Past Exam Papers

By Luke Arnott

Reviewing Feedback from Tests and Papers Helps Students Improve

Boost the grade on your next essay exam by putting your previous tests into context. Adopt a constructive attitude, adjust study habits, and get extra help if needed.

Students taking literature courses usually get tests and papers returned, with feedback, before writing a final exam. This can be stressful for those whose interim grades are disappointing. However, it is an opportunity for students to improve.

 

Focus on What You Can Do Next

Anyone getting back a bad test is liable to be upset. If it happens to you, resist the temptation to blame a sadistic professor or noisy roommates, or to throw out the exam and do nothing at all.

Take a few days off. Once you can look at your results a little more dispassionately, be honest with yourself. Did you devote too little time to studying beforehand? Were you tested on material which you only skimmed, or didn't fully understand? If the answer to such questions is yes, plan to correct your study habits accordingly.

 

Understand What Your Exam Mark Means

In the meantime, put your exam grade into context. Instructors often tell their students what the average marks were; if yours doesn't, feel free to ask. If you got a B- and the average was a C, you may not be doing as poorly as you think.

This is especially important in the humanities, and in literature courses particularly. Evaluating answers to essay questions can be very subjective, and many teachers save A-range grades for only the best-written responses. Some teachers and professors grade harshly on the first midterm to set a high standard. Others prefer to mark more leniently at first, and be tougher later.