Receiving assessment and exam results can be a daunting experience, especially if you aren’t left feeling pleased with your grade. If that’s the case, it’s important to remember that things can easily be improved if you’re willing to put the effort in. And, even if you’re happy with your grade and how the assessment went, there’s always things you can do to move your grade up. Follow the tips below and you’ll soon be feeling more confident about your next assessment!
If it didn’t go to plan, don’t panic!
If you’re disappointed with the results, try not to feel too panicked or disheartened. With some time and hard work, you can improve where necessary. Acknowledge your weak areas and take note of what needs to be done, whether that’s better preparation/revision in the future or a meeting with your lecturer to discuss your feedback further. Whatever it is, if you commit to improving your future results, you will get there!
Go and see your tutor or lecturer
Even if you’re happy with your results, this one’s for you. It’s a cliché, but there is always room for improvement. By going to see your tutor or lecturer, you can get verbal feedback to elaborate on the written feedback that’s already on your assignment. It will be tailored to you and your writing style, and it’s the ideal opportunity to ask any questions you have about where you can improve. It’s a good idea to look back over your submission and the written feedback provided and note down any questions you have about things you don’t understand. You can also make a note of where you would like things to be clarified or elaborated. You might also want to ask if they have any recommendations on what you need to do next to improve and practice. For example, is more reading the solution? Do you need to practice some exam questions? Whatever it is, they can provide advice specific to you.
Work with the feedback you’re given
Make sure you save any written feedback you get on your script to somewhere accessible, like your laptop, and make notes on the verbal feedback you received. Keep hold of these and look back over them when you come to write your next assignment to remind you of where you need to improve. When you proofread your next assessment, check that you have taken care of where your examiner said you needed to improve. For instance, if your feedback stated that you didn’t link back to the question enough, make sure you have made clear links back to the question in your paragraphs.
Practice, practice, practice!
Once you have received your feedback, don’t just save it to your laptop or make notes in a notepad just for it to never be seen again. Look at past exam and essay questions and give them a go where possible – you can ask your tutors or lecturers if they can send you some over if you can’t find any yourself. It may also be a good idea to rewrite part of your assignment, making the necessary improvements, and then ask your tutor to look over your new response to make sure you have improved and understood the feedback you were given.