MSc Supervision - low mark, advice? on PostgraduateForum.com

MSc Supervision - low mark, advice?

ng41975
2 years ago

Hi all - just to ask have recently finished my MSc dissertation. Throughout the course consistently got grades above 70%. Throughout the past year I have worked alongside my supervisor via Teams on my dissertation - she has been hard to track down, but consistently ahs told me I am on track, work looks good, suggesting re edits (which I have done) and told me that I was looking at a good mark for the work and should consider publishing it. From the beginning we agreed on a hand in date of draft work on 26 march. 5 weeks before this date, she changed the draft hand in date to 1 march, due to her taking time off. Because of work commitments I could not meet this deadline, and was offered no alternative supervisor for the last 3 weeks of the dissertation.
I received my dissertation mark last week - 58%. The examiners marks were a complete disconnect between what my supervisor had been telling me over the past 6 months. I passed as was told work too descriptive, too much of the main work was in the appendices. I am really annoyed, at what I now feel was poor supervision, and I am wondering now if the supervisor is on the same page as the rest of the academic faculty.
I had a meeting with the course lead, and diplomatically she can see my point of view, but advised there is no way to change the grade. She has suggested an academic appeal is not an option. I am wondering if I would have a case with an academic appeal reviewing procedural irregularities with supervision that has affected my result and progress? I have emails from my supervisor saying I am on track and proof that I have sent all sections of the dissertation to her for review.
Interestingly the module lead did tell me that a moderator had to be brought in to mark my work as the examiner and the second marker (my supervisor) disagreed over the mark.
I know the final piece of work is down to me, and I had reference to the course marking grid, but I feel like the supervision has led me down the wrong path. I am not really bothered about not getting a distinction for my masters. I am annoyed at the advice I have been given, and the amount of work I have put in.
Or does this sound more like a complaint case?
Thanks for your advice

eng77
2 years ago

Quote From ng41975:
Hi all - just to ask have recently finished my MSc dissertation. Throughout the course consistently got grades above 70%. Throughout the past year I have worked alongside my supervisor via Teams on my dissertation - she has been hard to track down, but consistently ahs told me I am on track, work looks good, suggesting re edits (which I have done) and told me that I was looking at a good mark for the work and should consider publishing it. From the beginning we agreed on a hand in date of draft work on 26 march. 5 weeks before this date, she changed the draft hand in date to 1 march, due to her taking time off. Because of work commitments I could not meet this deadline, and was offered no alternative supervisor for the last 3 weeks of the dissertation.
I received my dissertation mark last week - 58%. The examiners marks were a complete disconnect between what my supervisor had been telling me over the past 6 months. I passed as was told work too descriptive, too much of the main work was in the appendices. I am really annoyed, at what I now feel was poor supervision, and I am wondering now if the supervisor is on the same page as the rest of the academic faculty.
I had a meeting with the course lead, and diplomatically she can see my point of view, but advised there is no way to change the grade. She has suggested an academic appeal is not an option. I am wondering if I would have a case with an academic appeal reviewing procedural irregularities with supervision that has affected my result and progress? I have emails from my supervisor saying I am on track and proof that I have sent all sections of the dissertation to her for review.
Interestingly the module lead did tell me that a moderator had to be brought in to mark my work as the examiner and the second marker (my supervisor) disagreed over the mark.
I know the final piece of work is down to me, and I had reference to the course marking grid, but I feel like the supervision has led me down the wrong path. I am not really bothered about not getting a distinction for my masters. I am annoyed at the advice I have been given, and the amount of work I have put in.
Or does this sound more like a complaint case?
Thanks for your advice

I am sorry for what you have been through. It is bad that your supervisor was not as useful as she had to be. Unfortunately, this is the case in UK. The supervisor can only give to her best knowledge advice for thesis submission but the examiners can have different opinions. You can ask your academic tutor if appeal based on irregularitiies applies to you because you had to submit 3 weeks earlier which is something. It is possible to ask for a third party to grade the thesis independently?
In some countries in Europe, the supervisor decieds almost everything regarding the grade but this is a two side coin as relationship with supervisor plays a major role in the grade.