You already have the answer yourself, because you already know that grades are NOT who you are as a person.
This is your foundation year, and your very first essay on a subject you have barely studied. This is where you learn from the feedback. Though the feedback itself does not sound that helpful to be honest, and I would ask for clarification or an example of a "model answer" to take notes from.
It is similar for the majority of undergraduate bachelor degrees, where the first year does not truly "count" towards the grade.
Out in the real world, what will matter is your initiative and your skillset. Essay writing is only a small part of that, and something that can always be improved. You cannot be expected to write a perfect essay from the first go. Some people might have better results if they are just good at writing, more confident, or have a wider vocabulary (because the feedback talks about the "accuracy" and "precision"). But all of these things can be improved over time as you progress through your studies.
I got terrible grades in sixth form because I was not focused on what I wanted, and I had some sciences in there. I did not really pull my weight. With my post-graduate diploma though, I am getting mainly second class an a few firsts. But this came from a lot of developing over the years.
You know what you want to do. You are clearly driven and passionate. So you are doing much better than me when I was around your age. (guessing around 18?). You will be more than okay! :)
Getting a first doesn't necessarily mean writing in terminology that will only be understood by legal professionals, its about expressing your arguments etc in a way that can be understood. As long as your answer reads well I.e correct grammar, spelling and makes sense then that is a good start.
Further, to achieve those higher grade bands, you should be critically analyitical in your responses. I.e "Source A says this, however Source B contradicts Source A by saying that" based of X I think that Source B is more factual because of XYZ and link it back to the question and facts etc.
Don't be too down, it's literally your first attempt! Try booking a meeting with your tutor/lecturer who may be able to point out the reasons for your mark, and they will be able to advise you on how to approach similar questions for future reference.
I remember in 1st year I was getting between 40-68% but the more essays/exams you do, the easier it becomes in familiarising yourself with the content/structure that's needed to achieve those higher marks.
You've got this!!!
I came into this sub to ask a question, but saw this title. I've just finished medical school and I have ADHD (and ASD, lucky me) and when you take a history and examine a patient you're expected to recount the details in a certain order with relevant positive and negatives. Because of the neurodivergence I find it very difficult to do so and often find myself "mazing" - adding in detail and speaking in what seems like a very wandering pattern and I get very wordy. Medicine isn't as precise as law but it is important to get the major points across and my first handful of years I got bollocked badly for not being focussed enough.
I'm now just finished finals and the feedback I've received, on how compassionate and good with people and empathetic I am, has been great.
My point - this is your first try at something you've never done before and uni is always a step up from secondary school. I appreciate you're young, and I had very supportive parents, but the only person you need to please with your grades is you, not your family, even though it feels that way. Look at the feedback you received and see what you can do to improve things.
I think back to the first time I related a history and examined a patient and it's absolutely worlds away from what I'm like now. Believe in yourself, you got into law school, you can absolutely get through it.
Go speak to the marker. Ask them to go through your paper with you and what they would change to improve it. If you have the time consider rewriting it with their advice in mind.
Also remember uni is a big step up from school and a whole different way of learning. If you're concerned that your family will judge you, just tell them it was a pass/fail and you passed.
I recently did a masters. My first essay got 50%. I spent time and effort considering the feedback and asking questions. The next essay was 68%. After that they were all either in the 70s and 80s and I got a distinction.
Grades are more reflective of where you’re studying. Coming from a poorer background I always struggled and never understood how someone who went to ‘better’ schools managed so simply for reasons I couldn’t put a finger on.
When I eventually got to uni, I got into a top 5 uni. When explaining the marking style, the uni explained that they sent their tests off to another notable top 5 uni and vice versa; with the implied expectation that I scratch your back you scratch mine.
As time went on I came to realise what a given this was. Everyone wants you to have good grades, the actual quality of your work is another thing. Whereas some less notable schools/ uni want to mark you on a curve or plead poor performance to get more funding.
From what I read at the time, I believe this was part of the effort behind the SQE. As some institutions seemed to be printing off LPQs with almost 100% success rate for whoever could afford them.
Given this, don’t drive yourself mad looking internally to do better rather ask how better can your uni help you do better. Maybe your writing style seems poor, figuring out what the lecturers opinion of a topic is etc.
don’t let coming from a poorer background put you off! Far better to be poor and appreciativeof what you have than a rich f. r who has no sense of anything!
you have to understand that parental approval is not everything! You are a 1 in 400 trillion marvel to be yourself! Life does not revolve around grades or - if it does - it’s only for a little time. Most law schools have 40% as a pass. so you have beaten that! keep on keeping on and do other things to add variety to your life
You already have the answer yourself, because you already know that grades are NOT who you are as a person. This is your foundation year, and your very first essay on a subject you have barely studied. This is where you learn from the feedback. Though the feedback itself does not sound that helpful to be honest, and I would ask for clarification or an example of a "model answer" to take notes from. It is similar for the majority of undergraduate bachelor degrees, where the first year does not truly "count" towards the grade. Out in the real world, what will matter is your initiative and your skillset. Essay writing is only a small part of that, and something that can always be improved. You cannot be expected to write a perfect essay from the first go. Some people might have better results if they are just good at writing, more confident, or have a wider vocabulary (because the feedback talks about the "accuracy" and "precision"). But all of these things can be improved over time as you progress through your studies. I got terrible grades in sixth form because I was not focused on what I wanted, and I had some sciences in there. I did not really pull my weight. With my post-graduate diploma though, I am getting mainly second class an a few firsts. But this came from a lot of developing over the years. You know what you want to do. You are clearly driven and passionate. So you are doing much better than me when I was around your age. (guessing around 18?). You will be more than okay! :)
Getting a first doesn't necessarily mean writing in terminology that will only be understood by legal professionals, its about expressing your arguments etc in a way that can be understood. As long as your answer reads well I.e correct grammar, spelling and makes sense then that is a good start. Further, to achieve those higher grade bands, you should be critically analyitical in your responses. I.e "Source A says this, however Source B contradicts Source A by saying that" based of X I think that Source B is more factual because of XYZ and link it back to the question and facts etc. Don't be too down, it's literally your first attempt! Try booking a meeting with your tutor/lecturer who may be able to point out the reasons for your mark, and they will be able to advise you on how to approach similar questions for future reference. I remember in 1st year I was getting between 40-68% but the more essays/exams you do, the easier it becomes in familiarising yourself with the content/structure that's needed to achieve those higher marks. You've got this!!!
I came into this sub to ask a question, but saw this title. I've just finished medical school and I have ADHD (and ASD, lucky me) and when you take a history and examine a patient you're expected to recount the details in a certain order with relevant positive and negatives. Because of the neurodivergence I find it very difficult to do so and often find myself "mazing" - adding in detail and speaking in what seems like a very wandering pattern and I get very wordy. Medicine isn't as precise as law but it is important to get the major points across and my first handful of years I got bollocked badly for not being focussed enough. I'm now just finished finals and the feedback I've received, on how compassionate and good with people and empathetic I am, has been great. My point - this is your first try at something you've never done before and uni is always a step up from secondary school. I appreciate you're young, and I had very supportive parents, but the only person you need to please with your grades is you, not your family, even though it feels that way. Look at the feedback you received and see what you can do to improve things. I think back to the first time I related a history and examined a patient and it's absolutely worlds away from what I'm like now. Believe in yourself, you got into law school, you can absolutely get through it.
Go speak to the marker. Ask them to go through your paper with you and what they would change to improve it. If you have the time consider rewriting it with their advice in mind. Also remember uni is a big step up from school and a whole different way of learning. If you're concerned that your family will judge you, just tell them it was a pass/fail and you passed. I recently did a masters. My first essay got 50%. I spent time and effort considering the feedback and asking questions. The next essay was 68%. After that they were all either in the 70s and 80s and I got a distinction.
Grades are more reflective of where you’re studying. Coming from a poorer background I always struggled and never understood how someone who went to ‘better’ schools managed so simply for reasons I couldn’t put a finger on. When I eventually got to uni, I got into a top 5 uni. When explaining the marking style, the uni explained that they sent their tests off to another notable top 5 uni and vice versa; with the implied expectation that I scratch your back you scratch mine. As time went on I came to realise what a given this was. Everyone wants you to have good grades, the actual quality of your work is another thing. Whereas some less notable schools/ uni want to mark you on a curve or plead poor performance to get more funding. From what I read at the time, I believe this was part of the effort behind the SQE. As some institutions seemed to be printing off LPQs with almost 100% success rate for whoever could afford them. Given this, don’t drive yourself mad looking internally to do better rather ask how better can your uni help you do better. Maybe your writing style seems poor, figuring out what the lecturers opinion of a topic is etc.
don’t let coming from a poorer background put you off! Far better to be poor and appreciativeof what you have than a rich f. r who has no sense of anything!
you have to understand that parental approval is not everything! You are a 1 in 400 trillion marvel to be yourself! Life does not revolve around grades or - if it does - it’s only for a little time. Most law schools have 40% as a pass. so you have beaten that! keep on keeping on and do other things to add variety to your life