Top 10 tips: Improving your grades

Top 10 tips: Improving your grades

                                

  1. Take note of feedback and apply it to your work.
  2. Use a dictionary to check spelling. Computer spell-checkers are notorious for missing spelling mistakes.
  3. Don’t just start writing; plan your work.
  4. Avoid contractions. A contraction is a shortened word e.g. it’s, don’t, etc. Instead write it is, do not, etc. 
  5. Pay attention to grammar. Make sure that full stops, commas, semicolons, etc. are used in the correct places.
  6. Use correct terminology. A subject specific dictionary can help with this.
  7. Make sure that you reference correctly. Be aware that there are a couple of hundred versions of Harvard. To ensure that you use the correct one, refer to the University guides. These are available from the Peirson Centre.
  8. Submit your work in the format required. For example, if the assessment task states “present in a table” do just that.
  9. Structure your work. Introduce your topic, expand on the topic and then conclude. Additionally make sure your paragraphs and sentences follow on from each other in a logically sequence. Linking words such as “therefore”, “consequently”, and “furthermore” will help with this.
  10. Submit your work. The most common reason for failing an assessment at the University is non-submission. Even if you are not completely happy with your work, submit it. A low grade is better than no grade at all.