, you need to allow yourself to accept any small issues that do arise.

For example, if you’re not understanding a section of your course material and you’re beginning to feel stressed, you need to be honest about what’s going on and speak up about this before the problem becomes larger.

You could do this by talking to your course leader or tutor.

3. Accept A Level Of Responsibility

If you’ve flopped on an assignment, essay or exam at uni, one vital thing that you need to do is to accept a level of responsibility and practice some self reflection.

Whilst there may be some contributing factors to why you didn’t do so well on a piece of work like as discussed earlier, you also need to learn from your mistakes.

Try to accept maybe there was things you didn’t do successfully that you can improve upon within the future.

This isn’t an opportunity to blame yourself and be harsh to yourself, but rather a way to identify what needs to change.

Such as, if you didn’t revise as much as you should have or if you stopped going to your lectures and seminars, you need to accept a level of blame for why you failed.

By doing this you will prevent yourself from making the same mistakes in the future, and it means you’ll take accountability for your actions.

4. Be Kind To Yourself

Being kind to yourself is an important step of dealing with failure.

There can be many negative impacts on your self-esteem when you fail a piece of work or fail within other aspects of life.

However, there’s no point in punishing yourself when this happens, you won’t gain anything good from doing this.

Instead, treat your failure the same way you would if a friend came to you for advice.

You wouldn’t criticise them for it, would you?

You would provide them with some non-judgmental advice and support them, so make sure you do the same for yourself.

It’s hard to stop yourself from experiencing feelings of imposter syndrome whilst at uni, you may doubt your abilities and feel like a fraud, but you’re not!

A good way to try and prevent these feelings from intensifying is to not compare yourself to others.

For example, if you’ve failed a piece of work that your friend did really well on, don’t start spiralling into self-doubt.

Instead, focus on the things you did well and the things you can improve on.

Be kind to yourself because at the end of the day, no-one succeeds at everything in life (or uni).

Failure is inevitable and it’s an essential part of growing!

5. Practice Healthy Coping Mechanisms

Hearing that you’ve failed a piece of work can be difficult to hear, however, one of the worst things you can do is go into self-destruct mode.

Whilst university and succeeding academically is an important aspect of your life, try not to practice unhealthy coping mechanisms to deal with your feelings of failure.

One of the most common unhealthy coping mechanisms is avoiding the problem altogether and refusing to confront the situation.

Such as, you may avoid your failed assignment, essay or exam and think that because it’s out of sight and out of mind, it will go away.

Or you may think that there’s nothing you can do about it so you give up hope.

Another negative coping mechanism is going out and getting drunk to distract yourself from your problems.

Instead of practicing behaviours such as these, try and practice healthy coping mechanisms such as spending time with friends, watching your favourite films or TV shows, going for walks to relax or even spending time focusing on your hobbies or interests.

Everyone has different coping mechanisms which work for them, so try and find yours.

6. Explore Your Options

Most of the time if you do receive a failed mark, there are several options for you to explore and try to remember that your university do want you to succeed too!

The best thing to do is firstly speak to your module tutor or department for feedback and the best cause of action.

Such options include re-sitting an exam, assignment or essay with a second attempt, although this could be at a capped grade it’s still another chance for you to improve.

There are other options too like re-taking an entire module if it’s necessary.

Although, it’s important to remember that just because you’ve failed one piece of work, it doesn’t mean you can’t receive a good grade overall.

Grades will vary from university and courses, but most of the time you don’t have to re-sit an assignment to end up passing the module or even the year.

Such as, if your averaged course mark is 40 or above, you can pass the module overall regardless of the failed piece of work.

As we said, it’s best to speak to your specific course department about this as some do require you to pass all elements!

7. Applying For Extenuating Circumstances

If you have failed at uni because of a problem out of your control such as an illness or an unexpected passing of a family member, you could look into applying for Extenuating Circumstances at your university.

These are determined on a case-by-case basis so it’s best to speak to your university about this and make a claim.

You may need to provide proof that you’ve experienced something out of your control which has impacted your assessed studies.

If your claim is accepted, you could be given a reassessment opportunity or be able to defer a future exam, assignment or essay.

Another option you could look into if you’ve failed is to make an appeal, which is a way of asking your university to review a mark within your academic studies if you believe it was incorrect or graded unfairly.

8. Set Future Goals

Our final tip and trick to take away is to create a plan to help you move forward and smash your next assignment, essay or exam and all the future ones after that.

Have a think about what you are going to do differently next time and think very clearly about what it is you want to achieve at uni.

It could be that you set realistic goals like attending all your lectures and seminars which you previously skipped last semester.

Additionally, it could be that you dedicate more time to studying within the library or an appropriate amount of time working at home each week to ensure that you receive a good grade.

The best way to do this is to write down the things you’re aiming towards and what you’re going to put into practice, this way you can refer back to them and these tasks will seem more manageable.

We’d recommend setting goals for each term, so that you can review them and see if you’re making progress.

Doing this will assist in your overall academic performance and motivate you to keep improving on your assignments!

Failures can have a big impact on our mental health, so don’t be afraid to reach out for help and support from a professional if you’re really struggling.

You could speak to the student support services at your university about what mental health and wellbeing help is available, or make an appointment with your GP.

We hope we’ve helped you with what to do when things go wrong and ways to avoid failure with our tips and tricks.

Remember, most students fail at some point and there’s always ways to pick yourself back up. You’ve got this!

If you want to improve your sleeping pattern whilst staying in student accommodation , have a read of our guide on Tips and Tricks For Students To Get A Good Nights Sleep.

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What to Do if You Fail Your Essay, Assignment, Exam or Dissertation

One of the most difficult experiences for students in the UK is the receipt of a failing mark (usually anything marked 39 or below is a fail). It is important to understand that there are many reasons why this can happen to students, and there are usually several options to change the failing mark. Whether you fail an exam , coursework or even the dissertation itself, you have options available so it’s not necessarily the end of the world!

Common Reasons for Failure

Students fail elements of their degree for a number of reasons. The most common issues are not attending lectures, not keeping up with course reading, confusion or lack of understanding of course content, and personal problems that distract students.

How to Avoid Failure Before it Happens

With all of the problems noted above, students can usually avoid failing simply by taking pre-emptive action before the problem spirals out of control. There are several steps to take to ensure that small issues don’t become potential failures.

Talk to your Academic Tutor. This is a member of the faculty assigned to you at the beginning of your degree programme, who you meet with regularly to discuss your progress. You can contact this person at any time and they can advise you on how to address any challenges you are facing.
Don’t wait until problems become large. It is always best to be aware that a small issue can quickly become a crisis if you neglect to address it. For example, if you are struggling to understand the course material one week, you will be unlikely to follow along as the course progresses. It is far better to consult with your lecturer early to avoid falling seriously behind later.
File for ‘Extenuating Circumstances’. Most UK universities understand that students will sometimes face unavoidable difficulties due to prolonged sickness, family problems or financial issues. If you experience one of these problems you can file an ‘Extenuating Circumstances’ form, which formally notifies the university about your problem. Your Academic Tutor will sign this form and together you will construct a plan to catch up on any missed coursework or exams, and you will possibly be granted extensions to normal coursework deadlines.

Re-Assessment Opportunities

If the worst happens and you do receive a failing mark, you have several options. First, you need to understand whether you have failed an element of a module, the entire module, or the dissertation.

Failed Module Element

If you’ve failed one piece of coursework or an exam, it may not be necessary to re-submit that element. If your marks for other module elements are high enough that your averaged course mark is 40 or above, you will pass the module overall regardless of the one failure. In other words, if you receive a mark of 35 on an essay that counts for 40% of your module mark, you can still pass the module if you receive an average mark of 45 on the remaining 60% of the module assessment. However, you may wish to re-submit anyway, in order to achieve a higher overall degree average. The opportunities to allow this vary among Universities, so check the regulations at your own institution.

Failed Module

If you fail an entire module you are usually required to re-sit the assessments, either by re-submitting the coursework or, in some cases, by resitting an exam. The form of the assessment will be decided according to the existing module guidelines, university regulations, and the decisions of the lecturer and board of examiners. The resulting mark is usually capped at a bare pass level, which is typically in the 40-50 range.

Failed Dissertation

If you fail a dissertation, you will usually be given an opportunity to re-submit it by an agreed-upon date. As with a module failure, the marks awarded for a re-submitted dissertation will usually be capped at a bare pass level. It is worth noting that a complete failure of a dissertation is rare at UK universities, and typically occurs only if a student has neglected to meet with their supervisor at regular intervals, or neglected to submit drafts in advance of the final submission.

A Note on Plagiarism

Although university regulations usually allow a student to re-sit exams and assessments, as described above, there are special procedures in place in cases of failure due to plagiarism. If a student is found to have copied work from another source or used the ideas of others without citing their sources appropriately, they may receive a failing mark. In serious cases the matter can be referred to a University Ethics Board, that will have the authority to take a range of measures against the student. In many cases, students found guilty of plagiarising will not be provided with an opportunity to improve their marks, though they could potentially appeal the decision. In short, don’t do it!

Appeal Procedures

In addition to re-submitting assessment elements, you may have grounds appeal the marks awarded to you. This can happen if your university has neglected to take your Extenuating Circumstances into account, or if you were unfairly disadvantaged in any way. Each university has its own procedures for student academic appeals, and in general, it requires a somewhat lengthy process. You must be certain to file the appropriate forms before the deadlines, and fully document the reasons you feel justified in appealing your marks. Your case will be considered by a university exam board, and if you are successful you will be offered options for re-sitting or re-submitting work without restrictions on the potential marks you can earn. Full details of your university’s appeal procedures will be given to you at the start of your degree programme.

While every student hopes to avoid failing or even coming close to failing, sometimes the unthinkable does happen and a failing mark results. These situations can seem terribly disheartening for students, but it is important to remember that universities do offer second chances for genuinely honest and hard-working students!

A Complete Guide to Failed Assignments, Resubmissions and Appeals

As once noted by UK Prime Minister Winston Churchill, “Success is the ability to go from failure to failure without losing your enthusiasm”. While this statement is true in many situations, there exist many spheres where poor results can substantially disrupt your movement towards your goals or even stop you in your tracks completely. In academia, students are usually focused on the things they need to do to secure future success. However, all of these measures do not necessarily protect you from failures since the educational process is a path of trial and error and you will surely face both ups and downs.

In this article, we will analyse the steps you need to take in the case of failed examinations, coursework assignments , dissertations, resit exams, and resubmissions. While most students prefer to not talk about such topics, shutting your eyes and fears to ignore some threats is the worst type of risk management. The following sections will help you develop a Plan B for any academic failure in order to minimise possible damage and get you back on the right track as soon as possible.

Dissertation and Coursework Failures

What happens if you fail your dissertation.

Many students are extremely concerned with a threatening question they frequently ask their tutors, “What happens if I fail my dissertation?”. If your thesis has failed to be unique and strong enough to earn a pass mark, you will be given a second chance to resubmit it. While dissertation failures are rarer than essay or coursework failures, they are more devastating for the affected students. If you feel lost and overwhelmed at the moment, the following ‘to-do’ list can help you regain control over your academic progress and prepare for the new submission more effectively.

Observe the Formalities

Most universities require you to get a 12-month extension for the resubmission of a failed dissertation and to pay applicable re-submission fees. Complete these procedures as soon as possible to ensure that your Time Limit Extension form has been approved. Do not proceed with re-writing your dissertation before you have obtained explicit permission to proceed with these activities.

Find the Key Failure Antecedents

In many cases, the examiners’ report reveals many problems in your work that you were not aware of (hence, the failure). While the scope of the required changes may seem overwhelming, you need to pinpoint the most critical issues. For example, your dissertation may have had a high Turnitin percentage showing its similarity to some prior works, your research questions were not addressed properly or your whole work was too descriptive.

Collect Feedback

If possible, contact your supervisor or the examiners to receive additional feedback in person. Preferably, this step should be taken after the previous one to make your meeting more informative. This way, you can discuss specific problems of your work, offer multiple improvement strategies, and get a confirmation of your overall re-submission course from the assessors.

Plan Your Progress

Any complex project requires thorough planning and students avoiding this step frequently make two popular mistakes. Some of them think that 12 months is a very long time and procrastinate as a result. Others start early but focus too much on some problematic elements of their dissertations ignoring the remaining ones until it is too late. In both cases, the resulting theses do not demonstrate a radical improvement in all areas of criticism and have high risks of failure.

Do Not Ignore Your Problems

If you have made some of the mistakes described in the previous step, you may realise that you are falling behind the earlier designed schedule. The key principle of success is to not ignore such problems. They will not simply go away and you will not be able to catch up later since the pre-submission phase usually brings even more force majeure factors.

If Lost, Prioritise

When you have to complete more work than it is humanly possible without a set timeline, you need to change your overall strategy or your priorities. The first option is to ask for extensions (most universities can grant you up to 3 additional months to complete your re-submission draft). The second one is to identify the most crucial problems and focus on them while ignoring minor corrections. Ask yourself a question, “How bad does a dissertation have to be to fail?”. This will allow you to define a ‘minimum viable product’ for future submission and prioritise the most crucial spheres.

Failed Coursework: Everything You Need to Know

Getting a fail mark on your university coursework can be devastating. If you have put a lot of effort into your submission, this information can leave you overwhelmed and senseless. However, most universities allow you to resubmit a failed coursework, which is exactly what you should concentrate your attention on right now. By reacting to this situation immediately, you will immensely increase your chances of fixing the problem and avoiding harsh penalties.

Here is everything you need to know about resubmitting coursework at university

Is retaking a coursework really your best option.

Resitting coursework may seem like a minor inconvenience to some students. However, this activity is associated with a lot of extra work that needs to be performed with some ultimate purpose in mind. If you have problems with multiple failures within your current course and your course grades do not seem bright, retaking your coursework may not magically solve all of these problems. In these circumstances, retaking the whole year may be a better option for some students.

Therefore, consider what is best for your study and the possible grades you can achieve. You should also account for the extra workloads associated with coursework rewriting . If they will interfere with your new academic workloads or personal obligations, retaking the whole year may be a better option.

When Should You Resubmit Your Coursework?

Each university has different policies surrounding resubmissions. Generally, they can take place during the summer period or during your next academic year. The first option may be preferable due to the aforementioned issue of overlapping academic workloads. However, you may not always have a choice in this matter since these provisions are determined by your university.

If you retake during your next year, make sure that you are managing your time and attending all extra classes to improve your grade as much as possible.

Will You Encounter Capped Grade Issues?

The majority of resits (usually excluding those with mitigating circumstances) will have a capped grade of 40%. Yes, this means you will only achieve a pass for that coursework (but you should still not take it as a sign to only put minimal work into it).

Learn more about this cap (of the lack thereof) to ensure that the resulting number of credits substantiates the extra effort and actually allows you to continue your academic journey afterwards.

Appraise the Costs of Resubmitting Your Coursework

Do not forget that resubmitting your coursework is never free. Usually, there is a fee that you must pay for the remarking and additional academic work associated with the resubmission of your coursework. Make sure that you pay it right after learning about your failure to win more time.

What if I Plagiarised?

Unfortunately, plagiarism can have serious consequences such as your suspension or a ban from your course. If you are permitted to resubmit your coursework in these circumstances, take this as a rare chance. This still involves creating a new and 100% original piece, which may be extremely challenging for many students.

Ultimately, the best thing to do is to put your all into your work from the beginning. A failed coursework is usually a result of many prior strategic issues such as not seeking external help when needed. In addition to resubmission, there also exists an appeal option that we will discuss in the following section.

University Appeals for failed work

How to appeal a grade if you didn’t achieve the grade you hoped for.

The day of exam results is a mix of happy smiles and disappointed faces. While some students fail in their attempts to get a pass, others are devastated by not acing their grades and getting maximum scores. In both situations, you usually have two possible solutions. While resubmission discussed earlier allows you to retake your coursework while getting penalised in terms of capped grades, you also have a second option that may not have these limitations. If you believe that there has been a mistake in marking your work, you can appeal to the examination board. This allows you to review the decision or awarded mark on the basis of personal circumstances influencing your performance or your claims of biased or inaccurate appraisal of your submission.

The process of applying for an appeal can be separated into four steps

Identify the appeal deadline.

Firstly, you should ascertain the time frame to submit an appeal. This will vary depending on the universities’ procedures, which you will find on their website. In most cases, the countdown for appeal deadlines starts from the date of the publication of the results.

Should You File a Complaint or an Appeal?

Next, you should differentiate between whether you want to appeal against a result or make a complaint against it. The procedures for the second option range from an informal conciliation to a formal investigation with a hearing. Complaints usually target some aspects of academic procedures such as teaching methods or examination organisation. It may be reasonable to consult with your university student services to identify whether your claims match the criteria for an appeal or a complaint.

Submit the Appeal

As soon as you have clarified your line of argument, you need to write and submit the appeal. Attach any evidence backing your claims and try to describe the events in chronological order to increase your chances of success.

Obtain an Appeal Completion Letter

The final step is to obtain a receipt or a procedure completion document, signed by the University authority, regarding the appeal. Be sure to check that you’ve filled in all the details accurately.

Depending on the outcomes of your appeal consideration, you may get a grade adjustment reflected in your final report card or get a formal rejection. In the second case, you may need to discuss potential further actions with the Head of the Office of Student Services of your university.

Most Common Reasons Why Your Academic Appeal Might Be Rejected

While academic appeal letters are accepted by most universities, a large share of them gets rejected by appeal committees. Knowing the most common causes for this outcome is a good way to minimise the possibility of its occurrence. Below you will find five primary factors leading to the non-acceptance of academic appeals.

Lack of Validation

If you claim that your academic performance was affected by some circumstances of personal nature or force majeure circumstances, your best option is to provide substantial evidence confirming your statements. Documents from hospitals, official authorities or other reliable third parties may convince the committee to give you a second chance. However, you need to prove that you could not provide this evidence earlier within the scope of the Exceptional Circumstances procedure.

Wrong Focus

In most cases, you cannot appeal against the judgement of the examiners. Submitted coursework assignments, examination papers, and essays are usually revised by multiple markers to minimise the possibility of biased or unfair appraisals. Your letter of appeal must only focus on the circumstances that can be appealed in accordance with university regulations. Other non-appealable factors include employment-related factors, financial problems, housing issues, visa-related issues, and family problems.

Failure to Meet the Deadlines

Most universities have established deadlines specifying the earliest and latest dates for submitting academic appeals. The general rule of thumb is to not submit one before the results of an examination have been announced even if you expect failure. Consult academic staff members or a lawyer specialising in this sphere to make your letter of appeal conformant to all best practices and regulatory provisions.

Poor Past Performance

If your performance throughout the semesters preceding the academic failure had been mediocre and you have a history of academic misconduct, substance abuse or violations of applicable codes of conduct, the committee may choose to decline your appeal. Your best option in this situation is to write a quality letter of appeal where you accept the responsibility for your past mistakes and provide a clear plan for future improvement. However, you must provide a well-defined strategy for remedying your underperformance to convince committee members.

Unsupported Claims

Your letter of appeal must never contain any false or misleading information that cannot be supported by trustworthy evidence. This is especially important for situations where you refer to procedural errors or biased judgements of the examiners. If you cannot support these statements with appropriate evidence, it may be better to refer to your own faults and minimise potential points of conflict. You need to be extremely polite and respectful in your letter and only use the relevant grounds for appeal if you want to succeed.

The best way to avoid rejection is to write your letter of appeal in the most professional manner. Our appeals and re-submission service experts can help you to maximise the chances of a positive outcome in the case of appealing your marks. We have already helped hundreds of students from multiple universities in re-writing their failed works and maintaining their academic progress.

How to Plan and Write a Re-Sit Assignment or Re-Submission

So, the results of your coursework or examination have been announced and they turned out to be worse than you expected. While this can make you feel depressed and lost, right now you need to concentrate on building a response plan. Most universities allow you to revert this failure and resubmit or resit your assignment if you act promptly and comply with their university resubmission policy. One of the most popular questions asked to our appeals and resubmission experts is, “Can you appeal if you failed your dissertation?”. Here are some tips on how to maximise your chances of success when planning and writing a re-sit assignment or re-submission.

Discuss the Situation with Your Tutor

Your primary goal is to learn why you failed a particular assignment and what exactly should be done to eliminate its deficiencies. Many students adhere to the guesswork approach due to personal fears and fail for the second time due to not understanding existing dissertation resubmission policies. Keep in mind that your tutor may be the only person possessing the relevant information in this situation. They can also inform you about the scope of your problems and the key knowledge gaps that you need to eliminate.

Act Promptly

Make a plan of action and do not waste time. Some staff members involved in the appeal, re-sit, and re-submission procedures have non-matching office hours. Tutors suddenly fall ill. The sooner you understand what needs to be done and submit all the required documentation, the sooner you can start your preparation. You must also identify if your university has any restrictions on the marks you can get when re-submitting your work. These factors will directly influence your choice of preparation strategies.

Make Reasonable Estimations

Overconfidence is the second most popular reason for academic failure after guesswork. As soon as you have clarified the key deficiencies of your failed assignment, you need to appraise your capabilities to realise them within the set deadlines. If you are nervous about the risk of a second failure, you can contact our professional appeals and re-submission service to see how you can improve the quality of your re-submission. We can also create examination notes based on your course materials to speed up your preparation for resitting your exam.

Use Networking

In many cases, the discussion of your assignment with students may reveal additional facts that were not mentioned by your tutor. You can also cooperate in making new notes, discussing your findings, and simply supporting each other to minimise fears and self-doubts. Also, try to get help from your family and roommates so that you could prepare for your re-sit assignment or re-submission without distractions.

Stick to the Plan

To succeed with your re-sit or re-submission, you must strictly follow the earlier developed plan. Many students are distracted by other academic goals or excessively focus on specific parts of lecture materials ignoring the overall perspective. You need to maintain a balanced approach in order to succeed and improve your mark.

What to Do If Your Appeal Is Rejected

As noted earlier, many appeals are rejected by universities, which leads to the need for re-submissions or restarting your annual course. Below, we will consider 5 main recommendations related to this outcome.

Do Not Panic

The first thing to keep in mind is the fact that this is a regular situation that should not cause panic. While this is an exhausting experience, your focus should be shifted towards your further response strategy rather than your feelings in the moment.

An unsuccessful appeal should be followed by new ones as soon as possible to maximise your chances of getting a positive outcome. Learn more about the available procedures in terms of internal university procedures as well as external escalation options.

Define Your Expectations

Unrealistic expectations frequently cause appeal rejections. While your claims may be extremely persuasive, asking your university to resit an exam or resubmit your assignment for the second time may be against its official policies. Make sure that your demands are substantiated and reasonable.

Identify Your Dispute Escalation Readiness

If your university does not consider your appeal well-substantiated and you are 100% certain that your claims are valid, you can escalate your appeal to a higher external agency such as the Office of the Independent Adjudicator in the UK.

Get a Second Opinion

If your first attempt to protect your rights failed, you need to really invest in your second one to succeed. Contacting an external lawyer or a quality appeals and re-submission service may be a good idea to get professional recommendations and increase your chances.

What to Do If You Fail a Resubmission

While most students tend to ‘ignore the negative possibilities’, we always advise them to investigate all possible outcomes. Knowing what to do when the whole world around you fails gives you a sense of inner strength since you are aware of the options before you and maintain control over the situation. If you do not know what happens if you fail a resubmission, here are 5 things you need to do if you fail a coursework resubmission or dissertation resubmission.

Assess the Situation

In most cases, a second failure leads to the need to retake a whole academic year. However, a failure in some elective courses may still allow you to progress with your studies if you have a lot of credit points from other subjects. Try to keep your head cool and assess the situation realistically.

Appraise Your Plans

Any failure inevitably disrupts your well-laid plans. As soon as you have appraised the situation you got into, you need to evaluate how these new changes affect your long-term goals. If you have to retake a whole year, this usually requires additional funding and a number of difficult conversations. Outline the steps you need to take and potential adjustments to your academic and career plans.

Think about the Reasons

If you failed at something as major as a coursework assignment resubmission or a dissertation resubmission, this outcome was clearly determined by some major antecedents. Before you criticise yourself for being lazy or untalented, make sure that you perform an accurate revision of all factors that led to this situation. If you do not realise why you failed twice, you may be missing some crucial systemic issues that must be eliminated before you choose to make another attempt.

Choose the Optimal Course

The first three points should provide you with sufficient insights to build a realistic ‘escape plan’. Write down specific steps you need to take such as discussing the need to retake a year with your university officials and family members. Preferably, try to also account for all resources you will require as well as specific documents, conversations or expenses associated with these activities.

Take a Break

If you fail a resubmission, chances are you have run out of options for the time being. Any major steps you have to take will probably occur several weeks from now. When you have completed all official arrangements, you may need to give yourself a break. Even if you have not succeeded in realising your academic goals, you are still exhausted by these attempts and need to take care of yourself.

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How to appeal if you fail at university

W hat do you do if you fail a university exam, or worse still, get thrown off your course completely? Usually you accept the verdict and admit that the work you produced wasn't up to scratch. But what if you are convinced you have a really good reason why you shouldn't have failed?

Here are my top tips, gleaned from first-hand experience as a barrister, for students who want to appeal without getting professional assistance.

1 Act quickly

Appeals must be submitted within a time period – and that can be as short as 10 working days. It's usually mentioned in that dreaded letter telling you that you failed the exam or have been removed from the course. Before the deadline, you need to research the rules and regulations, draft an appeal letter, and obtain evidence.

If you claim you were ill during the exam, you will need a note from your GP or hospital. If you claim your parents were divorcing, you might need a letter from a lawyer to confirm this. If you cannot obtain the evidence in time, say it's on its way and will be forwarded to the university in the next few days.

2 Get advice

Many universities offer help through the student union. The quality of the advice is variable, but there is little harm in asking for guidance. The adviser may raise new arguments, help you find the relevant guidelines and regulations, and evaluate your chances of success.

The saddest cases are those where the student only seeks help after exhausting the internal appeals process. This significantly lowers the chances of a successful appeal.

3 Read the regulations carefully

Often students don't bother reading the regulations at all and write a letter that fails to state their grounds of appeal. Find out what the acceptable grounds of appeal are and organise your arguments to match.

Unless you suspect something went catastrophically wrong in the marking, you cannot appeal on the grounds that the examiners were too harsh. If you obtain 45% and the pass mark is 50%, you cannot appeal on the grounds that you were awfully close.

One of my clients automatically won because the dean of the university failed to respond within two weeks, as required by university rules. This is another good reason to familiarise yourself with the regulations.

4 Spend time on your appeal statement

The stakes are high, especially if you have been kicked off a course. Find out which form you need to use, and do not feel constrained by the size of the boxes. If you need more space, simply continue on a separate page and say "please see attached sheet".

Have a clear structure, present the facts chronologically, don't waffle, and regularly refer back to the regulations. The average length of an appeal letter at Alpha Academic Appeals , an organisation I work for that helps students through this process, is five pages. It sets out the facts of the case, the relevant rules and regulations, and the arguments for why the appeal should be upheld.

5 Focus on your strong points

Remember that your statement must persuade the panel that your case satisfies one of the grounds of appeal. A document is far more persuasive if it contains only strong points, so don't dilute your good arguments by including weak ones.

If you write that you were feeling unwell at the time of the exam but have no medical evidence to support this and you did nothing about it at the time, do not argue the point.

Put yourself in the position of the university. The panel will just say: "The candidate alleges they were sick but there is no shred of evidence to support it. Without a requirement to provide evidence, all candidates could just say that they were ill at the time."

6 Address your weak points head on

It's always a temptation is to ignore the weak points of your argument, but this only gives the panel a reason to dismiss your appeal. If, for example, you failed to complete a mitigation form in time, then you must explain why.

7 Have realistic expectations

As a general rule, the chances of a successful appeal are slim. Outcomes are also unpredictable, as the decision-makers are not legally trained judges. However, the chances increase with a well-drafted and persuasive appeal form that refers to the relevant university regulations.

Some students have unrealistic expectations about what will happen if they win. In most cases, a successful appeal will mean that you can resit the exam or repeat the year. It rarely leads to an immediate pass.

8 If the appeal is unsuccessful, think about your next steps

The appeal structure in some institutions can be quite complicated, with various opportunities for students to appeal after a first unsuccessful attempt. If you have exhausted the internal remedies, you can appeal to an external body, the Office of the Independent Adjudicator.

With each successive appeal, however, the chances generally decrease, so make sure you submit a strong appeal from the outset.

Advice for students
Guardian Students
Higher education

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What happens if you fail a uni subject?

March 08, 2024

Receiving a failing grade can feel like an overwhelming setback in your study journey. But help is available. Here’s what to do if your academic progress doesn’t go according to plan.

A sad young woman on a train looking at her phone

What happens if you fail a subject at uni?

You’re likely full of disappointment right now, but there are plenty of understandable reasons you might find yourself in this situation.

Maybe it’s your first time studying, and you struggled with the workload and time commitment. Or maybe something unexpected happened in your personal life, making study a lower priority.

Whatever the case, it’s worth checking with your subject tutor to see if there’s anything you can do to change your grade, like re-sit an exam or submit an additional assessment.

Otherwise, you have two options:

If it’s a core subject: repeat the subject when it's next available.
If it’s an elective subject: choose a different subject and complete that instead.

Your university will email you after results are officially released to outline your options and the actions you need to take. If you’re a student through Open Universities Australia, our advisors can also offer guidance on what to do next .

What’s the difference between failing a core subject and failing an elective?

"A core subject is a unit that the uni has determined to be of value and is necessary in your chosen field," explains Omkar, an Open Universities Australia student advisor who regularly supports online students facing academic challenges.

“ If you fail a core subject, we recommend you repeat it as soon as possible because it might be a pre-requisite that you need before you can enrol in another core subject.”

Since core subjects are compulsory, you need to successfully complete them to graduate with your qualification.

Electives, on the other hand, aren't compulsory, which means you aren't required to repeat these subjects if you receive a failing grade—though you certainly can if you want to. Most students opt to take another elective instead to make up the credit points needed for graduating. You can pick something easier , or something that sparks more of your interest.

How common is it to fail a uni subject?

It’s actually more common than you might think, and it’s nothing to be embarrassed about.

In a large study of Australian undergraduate students, 40% revealed they’d failed at least one subject at the time they were surveyed. This was especially common in education, civil engineering, nursing and commerce.

The reasons given varied from too many family responsibilities to a lack of self-confidence and difficulty with the subject matter. Many students just weren’t aware of the support services available to help them turn things around.

What if you have a valid reason for failing?

You can make a case to your university (or us) if external circumstances affected your ability to study, and apply for Special Circumstances to have your failing grade overturned.

Mental or physical health issues, a bereavement in your family, natural disasters and changes in your employment circumstances are all valid reasons to get in touch.

So what happens when you repeat a subject?

As frustrating as it is, you can’t receive credit for the work you’ve already completed. You’ll need to start the subject from scratch, and approach your assessments with a fresh eye.

But think of it this way—you have a leg-up on your classmates because you already know what the subject tutor wants. You can seek out help with that in mind.

On the financial side, you will have to re-pay the subject fees. For most people, this means it’s added onto their HECS-HELP or FEE-HELP loan .

What can you do to get yourself back on track?

Setbacks are part of life, so you shouldn’t feel too disheartened (as hard as it is to tell yourself that).

“Even Albert Einstein failed an entrance exam for a Swiss uni as a teenager, but we all know what he went on to achieve later on,” Omkar notes.

The student advisor has five tips for dusting yourself off and trying again.

A group of four people smiling and chatting around a laptop

1. Take a moment to reflect on why you failed the subject

“Was it due to lack of understanding, poor study habits, personal issues, or other factors?” he prompts. “Understanding the root cause can help you address your challenges more effectively.”

2. Keep a line of communication open with your subject tutor

Your subject tutors want you to succeed. “Don't hesitate to reach out to them if you need clarification, feedback or additional support,” Omkar says. “They can help you understand the task at hand and what’s expected of you.”

3. Take advantage of your university’s (many!) support services

One of Omkar’s favourite support tools is Studiosity , a tutoring service that is available for free to students from most universities. “You can request to have your assignments assessed by [an impartial] tutor, and then get feedback to incorporate before your due date,” he explains.

Other resources available include study skills workshops and peer tutoring services, as well as disability support services. Plus, you can always book a call with an Open Universities Australia student advisor if you want advice about reducing your study load.

4. Take care of yourself

While the pressure of studying can feel like having the weight of the world on your shoulders, there’s nothing more important than your self-care.

“Maintain a healthy balance between your academic responsibilities, personal life and relaxation,” says Omkar. That means recognising the signs of burnout and finding ways to overcome it. You can also access free mental health and counselling appointments through your university whenever you need.

5. Celebrate the little wins

“The best way to keep yourself motivated is to set small, realistic goals and celebrate your wins ,” Omkar says.

Your failure doesn’t have to define you—if anything, it can make you more resilient. “Think of it this way," he says. "We all once fell down when we were learning to ride a bike. It hurt in the moment, but what did we do next? We got up and tried again until we learnt how to ride the bike.”

Links and services that may help if you feel at risk of failing

Tutoring advice
Study preparation short courses
Disability support contacts
Natural disaster support and counselling contacts

Looking for one-on-one advice? Book a study check-in with a student advisor at a time of your choosing.

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Book a study check-in to ask a student advisor questions about your course, study planning or university admin.

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What to do if you fail an assignment

rhiannonparry

Failing an assignment is always an awful feeling. Whether you just didn’t understand the work, or for some reason completely misunderstood the task, it’s never easy seeing that low mark on your screen. If you’re wondering what to do and where to go for help, here’s some advice on what to do if you fail an assignment!

What counts as a fail?

A failed assignment usually means that it scores under 40%. This also goes for the overall module mark as well. If you score less than 40% in the overall module, then you will fail that module too. It’s important to check the weighting of the assignment, because even if it is a fail, you may still have a chance to pass the module overall.

It’s not the end of the world

Don’t panic! Failing an assignment doesn’t mean you’re going to fail university and have to drop out! First of all, it’s worth checking what percentage of the module the assignment. If you fail one assignment, but do well in the others, you can still pass the module without having to worry! This obviously means you probably won’t get a first, but passing is always the most important bit. You can find out more about how the overall UK uni grading system works here.

If you fail the module

If your assignment was a huge chunk of the module, then you will most probably fail the module. When this happens, it’s important to get in touch with your lecturer to see what the next steps are. You may be able to resit an exam if that contributed to the failure of the module, or you may be able to pass anyway. However, you do need a certain amount of credits (usually 120) to pass the year, and if you don’t achieve this, then you will have to resit the whole year.

Why you failed the assignment

If you failed the assignment due to sickness or ongoing issues, then you should definitely tell your lecturer to see if something can be done. Obviously, you should apply for extenuating circumstances before you submit your assignment, but if you haven’t, then email your lecturer to see if anything can be changed. If you failed because of plagiarism, check your sources and referencing to ensure that you did it right. If you can’t find any mistakes, tell your lecturer who can help you sort out an appeal.

You can still save your grade

If it’s only your first assignment, then don’t worry too much. You can still do really well in other assignments in the module, giving you a pass overall! If you don’t understand the work you’re doing or just need help writing essays in general, your university should have someone who can offer support to you. This can include services within the university who offer meetings on essay writing. Discussing your feedback with your lecturer will make sure you don’t repeat the same mistakes in your next assignment.

You can appeal

If you disagree with a grade you’ve been given, then appeal! Essay writing can be subjective, so if you think you were scored lower than you deserved, email your lecturer about getting your work re-marked. If you disagree with the feedback you’ve been given, it’s always worth asking your lecturer about it, as they may have made a mistake whilst marking your work. If you do email your lecturer, it’s always best to be nice about it, since everyone can make mistakes.

Talk to your lecturer!

Your lecturer or academic tutor will be able to offer you the best advice. Depending on your university, you might be able to resit. They can also direct you towards who to talk to if you would like your work to be re-marked. If you do end up failing the module or the year, they can offer the best advice on what to do next. You’re not the first person to have failed an assignment, so they will definitely know what to do to help.

Failing an assignment is never the end of the world, and whatever happens everything will be alright. If you do think you’re going to fail the year, then read our article on what happens if you fail your first year of university .

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What to Do If You Fail University: A Guide

Student feeling discouraged due to bad grades at university.

Facing the reality of failing university can be tough, but it’s not the end of the road. As the saying goes, “ Failure is a detour, not a dead-end street .” Let’s be real: flunking out of university is a setback. But it’s also an opportunity for growth and resilience.

In this blog, we’ll navigate the twists and turns, outlining practical steps to get you back on track. Whether it’s academic challenges or personal struggles that led you here, we’ve got your back. Let’s dive in.

Understanding Your Academic Standing

In university, your progress is measured by credits. Each year typically consists of 120 credits. To move forward, you must earn 120 credits in your first year . If you fail a module worth a certain number of credits, it affects your ability to accumulate these credits. Failing one module means you haven’t met the yearly credit requirement.

When you fail a module, don’t panic. Reach out to your professors or academic support for guidance. Most universities offer options for resitting the module, either during the summer or in the following year. 1-on-1 tutoring can be a valuable resource to help you pass the resit . Understanding the credit system and your options is key to getting back on track after failing a module.

What to Do If You Fail in Your First Year

Failing your first year of university can be disheartening, but it doesn’t mean the end of your academic journey. Here are some constructive steps to take if you find yourself in this situation:

1. Reflect and Analyse:

First and foremost, take a deep breath and reflect on what went wrong. Identify the specific subjects or areas where you struggled. Was it a lack of time management, study skills, or understanding of the coursework ? Understanding the root causes is crucial.

2. Seek Academic Guidance:

Reach out to your professors or academic advisors . They can provide insights into your academic performance and suggest strategies for improvement. They may also recommend additional resources or support services .

3. Consider Retaking Courses:

Students studying with determination after failing a university course.

Depending on your institution’s policies, you may be able to retake the courses you failed. This can help you improve your grades and solidify your understanding of the subject matter.

4. Utilise Campus Resources:

Most colleges offer resources such as tutoring centres , study groups , and writing labs . Take advantage of these resources to enhance your academic skills.

5. Review Your Study Habits:

It’s essential to evaluate your study habits. Are you putting in enough effort? Are you organised and consistent in your approach to learning? Make necessary adjustments to improve your study routine .

6. Set Realistic Goals:

Establish achievable academic goals for yourself. This can help you stay motivated and track your progress.

7. Stay Positive and Persistent:

Failing your first year is a setback, but it doesn’t define your future. Stay positive , be persistent, and maintain your enthusiasm for learning. Success often comes through resilience and determination.

8. Consider Support Services:

If you face challenges beyond academics, such as personal or mental health issues, don’t hesitate to seek help from your college’s counselling or support services. Your well-being is crucial for academic success.

9. Learn from Your Mistakes:

Failing your first year can be a valuable learning experience. Use it to grow and develop as a student. Identify your weaknesses and work on turning them into strengths.

10. Plan for the Future:

Finally, plan for the future with a positive mindset . Your first-year setback doesn’t determine your entire academic journey. Use this as an opportunity to build a strong foundation for success in the coming years.

What to Do If You Fail in Your Second Year?

Entering your second year of university can bring a unique set of challenges. It’s a time when the initial excitement of being a first year has faded, and the pressure to excel academically may be mounting. Here’s how to navigate these second-year struggles.

Increased Academic Demands:

Second-year courses tend to be more specialized and challenging. To cope with this, refine your study habits and time management skills . Seek help from professors and academic support services when needed.

Social Adjustments:

Friendships and social circles can evolve during your second year. Some might drift apart while new connections form. Embrace these changes and remember that it’s normal to grow and develop different social bonds. You also need to consider that while friendships are an important part of university life, you may need to balance social pressures against the reality of your course load. Your friends will understand if you can’t make a night out, especially if they are studying the same course as you. Don’t give in to peer pressure and remember that your friends will still be there when the holidays arrive or you’ve got a break in your study commitments.

Internship and Career Pressure:

You might start thinking about internships and future career paths . This can be overwhelming, but remember that it’s okay not to have everything figured out. Career centres and alumni networks are excellent resources for guidance.

Financial Considerations:

As you progress through university, financial responsibilities may increase. Monitor your budget, explore scholarship opportunities , and consider part-time jobs to ease the financial burden.

Mental Health Awareness:

Second-year struggles can impact your mental health. Be mindful of stress and anxiety . Universities often offer counselling services – take advantage of them. Additionally, engage in self-care practices and maintain a healthy work-life balance.

Explore Interests:

Use this time to explore your academic interests and extracurricular activities. Join clubs, attend events, and find your passion. It’s an essential part of personal growth.

Remember, everyone faces second-year challenges. Stay focused, seek support when needed, and keep an open mind. Your second year can be a time of growth and self-discovery as you move closer to achieving your academic and personal goals.

Bottom Line

In the academic journey, facing failure is a test of resilience . But remember, it’s not the end; it’s a chance to rise. Embrace challenges, seek support, and refine your approach. As you navigate through failures, you’ll discover the path to success.

Failing is a part of learning , not the conclusion. Let it be a stepping stone, not a stumbling block. Your determination will define your story. So, keep learning, keep growing, and keep thriving.

Can I still succeed in my career if I have a degree without honors?

Absolutely. Many successful individuals have ordinary degrees. Employers often prioritize skills, practical experience, and attitude over your degree classification. Pursue internships, personal projects, and real-world knowledge to complement your degree.

How will failing my final year affect my job prospects?

Failing your final year may result in a capped grade, impacting your degree classification. While this can influence job opportunities, practical experience, internships, and your skills will play a vital role. Employers often value hands-on experience and a positive attitude.

Can I switch to a different course or university if I fail my first year?

Switching courses or universities is possible, but it depends on the specific institution and the timing of your decision. Consult your academic adviser and research transfer options, ensuring a smooth transition.

Is it worth repeating my first year if I’ve failed multiple modules?

Repeating your first year can provide a strong foundation and a chance to achieve the necessary credits. However, consider your reasons and whether you meet mitigating circumstances. Discuss your options with your university.

How can I make studying fun and more engaging?

To make studying enjoyable, try using flashcards, creating study games with friends, or exploring various study techniques. Experiment with interactive learning methods and discover what resonates with you.

Still got a question? Leave a comment

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Failed Dissertation, Coursework, Report, or Exam – What to Do?

Published by Alvin Nicolas at August 13th, 2021 , Revised On August 22, 2023

Each year several hundreds of university students end up failing their dissertation, coursework, exam, or assignment. Receipt of a failing mark can be the most devastating experience for students in the UK.

Failing a dissertation, essay, or assignment can have a devastating effect on your life – from being shocked by hearing the news of their failure to the mental sufferings that follow.

Have you recently failed your dissertation , assignment , exam or coursework ? If yes, then be calm because you are not alone. There are several ways of tackling such a situation. This article presents several options for students who have failed an exam, dissertation, or assignment.

So, please sit back and relax because it’s not the world’s end.

Possible Reasons for Failure

Often students do not get enough help from their tutors to pass an exam, dissertation or coursework, which results in a situation where they start to wait for things to resolve on their own until their problems become too large.

Fortunately, failing mark is not the end of the world, and students can change their circumstances.

There could be numerous reasons as to why you may have failed your dissertation, exam, essay , or report . Some students cannot keep up with course reading during the semester, while others do not have a sufficient understanding of their subject-related theories and knowledge due to various reasons.

The inability to understand key concepts, missing lectures regularly, and lack of understanding of course content are some of the most common reasons for a failing mark.

A sensible thing to do would be to have your paper edited and proofread by an expert to eliminate any grammatical, structural, and spelling errors.

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Avoiding Failure Before you Even Begin

If you want to avoid failure before it happens, you must take some pre-emptive actions before your problems become too large.

Achieving a graduate or postgraduate qualification is not a walk in the park. Therefore, it is vitally important for students to make sure that they meet their challenges head-on to prevent them from turning into potential failures.

Here are some tips for you to avoid failure before you even start.

If you know that you are struggling with your dissertation , coursework , or assignment , then take out the time to discuss your problems with your academic supervisor. An academic supervisor or mentor is a member of the faculty assigned to you at your degree course.

Meet with them regularly and let them know of any problems you are facing so they can help you address them promptly.

Meet the challenges head-on. Don’t wait for your problems to become too large. A small issue can turn into a major crisis if you keep on ignoring it for too long. For example, if you are struggling to collect primary data for your dissertation , it will be appropriate to consult with your mentor to avoid falling behind on deadlines.

Most universities understand that students may face unforeseen challenges now and then due to their finances, family problems, personal limitations, and prolonged sickness. Therefore, it is possible to minimise the damage by filing for extenuating circumstances.

By completing and submitting the extenuating circumstances form, you will be formally notifying your university that you are lagging on your dissertation or coursework. And do not forget to attach a formal plan to let them know how you will make sure to meet your new deadline so you can be granted an extension to your coursework, exam, or dissertation deadline.

Get an expert academic to help you with your dissertation, assignment, coursework, or essay so they can do the hard work for you. At ResearchProspect , we have masters and PhD qualified writers in all academic subjects. Whether it’s an essay, coursework, exam, dissertation, or assignment, you need help with. Our writers will exceed your expectations.

All you have to do is complete our online order form to place your order , and we will send the completed paper to your email address on or before the specified deadline. You are welcome to view our professional samples , take a look at our service portfolio and learn more about our company before placing your order.

Opportunities for Reassessment

Even if you end up receiving a failing mark, you will have several options to choose from to clean the mess. However, before making any decisions, you must determine whether you have failed the entire module, just an element of a module or the dissertation.

Failing Dissertation

if you have forgotten your dissertation because you will be allowed to resubmit it by the deadline agreed upon by yourself and the university.

However, the marks awarded for a resubmitted dissertation are usually caped to a minimum passing mark as a penalty for your failure in the first place.

A complete dissertation failure in UK universities will only occur if you cannot achieve the minimum passing mark even on your second attempt.

To improve your situation, you should regularly meet with your supervisor and avoid overlooking mandatory draft submissions.

Failing Module

You will be required to either re-sit an exam or re-submit the coursework (in some cases) if you have failed an entire module.

Each module that you take the exam for usually has a unique set of module guidelines associated with it. How you will be reassessed is taken by the board of examiners and the lecturers only after considering these guidelines.

Again, the maximum obtainable mark is usually capped to a bare pass level if you are re-siting an exam or resubmitting coursework.

Failing an Element of Module

If you only failed one piece of an exam or coursework and managed to achieve high marks for other modules, you may not need to resubmit that element.

The bottom line is that if your average coursework mark is above the bare minimum passing mark, you will pass that module even if you failed one piece of it.

For example, receive a failing mark of 35 in one essay coursework that counts for 25% of the overall module mark but pass the remaining 75% module assessment (which can be in the form of an exam or coursework). You can still give the entire module.

However, depending on your university’s regulations, you may have the opportunity to resubmit the failed coursework to improve your overall course grade.

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Plagiarism – A Serious Offence

All UK universities have strict rules and penalties against students who are caught plagiarising. If you receive a failing mark due to plagiarism , you may not be able to resubmit your dissertation/coursework or re-sit an exam.

So make sure to cite others’ ideas and avoid copying work from other academic sources to prevent your case from being sent to the University Ethics Board, which usually has the power to take a range of measures against you. In most cases, you will not be able to appeal the decision being taken if you are found guilty of plagiarising. So, refrain from it.

To help bring the point home, you can check out the comments and guidelines made by Reading, UK , regarding plagiarism.

Interesting watch: Check out a student’s account of how and why their dissertation went badly (UK institution).

How to Appeal Against a Failing Mark?

If you believe that you have been disadvantaged in some way or your university did not consider your financial or family problems while awarding you a failing mark. You may have the grounds to appeal against the mark awarded to you.

All UK universities have their own set of rules for lodging student academic appeals. Generally, this is a very lengthy procedure. Make sure that you provide documentary evidence along with the appropriate forms to justify your appeal.

The university exam board will review your case, and you will be allowed to resubmit your work or resit the exam if your application is successful.

Detailed information on appealing procedures is usually available on the university’s website and provided to students before starting their degree.

While no student ever wants to fail an exam, coursework, assignment or dissertation, the unthinkable sometimes can happen. But it would help if you did not get discouraged by the disastrous situation because most universities offer another chance to students who have genuine reasons.

How ResearchProspect Can Help

ResearchProspect is a UK-registered firm to provides academic support to students around the world. We specialise in completing design projects, literature reviews , essays , reports , coursework , exam notes , statistical analysis , primary and empirical research, dissertations , case studies, academic posters , and much more. Getting help from our expert academics is quick and simple. All you have to do is complete our online order form and get your paper delivered to your email address well before your due deadline.

Winning Dissertation Presentations

Don’t let all the paranoia get to you. If you don’t want your dissertation to fail, make sure to take steps to prevent that thing from happening.

Alternatively, checking out some real-life instances of students defending their dissertational research might help, too:

Three Minute Thesis (3MT) 2011 Winner – Matthew Thompson

2014 Three Minute Thesis winning presentation by Emily Johnston

Oxford University’s graduate’s advice for an award-nominated, A-graded dissertation

Furthermore, you can also check out real-life students’ advice about writing a winning dissertation, advice they wish someone had given them.

Further still, if you want to take every last measure, you could also check out what institutions in the UK, such as Birmingham University, require in your dissertation .

Frequently Asked Questions

What does it mean if you fail your dissertation.

Failing a dissertation means not meeting required standards. It may lead to retaking or resubmitting. Understand feedback, identify weaknesses, and seek support to improve and succeed next time.

If I fail my assignment, will I be dismissed from my program? (WIP)

Nexford University closely monitors the academic performance of every learner in order to support them in mastering the competencies they need to successfully complete their courses and to progress in their academic programs. 💪

It's true that when learners aren't able to progress through their programs at certain levels, they are subject to dismissal, but please note that it isn't immediate - learners would first be informed as soon as their term's GPA falls below the minimum required level, where they'd be placed on "academic probation". There are many phases after that as well, giving a learner many chances to improve their CGPA. Even after a learner is dismissed from a program, they're eligible to reapply after two months.

For learners in undergraduate programs, the university defines successful academic performance — at both the course and program levels — as performance that earns a minimum C-grade; for learners in graduate programs, a minimum B-grade.

Kindly read through section 2.B.11 of our university catalog (especially pages 29-32), which provides detailed information regarding "Satisfactory Academic Performance" and reasons for dismissal. https://bit.ly/36q1XzD Please feel free to also email your Success Advisor for more information about assignments and grading. I’m happy to arrange for our team to give you a call as well, to better explain things. Most importantly, I want you to feel comfortable and reassured at Nexford that we always want you to succeed! 🙌 Our Success team and course faculty are always available to support you throughout your learning journey. Your success is our success, after all! 😊

Your course
Manage your course
Planning your course and subjects

Failing a subject

Information on what happens if you've failed a subject and what next steps you should take.

About failing a subject

Failing a subject can be disheartening but it is a good opportunity to review whether you’re studying subjects that engage and motivate you, whether you need to improve your study techniques or whether you need to adjust your study load . It is important to reflect on why you failed a subject and come up with some strategies to improve your performance for the following semester.

For student visa holders who fail a subject, this may mean you are no longer able to complete your course by your visa end date. You will need to plan how to catch up in case your visa cannot be renewed .

If you have failed a subject, the credit points won’t count towards your degree, but it may affect your WAM . You will need to repeat the subject, in the case of a core or compulsory subject; or ‘replace’ the subject with a different subject.

Considering withdrawing from a subject early in semester?

Visit the subject withdrawal page to learn about the consequences of withdrawing from a subject, important subject key dates, and the support available to help you make a decision.

How to know if you've failed a subject

You will only know if you have failed a subject once you see the final grade for a subject recorded in my.unimelb .

How it can affect your academic progress

The impact of failed subjects on your studies depends on how important the subject is in the progression of your course (ie whether it is a core, prerequisite, elective or breadth subject). Depending on what type of subject it is, you may decide to change direction in your course or change your major.

A failed subject may also extend the duration of your course, but it is often possible to catch up and graduate on time by enrolling in Summer and Winter Term and/or intensive subjects or overloading in future semesters.

If you fail a core or compulsory subject, you will not have met the academic progress requirements for your course and will receive an email with important information about your academic progress once results are finalised. If you’re “At Risk” of making unsatisfactory progress then you will be asked to complete a Return To Good Standing Plan. If your progress is deemed unsatisfactory, you may be invited via email to attend a meeting with the Course Academic Progress Committee (CAPC). Find out more about unsatisfactory academic progress .

You will also need to enrol in that subject again to meet your course requirements.

If you fail 50% or more of your enrolled subjects within a half-year period , you will not have met the academic progress requirements for your course and will receive an email with important information about your academic progress once results are finalised. You will be invited to an appointment to discuss your progress and receive advice and guidance about getting back on track. Find out more about unsatisfactory academic progress .

If you have failed a subject which is a prerequisite for a subject that you are currently enrolled in, you will be withdrawn from that subject as you will not have met the prerequisite requirement. You will be sent an email regarding the withdrawal.

If this occurs, you will need to either:

Check which subject is missing on your Study Plan in my.unimelb .
Check the Handbook to view your course requirements and choose your new subject.
Log into your Study Plan via my.unimelb , then enrol in the new subject.
Get written approval from the Subject Coordinator of that subject.
Submit an Enrolment Assistance Form for a requisite waiver .

If you have recorded a close fail grade in a subject, and you are in your final year of study, you may be eligible for additional assessment under the final subject assessment rule. The final subject rule is not something you can apply for. You will be contacted if you are eligible. Find out more about final subject assessment .

If you are planning to graduate this year, you will not be able to graduate if you have:

failed subject/s in your final study period, or
been offered a special assessment, and don't decline it before the deadline.

Visit the graduation eligibility FAQ for more information, including when and how to decline a special assessment.

If you have failed a subject, check your email at least twice per week after you have received all of your subject results, as you may receive an invitation to attend a meeting to discuss your academic progress . It is important to attend this meeting as it is an opportunity to address what went wrong and discuss options to help you improve your performance in the future and get your academic progress back on track.

Planning your next steps

Once a final grade for a subject has been recorded in my.unimelb :

Confirm if you would like to make any enrolment changes for future study periods (change a subject, adjust your study load , withdraw from your course , or take a leave of absence ) and check your eligibility to do so. You usually need to complete 50 points at one level before moving on to the next level of your course - for more information see Course progression rules . The Handbook provides information about course requirements, subjects offered for your course, and subject key dates (eg last date to self-enrol, census date, last date to withdraw without fail).
Update your Study Plan via my.unimelb
Continue to check your University email account at least twice a week for updated advice about your enrolment and academic progress, and respond by the due date provided if you need to take action.

Failing a subject might also be an opportunity to review or change your course plan. Find out what options are available to make changes to your course .

For international students on a student visa, unless you are in your final semester, failing a subject is not grounds for an extension of your student visa. You should plan to enrol in an additional Summer or Winter Term or intensive subject to remain on track. If your course structure does not allow for this, please book a course planning appointment .

Assessing why you failed

It is important to consider why you have failed a subject as this will help you to improve your study approach next semester and consider the impact on your academic progress.

Exam performance
Study techniques
If your assessment was affected by circumstances such as illness or bereavement, check the eligibility requirements and deadlines for Special consideration .
If your studies are affected by ongoing circumstances, you can Register for ongoing support .

If you have considered the above reasons and believe that your grade is not a reflection of your efforts, you can also request a review of your results .

If you performed below expectations in an exam, it is important to review your exam performance. Some departments, schools and faculties offer students the opportunity to have an exam review session . These discussions can help you understand your overall result; they are not an opportunity to request that your exam paper be re-marked or that your mark be adjusted.

Failing a subject may also indicate a need to review your study techniques, exam preparation or time management skills. Academic skills appointments and information sessions are available to help you build your study skills to maximise your chance of success.

If you failed a subject due to unforeseen or unexpected circumstances, you should familiarise yourself with the University's special consideration policy . After the final results release date, you cannot apply for special consideration. The only exception to this rule, is where you can demonstrate that exceptional circumstances prevented you from applying for special consideration by the due date. For more information about application deadlines visit special consideration .

If you have an ongoing issue that impacts on your study, you can register for ongoing support through your studies.

If you have considered the above reasons and believe that your grade is not a reflection of your efforts, you can request a review of your results .

Frequently asked questions

You will only know if you have failed a subject once you see the grade recorded in my.unimelb . See the results release schedule to know when your subject result will be available.

If entry into the quota subject is based on academic merit, you may need to enrol in another subject . Please refer to the Handbook for subject-specific quota information.

You will need to:

Enrol in remaining subjects on your study plan via my.unimelb.
Request a Confirmation of Enrolment extension.
Renew your visa by applying for a new student visa. Learn more on how to renew a student visa .

Support services

If you need further assistance with course planning, wait until you have all of your results finalised and then book a course planning appointment .
Read our Coping with failure tipsheet or browse our free Counselling & Psychological Services workshops
Talk to Counselling and Psychological Services if you need further support with your mental health or developing skills to better cope with setbacks. You can book a confidential appointment online .
For mental health support and advice after hours (including 24 hours on weekends and public holidays), students can contact the University’s After-Hours Mental Health Crisis Support Service (Phone: 1300 219 459, Text: 0480 079 188).

What Happens if You Fail a Module at University?

In University by Think Student Editor January 10, 2023 1 Comment

No student wants to fail a module at university. However, for reasons in or outside of your control, it may happen. The most important thing to do is not to panic, but you might not know what happens academically if you fail a module. There are a lot of complicated university processes that can make even simple things appear confusing – don’t panic, this article is here to help!

If you fail a module for the first time, you will be asked to resit it. In the event that you pass a resit module, it will be used to calculate your overall grade as normal. However, if you fail a module and a resit module, you may be asked to repeat the entire module from scratch. You can still pass your course even with a failed module, so speak to your personal or senior tutor about any concerns you may have.

Don’t worry if you’re still confused about the processes surrounding failing a university module. This article is here to provide you with the information you might need to get through failing a module at university!

Table of Contents

What should you do if you fail a module at university?

The first thing to do is to speak to your personal or senior tutor, or your university assessment board. They will be your main point of contact if you fail a module. They will organise for you to resit the failed module. However, you can only do this once, so you should make your best effort.

If you failed the module due to mental health related issues or personal issues, you should reach out to your personal tutor. Similarly, you can talk to your university counselling service. This Think Student article has good advice on how to deal with university stress.

The most important thing is not to panic if you fail a module. There will be ways of resolving it and, even if you fail a resit module, you won’t necessarily fail your degree. Your university will try and help you as much as possible.

What counts as failing a module?

A module is considered failed if you score less than 40%. This is because 40% is the minimum pass mark required to get a 3 rd – the lowest undergraduate grade. For a master’s degree, a failure is any score below 50%. To read more about the university grading system, check out this Think Student article.

Another reason for a failure may be because of academic misconduct, which essentially means cheating. Obviously, even if you feel you can’t pass a module without cheating, it’s very important that you follow academic regulations at all times.

What is the process of resitting a university module?

As mentioned earlier, if you fail a university module for the first time, you will be asked to resit . Don’t worry if you’re unsure about what this means. A resit involves retaking the assessments for the parts of the module that you failed. At most universities, you can only achieve 40% on a resit module, even if you would have scored higher.

When you pass a resit module, it is considered a part of your passed modules . Your overall grade will still be calculated as normal, including modules passed first time and those that were resit.

What happens if you fail a resit module?

If you fail a resit module, there are generally two courses of action your university may take . In most cases, your university will ask you to repeat the entire module as if you had not studied it. However, in more extreme cases, your university may not permit you to continue your studies if they don’t think you will pass in future.

For example, the University of Portsmouth states in their policy that if you fail your resit module, “you may be excluded from further study and you may not continue”. However, this differs university by university and case by case. Make sure to communicate with your university frequently.

How many times can you fail a module at university?

You can only fail the same module once before significant action is taken. The first time you fail a module, you will, in most cases, simply be asked to resit the parts you failed, known as “refer” exams. However, if you fail again the university will step in. As mentioned earlier, you might be asked to resit the entire module again.

If you fail several of your modules, even if only once, the university may act. Depending on the reasons for your failure, you may be asked to suspend your studies temporarily .

How many modules can you fail in first year?

Most first year courses will have “core” modules that need to be passed , and weaker modules that you can ‘risk’ failing. For example, if you fail a weak module, you will be asked to resit the parts of the module you failed. However, if you fail a core module, you might resit the entire module.

There is no set number of modules that you can pass or fail . You should try to pass all your modules, but this isn’t always possible. The most important thing is that you don’t fail all your modules, otherwise you may be removed from your course.

How many times can you resit a module?

You can only resit specific sections of a module once, in your “refer” exams . If you fail your resit assessments, you might be asked to resit the entire module. In this way, you may end up resitting the same module twice . If you fail this module again, you may not be allowed to continue your course.

If you’re in 3 rd year, check out this Think Student article about whether you can retake your third year at university.

How many modules can you fail in 3 rd year?

You can fail modules in third year. Like first year, there is no set number, but if you fail more than one module your university might intervene. You may still be able to graduate even if you fail a module, but you should contact your university about this .

In the event that you do fail your 3 rd year due to failed modules, you should read this Think Student article.

Can I still have 360 credits after I passed the resit?

Academic Manual

9. Consequences of Failure

Section 9: Consequences of Failure

Published for 2023-24

9.1 Overarching Principles

9.2 failure at the first attempt, 9.3 failure at the second attempt, 9.4 resitting a module, 9.5 repeating a module, 9.6 non-modular programmes, 9.6.1 ba (hons) english, 9.6.2 ba (hons) fine art , 9.6.3 bfa (hons) fine art , 9.6.4 mbbs (bachelor of medicine, bachelor of surgery) , 9.6.5 ma fine art, 9.6.6 mfa fine art in the slade school of fine art, advice for students.

Further information and advice for students about assessment is available on the Examinations & Awards webpages .

Recent Changes

A guide to changes to the regulations are available from the Recent Changes page.

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current events conversation

What Students Are Saying About Why School Absences Have ‘Exploded’

Chronic absenteeism has increased in American schools since the Covid-19 pandemic. We asked teenagers what they make of the trend.

Students walk through an outdoor breezeway at the Patti Welder Middle School in Victoria.

By The Learning Network

Nationally, an estimated 26 percent of public school students were considered chronically absent last school year, up from 15 percent before the Covid-19 pandemic, according to the most recent data, from 40 states and Washington, D.C., compiled by the conservative-leaning American Enterprise Institute.

The increases have occurred in districts big and small, and across income and race.

In “ Why School Absences Have ‘Exploded’ Almost Everywhere ,” Sarah Mervosh and Francesca Paris explain:

The trends suggest that something fundamental has shifted in American childhood and the culture of school, in ways that may be long lasting. What was once a deeply ingrained habit — wake up, catch the bus, report to class — is now something far more tenuous. “Our relationship with school became optional,” said Katie Rosanbalm, a psychologist and associate research professor with the Center for Child and Family Policy at Duke University.

In a related Student Opinion question , we asked teenagers if that explanation resonated with them. Had their relationship to school — and school attendance — changed since the pandemic? And if so, what did they make of this shift?

Many students said, yes, school feels different now. Why? They pointed to remote learning changing their routines, an increase in anxiety and a decrease in motivation, the ease of making up schoolwork online and much more. Read their responses in full below.

Thank you to everyone who participated in the conversation on our writing prompts this week, including students from Central Bucks South High School in Warrington, Pa .; Norwood High School in Norwood, Mass.; and West Salem High School in Salem, Ore.

Please note: Student comments have been lightly edited for length, but otherwise appear as they were originally submitted.

Remote learning made students comfortable with missing school.

I believe that there are two main contributors to missing school too much. The first is online school. Myself included. It was very easy to simply leave the call after taking attendance and the teacher wouldn’t realize. Skipping class was easy and you could still get high grades. Transitioning back to real school, kids still held that true. They knew that they could miss school and still do well because covid taught that to them. The second reason is punishment. When you miss school, nothing happens. Class goes on and you have a little extra homework the next day but that’s it. What is the issue with missing class is a very common thought and it’s true. There is very minimal downside to missing school. When I had surgery, I missed a full week of school and within a day and a half, I was fully caught up again. Missing school has just become all too easy.

— Xavier, Pennsylvania

2020 was when our lives completely changed for the worst. We all had to stay inside and stay separate from each other. It was terrible, not being able to talk to my friends, and seeing the death toll on news constantly rise. However, after a year into the pandemic, I believe students realized the power they now had, including me. Now that I am a highschooler, I am going to admit that sometimes I would just mute my class and do whatever I wanted. School became shorter and easier to pass than ever before. That’s why when we all transitioned back into school, it was weird. We all still wanted to get through class the “easy way,” yet now that we were back, it wasn’t possible. This is why we started increasing our absences. The threat of absence has become weak, students are not as afraid to stay out of school. Furthermore the threat of being infected gave just one more reason to be out of school, for the sake of “preventing others from getting sick,” when in reality you feel fine. That is most likely why the absences in school had an exponential increase.

— Joshua, Pennsylvania

Students feel like expectations are lower than they were before the pandemic.

As a student in high school, I’ve come to realize the horrible state our attendance has been in since the pandemic. The reason can be simplified into one idea: laziness. We are lazy, willing to do only enough to get by, no more, no less. If a student doesn’t need to come to a class to obtain the grade they wish to achieve, then they won’t show up. Classes are not challenging enough to make students feel that they are worth going to. My mom is used to getting texts from me during the school day, begging to be excused from a class where “we’re doing nothing” or, “I already finished the work,” which is true, yet I abuse the opportunity to miss class because I know there will be no greater coincidence, I will still be getting an A. Due to my laziness, I would rather be at home taking a nap than sitting in a class with no greater impact on my life.

— Clara, Salem, Oregon

Since the pandemic, schooling has been focused on getting students caught up to where we’re supposed to be. Consequently, more allowances are made for students who don’t do assignments or don’t even show up. And with the switch to all online because of the pandemic, things have never shifted back. If a student misses a day or even a week, they can easily see what they missed and do it and submit it from home. With this option giving them the exact same grade as it would if they actually went to school, it’s no wonder why students are choosing to stay at home or skipping class. Additionally, the pandemic had heightened anxiety levels in students, specifically social anxiety, making them less likely to show up. The allowances made by the school district for students has created a space for students to be lazy and get away with it. This is fostering a negative impact on student work ethic not only now, but also in the future when this generation will be entering the work force.

— Emma, West Salem High School

The period of school shutdowns got students out of their school routines.

When I think back to virtual learning, my brain automatically goes to how stress free it was. I was in sixth grade when Covid first hit and going through a period of my life where I was extremely anxious at school. I believe that this break is exactly what I needed at the time. However, I do believe that in the long run, this online learning time period got a lot of people into the routine of not having a routine. A lot of people at my school would turn their camera off and fall asleep or go on their phones during online learning. I believe that there were times that I did this as well. I also think that this mindset carried through into the grades where I did not have an online/hybrid option. In eighth and ninth grade, I happened to stay home sick, go into school late, or leave early a lot. I think this is due to me not taking school as seriously due to the grading methods that were being used and how some of my teachers were not grading harshly. Now that I am a sophomore in high school, I think I have finally gotten back into the routine of actual schooling and not staying home sick unless I actually feel extremely sick.

— Madison, Pennsylvania

Before the pandemic and as I was growing up, I was the kind of student that wanted perfect attendance. For some odd reason, it made me feel like a better student if I never missed a day. This included turning my parents down when they offered me to go on trips, even though I was only in fourth grade and the work that I would have missed wouldn’t have made an impact in my academic career. However, after the pandemic school began to feel optional. We felt what it was like to fall out of the routine that going to school was and were never able to fully recover from it. I think that having experienced attending school from your bed, in your pajamas has played a major role in the current trend of students receiving more absences. For me, it made me realize that the “0” next to your number of absences didn’t matter as much as I had once thought. As a now highschooler, the school days are long and every class requires an abundance of work and undivided attention that whenever there is a substitute or not much going on, it is easy to decide to leave school. With senior year approaching, everything’s purpose is college and the fact that colleges aren’t able to see how many absences a student has when they apply, does play a role in the increasing number of absences.

— Ava, Miami Country Day School

Because assignments and other materials are online, students find they can keep up with their classes even if they don’t attend school.

Schools have adjusted rules so much that it makes school feel optional. Don’t want to attend class publicly? Take online classes. Don’t want to take “required” state testing? Opt out. Before, school seemed strict, we didn’t have the option to opt out of tests, we didn’t think of taking online school. Yet now, schools make it so easy to skip because everything is simply online. Our assignments, lectures, and teachers are all online. There are no longer requirements in school. What’s the point of attending if we can graduate without taking state testing or attending advisory — also a requirement, yet I no longer have an advisory because my counselors said I don’t need to take it to graduate. It’s confusing. Students have been enabled for over 4 years now since quarantine started. School doesn’t feel mandatory, it’s optional. I’m currently enrolled into 2 AP classes, so I try my best not to miss school. But it’s inevitable, I get sick, I have family situations or maybe I simply don’t feel like attending school. But I see people skip school like nothing. “I didn’t feel like going” is a constant statement I hear. Not many students have the motivation to attend, and simply don’t go because they have a comfort in their head that they can graduate while missing multiple days of school nearly everyday.

— Olivia, Salem, OR

Current absenteeism rates have significantly impacted my learning experience for the past few years. Since the pandemic, there has been a noticeable shift in the perception of the value of education and whether or not attendance is an important factor in a student’s academic success. In the years following 2020, I found myself struggling to make it to class everyday due to my new found efficiency of working at home with my computer. I felt that even if I was not in class personally, I would be able to keep up with my work easily as it was all online regardless. Due to this I would go on trips or skip class purely because I was under the impression that I would be able to continue achieving virtually.

— Ruby, RFHS

Before the pandemic, my attendance was stable but after the pandemic, my absences were piling on. It was difficult to get back in the rhythm of in person school when I had already done a whole year online, but now my attendance in school is definitely getting better. On the other hand, students in my school tend to miss school and it is a rare sight to see a full class. Some students go as far as showing up to class once a week and just do the classwork online. After the pandemic, schools went from paperwork to all online, which is a big reason why students miss all the time, knowing that school work can just be done at home. It has definitely affected students’ grades and goals in life, but hopefully in the future, absences can lower back down.

— Emily, Atrisco Heritage Academy High School

Going to school, and finding the motivation to have as good an attendance record as possible, now feels like more of a struggle.

As students, we’ve developed a comfort in staying in bed during school without having to get ourselves ready to go outside. We had the ability to wake up five minutes before “school” started to get on our zoom calls. Now, we must wake up an hour and a half prior, and make breakfast and pack lunch, before driving to school. The process is tenuous as the article states, but because we’ve accustomed to a different lifestyle, it just makes this one seem like so much more work. I, myself have noticed my difference in attendance after COVID-19. I used to be very obsessed with perfect attendance, but I had 11 absences in my sophomore year, right after coming back from online school. Nowadays, I’m more lenient on myself when it comes to taking a mental health day, because the process can be overwhelming. School is very important, so of course I try to always come in, but sometimes it can be hard. I have not noticed this trend in the world, as well as with myself until this article. It’s enlightening to know that this had not only an effect on me, but all over the country. Hopefully the rates of absenteeism will decrease as time goes on, because we are the future.

— Anisha, New Jersey

Before virtual learning, I never made much of a habit of not turning in work or showing up for class. It was so much easier then but since virtual learning, it had become incredibly difficult for me to focus as well as keep up motivation to continue school. It was easy to skip and nobody really said much about it so it easily became a bad habit. That bad habit eventually leaked into normal school as well and it always sounds so much easier to break out of than it actually is.

— Tayy, NRHS

As the average high school class skipper (only sometimes), in my personal experience, missing out on classes hasn’t really been because of mental health concerns, but more of just lasting laziness from the pandemic. I feel as though I was relatively hard working in middle school/elementary but after a few years off with only half effort assignments, I have grown to become more sluggish and reluctant when it comes to more advanced work while in school. And it makes the option of missing out on classes because of my own reluctance a lot more appealing.

— Luke, Bali, Indonesia

My schedule during the week is get up, get ready for school, go to school, go home, do homework, go to sleep and then I repeat that everyday for 5 days. As much as I don’t want to dread going to school, it’s exhausting having the same schedule repeated everyday of the week. While in school, you have assignments assigned nearly everyday. I feel as though school has had a change in its meaning because of the COVID-19 pandemic. While in quarantine, we were looking at a screen for the whole day and lacked motivation to get assignments done. When we shifted to in person school again, it didn’t change. I now look at school as a task that I need to complete to shape my future. I need to have all my assignments perfect and turned in on time. The meaning of school has turned into a draining task rather than a place that you look forward to going to.

— Jamisan, Salem, Oregon

Some students face challenges in attending class that may have nothing to do with the pandemic.

I don’t believe that students are skipping because it is so easy to catch up and pass, despite their absences. In fact, I know that a lot of people who skip aren’t passing most of their classes. They do this because their parents don’t hold them accountable, and there is always something deeper going on in that student’s life that makes it that much harder for them to find the motivation to go to class. I don’t think making the classes harder will hold students more accountable, but in fact deter them from going to class at all. If a student is aware that they are failing and doesn’t understand the concept of the class, and the class proceeds to become harder, they are going to quickly become unmotivated to go to class in the first place, feeling out of place compared to the other — passing — students in the class. While I don’t have a solution for this problem, myself, I feel that the problem is much broader than we suspect, and the answer will be a much deeper journey to find.

— Kylie, West Salem HS

Schools can do more to get students back in class.

I attend a French school in London and attendance is closely monitored. Absences have to be justified by your parents or you could get into trouble. I think it’s important to attend school as we did before Covid - because as well as learning the curriculum, it is crucial to socialise with your friends and classmates, which is good for your mental health … I wonder if social media could be a factor? If students did not have access to social media or the internet, would they prefer to be in school with their friends? This increase in absenteeism could affect students’ chances of getting into University when they come to finish school or even their opportunities later in life. Students need to be reminded of this more and more perhaps. School helps you to learn not just about facts but also helps to build your emotional quotient & social intelligence — which are all valuable for life.

— Alexandre 14, London

As a current high school junior, my experiences with skipping have been minimal at best, however, I feel strongly that the reason behind skipping is pretty simple. Students don’t care as much about school and the system encourages it. When faced with the choice of sitting in a class and learning about the Patagorian theorem or hanging out with friends, many students are now choosing the latter. The lack of care or effort being put forth in school doesn’t even affect their grades! This is due to certain classes having minimal grades set at 50%, which is 10% away from a pass. This system is actively encouraging people to put minimal effort into a class just to get a pass and graduate. Removing courses like this would certainly raise the importance of getting the work done. Another solution to this problem would be having attendance as a grade, if your grade depends on you being in classes then most would show up. If you have to show up to class to pass then more students would be inclined to do so. The emphasis is on not bending the knee to people who don’t want to show up to class, not giving them a minimal 50%, we should mark attendance for a passing grade, and letting them fail. If we keep letting students skip with minimal consequences then their attitudes won’t change and thus hinder our students’ growth.

— Henry, Salem, OR

Learn more about Current Events Conversation here and find all of our posts in this column .

IMAGES

Top 7 Reasons Why Students Fail Their University Assignments
Tricks And Hacks For A Failed Assignment, Essay Or Exam
Why Students Fail in Graduation?
this comment on my failed uni assignment.. : r/mildlyinfuriating
Mistakes that Can Ruin Your Academic Assignments and Essay
Top 10 reasons why students fail in college assignment task

VIDEO

I failed My Psychology Masters Assignment 🧐 FULL VID ON WALL
Finishing my uni assignment 1 month early and feeling happy about it
failed assignment
iftar menu (uni assignment)
Unsubmit an assignment

COMMENTS

Tricks And Hacks For A Failed Assignment, Essay Or Exam
8. Set Future Goals. Our final tip and trick to take away is to create a plan to help you move forward and smash your next assignment, essay or exam and all the future ones after that. Have a think about what you are going to do differently next time and think very clearly about what it is you want to achieve at uni.
What to Do if You Fail Your Essay, Assignment, Exam or Dissertation
Failed Module. If you fail an entire module you are usually required to re-sit the assessments, either by re-submitting the coursework or, in some cases, by resitting an exam. The form of the assessment will be decided according to the existing module guidelines, university regulations, and the decisions of the lecturer and board of examiners.
What can I do if I fail my university exams?
Keep a record. If you think you may be unable to perform in an exam, act quickly and make sure you keep a record of all events. Most universities will require written evidence. This can include an ...
A Guide to Failed Assignments & Re-submissions
A Complete Guide to Failed Assignments, Resubmissions and Appeals. 11/10/2022. As once noted by UK Prime Minister Winston Churchill, "Success is the ability to go from failure to failure without losing your enthusiasm". While this statement is true in many situations, there exist many spheres where poor results can substantially disrupt ...
How to appeal if you fail at university
Appeals must be submitted within a time period - and that can be as short as 10 working days. It's usually mentioned in that dreaded letter telling you that you failed the exam or have been ...
What happens if you fail a uni subject?
1. Take a moment to reflect on why you failed the subject. "Was it due to lack of understanding, poor study habits, personal issues, or other factors?" he prompts. "Understanding the root cause can help you address your challenges more effectively.". 2. Keep a line of communication open with your subject tutor.
What to do if you fail an assignment
A failed assignment usually means that it scores under 40%. This also goes for the overall module mark as well. If you score less than 40% in the overall module, then you will fail that module too. It's important to check the weighting of the assignment, because even if it is a fail, you may still have a chance to pass the module overall.
What you can do about a failing grade
Give yourself a break: Take some time to recover. If you do flunk an exam or an assignment, Bell suggests taking a day to recover and then ask the professor about what worked and what didn't, what could have been done differently and discuss what can be done to improve for next time. "Use that information to come up with a plan for what you're ...
What to Do If You Fail University: A Guide
Set Realistic Goals: Establish achievable academic goals for yourself. This can help you stay motivated and track your progress. 7. Stay Positive and Persistent: Failing your first year is a setback, but it doesn't define your future. Stay positive, be persistent, and maintain your enthusiasm for learning.
Failed Dissertation, Coursework, Report, or Exam
Failing Dissertation. if you have forgotten your dissertation because you will be allowed to resubmit it by the deadline agreed upon by yourself and the university. However, the marks awarded for a resubmitted dissertation are usually caped to a minimum passing mark as a penalty for your failure in the first place.
Anyone ever failed an assignment simply because they didn't ...
Lol yes. It was the end of my first semester in my master's program and my paper needed to be 15 pages. Not terrible, I know, but I just couldn't think of anything else to say. I decided it would be better to submit a good product that didn't meet the length rather than submit another few pages of rambling nonsense.
If I fail my assignment, will I be dismissed from my program? (WIP)
Even after a learner is dismissed from a program, they're eligible to reapply after two months. For learners in undergraduate programs, the university defines successful academic performance — at both the course and program levels — as performance that earns a minimum C-grade; for learners in graduate programs, a minimum B-grade. Please ...
Failing a subject
You will only know if you have failed a subject once you see the final grade for a subject recorded in my.unimelb. How it can affect your academic progress. The impact of failed subjects on your studies depends on how important the subject is in the progression of your course (ie whether it is a core, prerequisite, elective or breadth subject).
What Happens if You Fail a Module at University?
As mentioned earlier, if you fail a university module for the first time, you will be asked to resit. Don't worry if you're unsure about what this means. A resit involves retaking the assessments for the parts of the module that you failed. At most universities, you can only achieve 40% on a resit module, even if you would have scored higher.
Section 9: Consequences of Failure
2. Where a student fails up to and including 60 taught credits in any one academic session reassessment must take the form of a Resit. 3. Where a student fails more than 60 taught credits in any one academic session, reassessment should take the form of a Repeat.Where a Repeat is considered to be impossible, the Board of Examiners may offer the student the opportunity to take the failed ...
I got an extremely low mark from my first uni assignment
A. AE2300. Hi everyone, today I got the first grade of my first assignment in the uni. I am a first-year student and I am getting used to some stuff but this grade was really important for me. In the school, I have never got a lower score and now that I got lower than 50 I feel like I made a wrong choice with my course and uni, that this is not ...
People who failed a year at Uni, what did you do and did it ...
When I first arrived at uni, I had horrible anxiety from an abusive relationship (I failed an exam because of a panic attack). Only in my redo year did I go and get the help that I needed and work on myself to improve my anxiety and I will say I'm doing so much better. Reach out to those who love you and don't forget to love yourself.
What happens if you fail an essay/get less than 40% : r/UniUK
It depends on the module and the uni. On my course, if you fail an assignment you definitely don't get the opportunity to resubmit based on the feedback you got (!!). If you pass the course overall despite failing that assignment you that would be it; if you failed the course you'd have to resit it.
Can you still pass a module if you fail one of the assessments?
It all depends on the module, some modules have must pass assessments. Read the module handbook. Totally depends. For example: Let's say 1 assignment is worth 70% and you get a 60 for that essay. For the other assignment you fail. 0%. Overall you'd get 42%. That means you'd pass the module if you're an undergraduate.
What Students Are Saying About Why School Absences Have 'Exploded'
By The Learning Network. April 11, 2024. Nationally, an estimated 26 percent of public school students were considered chronically absent last school year, up from 15 percent before the Covid-19 ...
In my final year and just failed a coursework for the first ...
Many other students on my course got similar grades, some even lower. Honestly idek what to do anymore. I just feel tired. Got 1 assignment left to go and then 2 exams, but if this failed grade drags my overall grade down too much it'll feel like it was all for nothing as im currently averaging a low 2.1, but this mightve just broken my chances.
Failed an assignment, but still passed the module. : r/UniUK
As long as you only need an overall pass, then you will be fine. If you need a pass per assignment then you would need a resit. At the university I attend, you need to pass every assignment with a minimum of 35% but an average of 40% for the whole module. If you failed one I believe you would need to resist that specific assignment.