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During your studying life some of you are likely to experience a failure in an assignment, exam or piece of work. Failure comes in many forms, and each one has it's own set of consequences for the student involved. The most common reason for failure is that the student has not tried and performed as well as they able. However, there are instances where failure arises through no fault of the student, typically these situations could involve a student with personal problems, or one who has suffered from ill health. This section deals with the common causes of failure, ways to cope with it and more importantly how to avoid it.

Failure can happen at anytime. A student could fail an assignment, a unit, an exam or even the whole course. The consequences associated with each type of failure are discussed below.

In the event that a student fails an assignment he/she must speak with their tutor in order to identify where mistakes have been made, and discuss how they can be rectified. The feedback provided by the tutor will be extremely useful when subsequent assignments are set. As a consequence of failing an assignment, the student should be aware of the extra effort needed in subsequent assignments and tests in order to pass a particular unit or course. The extra effort required would depend on what percentage of the unit or course the assignment made up. The important thing to remember is that it is possible to recover from failure of an assignment, but the student must work hard to achieve this and avoid it occurring again.

Failure of an exam can have two consequences depending upon how much of a percentage it is worth. If the exam is worth a small percentage of the overall mark awarded, you may still pass with a lower grade. Otherwise, it is possible to fail the unit/module even though you have done well in any other associated assignments or exams. In this instance, where the final grade depends solely on the one paper and not on previous assignments the exam will have to be retaken. If you find yourself having to retake an exam, you can find useful revision techniques in the exam section.

In the event that a student fails a particular unit he/she must talk to the course director to find out whether the failure affects continuation of the course; if the unit must be retaken, this is termed a referral. Generally failure of a unit does not lead to failure of the course unless the course required the successful completion of all units, or if the unit was a core unit. A core unit is one that you cannot afford to fail and will result in you having to retake it.

This type of failure is obviously far more serious than those previously discussed. The steps to be taken after such failure should be thought out very carefully indeed, as they could have some bearing on the rest of your life. You have a number of options available to you, ranging from re-siting the year, changing courses, changing your University, or even leaving studying. A decision concerning the most suitable option should not be made without first speaking with your Course Director and tutors. In addition you may also find it helpful to seek the advice of family and friends.

If you know of someone who has been in a similar situation, they may be able to offer help and explain the factors that influenced their decision. The main thing to remember is that any decision you make must be your own, being the most suitable for you.

There are six general reasons for failure of an assignment, a unit, an exam or even the whole course - they are discussed below.

This is the most common reason for failure. Typically a student does not put enough effort into an assignment, either by leaving their work to the last minute or by handing it in after the deadline, incurring a reduction of marks for late submission. This also tends to happen if a student sits an exam for which they have spent little or no time preparing and revising for.

It is not uncommon for students to suffer from medical conditions that effect their condition throughout the course. Typical examples of such medical conditions include diabetes or epilepsy. In situations such as these it is best to let the course director know about your condition. In the event you do encounter failure, or associated problems that lead to failure, tutors are more likely to be sympathetic if they have been informed.

Some students may not do well because of problems at home. Such problems can include family members that are ill, or bereavement. Students who are affected by such problems and experience failure are able to make an appeal regarding their result if necessary. To do this they should first talk to their tutors and course director. Some students find it helpful to speak with a University counsellor.

Some students experience learning difficulties. Again, in situations like these it is best to let the course director to know about your difficulty. Often students with learning difficulties are entitled to extra time to complete assignments and exams. Remember special considerations can only be made for you, if you inform someone before hand. Your university will have tutors who can advise you. Typically such tutors will provide useful tips on note taking, revision techniques, improving your English writing skills and even help with numeracy. It is advisable that you attend extra tutorials, as they are a tried and tested way of helping in these cases.

It is possible that you could encounter failure due to being caught cheating. In this situation there is nothing to be said, except not to attempt it ever again. However, if you are innocent and have been wrongly accused of cheating there are steps that you can take to resolve the situation. You will find further information on cheating by here.

In a very serious case of plagiarism, it is possible to encounter a failure for that piece of work. This is very rare, but must be understood. To ensure that you understand the concepts behind plagiarism and to ensure you do not commit it unknowingly, click here.

Experiencing a fail mark for the first time can be very distressing. You will wonder why you received a mark that in most circumstances would be significantly below your expectations. To help understand and cope in this situation it is best to see the tutor or lecturer teaching the relevant part of the course. Ask him/her to explain why you have received a low mark and how you can ensure you do not receive one again. Depending upon the circumstances, you may be able to retake the piece of work although you will have to submit a strong argument in your favour to the course director.

In any circumstance ensure that you do not attack the tutor, lecturer or Universities abilities, and remain calm and be prepared to accept that you did not fully meet the criteria to pass in this instance. If you feel that you wish to take the matter further, you will need to ensure that you state that you will be seeing the course director in an email to your tutor and think carefully about your future at the University before taking matters too far.