Take some time to think about it.
Nobody enjoys receiving hard feedback or a lower grade than expected. It can be disappointing, especially if you felt that you worked hard, and your marks do not reflect that. The first step to turning your grade around is taking some time to think about your mark and deal with the disappointment. It is okay to be disappointed when you didn’t get the grade you were hoping for. However, don’t stay stuck in disappointment, as this can lead to feelings of hopelessness. It might be harder to move on from the grade if you are angry and upset. However, if you take some time to deal with your emotions and accept the marks, it may help you calmly plan how to improve them in the future.
Look over the feedback figure.
Once you have accepted the grade, look over the feedback in more detail. You may not always agree with someone’s feedback, but usually, you can learn from it. If you don’t understand the feedback, you can ask your teacher or feel free to book some time with one of our tutors. Our tutors will help you understand where you went wrong and show you how to improve your technique for next time.
Figure out where you went wrong.
Have a look at the type of mistakes you made. For example, were they silly mistakes due to time restraints or had you missed the point of the exam question? Alternatively, was your knowledge in the area lacking and could you work on improving this for next time. Once you understand where you went wrong, you can implement measures to avoid repeating the same mistakes.
Implement a plan to improve your marks in the future.
Once you have understood where you went wrong, implement strategies to improve your grades in the future. For example, if pacing yourself was an issue, practice past paper exams under time pressure. We have a range of practice exams here for students to practice with.
If the content was an issue, spend a little more time covering the content. If you misunderstood the question, prepare yourself to understand the question being asked before you try and answer it.
Getting low grades can be an important learning tool if we allow them to be. They can make us re-evaluate how we are working and make improvements. Keep in mind that everyone makes mistakes, and it takes focus to learn from them and do better next time.
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