Anger Over 'Sarcastic' English Feedback
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Monday 20 January 2015 XXXOPVTFDPVLt ZPSLOPVTFt!ZPSLOPVTFt!ZPSLOPVTF Sponsored by Est. 1964 NouseGuardian Student Publication of the Year Runner Up 2014 ‘Free Beer’ at the Norman Rea Gallery s Page 9 Snapchat Ban Cameron’s Orwellian clampdown Comment P11 Wild Things Marmosets and tooth- brush massages Features M22 Vinyl York We drop the beat on town’s top record shops Music M14 A Tech Portrait Why Nick Gentry paints on floppy disks Arts M9 Anger over ‘sarcastic’ English feedback t Markers’ comments denounced as vague and unconstructive t One student left on the verge of tears Rosemary Collins their average for previous modules that I slaved over for weeks, I was the one piece of written feedback books. So surely the one bit of feed- NEWS REPORTER and that little feedback was given incensed by the feedback I received. we get all term, I would expect more back we get should take more than on the essays. “There were two comments than a couple of illegible comments five minutes to write? It makes me A NUMBER OF second and third- Many students said feedback written on my essay, both of which and a very vague conclusive line of wonder what we pay for.” year English students have criti- that was given was written in illeg- were not only illegible but left me ‘this essay could benefit from being James Fellows, a second-year cised the feedback they were given ible handwriting, with some being with no knowledge of how to im- written from a wider perspective’. student, said: “I didn’t receive any after receiving the marks for their incorrectly criticised for spelling prove. Many of my friends’ com- “While the scientific courses are written annotation on my essay. open exam essays on Wednesday. mistakes or including inaccurate ments were also unhelpful and paying the same amount as us and All I got was a circle around where Complaints posted on Facebook quotations. some even demeaning and sarcastic. receiving 20-30 hours of contact a I didn’t reference a quote correctly. groups for English students at the Rosie May Bird Smith, a sec- “I’m not someone to kick up week, lab materials [and] books... The comments from the cover sheet University included that the marks ond-year English student, told a fuss, but when I’m paying nine we get a limited seven hours a should have been followed up with they’d received were lower than Nouse: “After getting my essay back grand a year for my education, on week and have to purchase our own Continued on Page 3 NOUSE: THE UNIVERSITY OF YORK STUDENT NEWSPAPER www.nouse.co.uk Tuesday 20 January 2015 2 www.ey.com/uk/careers News Nouse A note from the Editor Est. 1964 The front page of this edi- a modernisation. Social sign, social media taking by “illegible” feedback, and tion marks a big change media now has a place on its place on the front page. inconsistent marks, unac- Email us: for Nouse with a bit of a our front page, so you can It will take some getting ceptable considering that [email protected] redesign. In a break from tweet/Instagram/Face- used to, but we do hope for some, the exam count- tradition, the coloured book us, or just send us an you like it. ed for 100 per cent of a 20 Nouse, Grimston banner that has graced the email if you find that eas- This week’s front page credit module. All things House, University of top of the page for many ier. story carries a rather considered, this is unac- York, YO10 5DD a year is no more, and the We wanted the rede- alarming headline. Many ceptable. Let’s hope that Times-esque capital letter sign to update Nouse; with second and third year Eng- the University responds masthead has undergone a cleaner and smarter de- lish students were affected appropriately and swiftly. Nouse online Grace /yorknouse @yorknouse @yorknouse Got a news story? Is there something news related that you would The Shoot M.12 Satirical nightmare P.28 Into the Woods M.19 Olympic potential P.28 like Nouse to follow up? Get in touch by emailing Fashion Comment Film Sport [email protected] All correspondance will be treated News in brief with the upmost confidentiality YUSU announce Sb1 Morrisons bus Student aims to raise New off-campus student internship bursaries cancelled £8,000 for website flats almost built Advertise in Nouse: YUSU, working with the alumni The Sb1 bus to Morrisons has Sam Bright, a third-year His- The construction of the new email advertising@ office and careers, have secured stopped running. The bus, tory student at the University, studio apartments, designed es- nouse.co.uk £10,000 to give to students run by bus company Transdev, launched a crowdfunding cam- pecially for students, has almost from lower income backgrounds linked Heslington West, Hes- paign to raise £8,000 for the de- been completed. The apart- to help fund work experience lington East and The Boulevard, velopment of his current affairs ments are situated on Lawrence and summer internships. To be before reaching Morrisons on website. Bright built the website, Street at the former Reg Vardy The opinions expressed in this eligble for the internship bur- Foss Islands Road. Transdev said Backbench, after finishing his A showroom and have designed sary, students must receive a that they have no future plans Levels but it is now run by six to be highly sustainable and publication do not necessarily re- bursary from the University, for a similar service to run. the students from across the coun- energy-efficient. Plans to build flect those of the editors, writers, and the internship must be paid. bus used to run from Monday to try. The money will go towards the flats were first submitted in publishers or advertisers. Contact Students receiving bursaries will Saturday until the early evening. developing and marketing an 2009, but they were withdrawn be emailed further information Students will have to use buses app and magazine to inform following concerns from bell [email protected] with letters during the next couple of weeks . that are not as direct. people about political events. ringers. and complaints. Nouse Est. 1964 Want to write for us? Get in touch: [email protected] We are always on the lookout for writers, photographers and cartoonists to join our team. It doesn’t matter if you have never written for Nouse before, send an email to [email protected] or to [email protected] for Muse sections, to get involved. EDITOR DEPUTY DEPUTY SUB Niall Whitehead Rob Middleton Filip Preoteasa FILM AND TV Grace Marsh ONLINE Sam Hickford DEPUTY COMMENT POLITICS EDITOR ARTS EDITOR EDITOR DEPUTY Shahreen Racha PHOTO Amy Gibbons Katy Sandalls Lily Papworth Rosemary Est. 1964 EDITOR SOCIAL EDITOR Jacob Miller DEPUTY POLITICS DEPUTY ARTS Collins Lewis Hill MEDIA James Hostford FEATURES Robin Bandar Joel Down DEPUTY FILM MUSE EDITOR DIRECTOR DEPUTY PHOTO EDITOR Marie Poupinel Lara Swan AND TV Front page photo: Deborah Lam Victoria Chater-Lea Adam Rummer Jasmin Hayward BUSINESS EDITOR FASHION EDITOR Alex Killeen Benjamin Brown DEPUTY MUSE TECHNICAL Raymond Wong DEPUTY Sam Russell Beki Elmer Rhys Thompson and Mate Ternyik EDITOR DIRECTOR DESIGN DIRECTOR FEATURES DEPUTY BUSINESS DEPUTY FASHION FOOD AND DRINK Second page pho- Kate Barlow Owen Hurford Alex Donaldson Connie Shaw James Humpish Grace Howarth EDITOR tos: L-R Harper MANAGING Toby Makins NEWS EDITOR Jack Richardson James Pascoe Melissa Temple Emily Myers and Carr, Paul DIRECTOR DEPUTY Amy Wong SPORTS SCIENCE MUSIC DEPUTY FOOD AND Wilson, no cred- Aaron Stennett TECHNICAL DEPUTY NEWS EDITORS EDITOR EDITOR DRINK it, Lucy Wegerif ONLINE Josh Goodwin Irina Istode Tom Harle Sam Wainwright Chris Owen Kayleigh Sutton Back page photo: EDITOR CHIEF Tess Pullen Matt Kirkum DEPUTY DEPUTY MUSIC GAMING EDITORS James Hostford Alfie Packham SUB-EDITOR COMMENT DEPUTY SPORTS SCIENCE Ricky Jones Adam Koper Erin Rodgers EDITOR Previn Desai Emily Hoyland Callum McCulloch George Nanidis Tuesday 20 January 2015 www.nouse.co.uk www.ey.com/uk/careers NOUSE: THE UNIVERSITY OF YORK STUDENT NEWSPAPER 3 News Essay feedback branded ‘unfair’ and ‘illegible’ by English students Continued from front >>> IMAGE: ROSIE MAY BIRD SMITH highlighted examples in the actual Literature has used the new open essay.” exam in which period modules are Some third-year students assessed by one 3,000 word essay expressed concern that the low from a choice of questions, although marks would affect their chances third-year students have the option of graduating with a first and sev- to choose their own title.Previously, eral students felt that feedback was the modules were assessed by a needlessly sarcastic. A second-year 1,500 word essay due in Week 5, and student, who wished to remain a 2,500 word essay due in Week 1 of anonymous, told Nouse: “I was dis- the following term, both of which traught to see the marker use sar- students chose their own topics for. casm and call my writing style … The changes were criticised at akin to reading ‘nonsense’. the beginning of last term when it “Although parts of their mark- emerged that third-year students ing was fair … the feedback was had not been informed about them one-dimensional … and, in addition due to an administrative error. to reducing me to the verge of tears, Commenting on the recent has cemented the view that I’m feedback, Cherelle Johannes, the clearly not good enough [for] this second-year single subject course degree and the markers clearly don’t representative for English, said: care quite enough to give personal “The student reps as a whole are and detailed feedback to help this.” trying to gauge the level of dissat- However, other students were isfaction, as clearly there are some satisfied with the marking.