Is it worth requesting that my teacher overlook a messup on my final?

Pre-College Topics High School Life
1

<p>So I had my anatomy final exam on Wednesday, and the teacher should have the grading completed by Tuesday. Here’s the deal: I’ve had an A all semester, but it wasn’t really high, so I needed an 87% on the final to get an A in the class. An 87% was lower than my lowest exam score all semester, but there’s still that element of uncertainty. Needless to say, the more points I got on the final, the better. For the exam, she (the teacher) had pinned various cadaver materials – primarily brains. On one brain, she had the posterior portion pinned with the instructions “Identify this portion of the brain.” Having no clue what she was after, I answered (on paper), “umm…the part of the brain that controls subconscious function?” I just realized that what she was after was “occipital lobe.” What I wrote technically was correct (in the sense of being not wrong), but it certainly wasn’t what she was going for. Now I have no clue how the teacher will handle this, or even if it will affect my final grade, but in the case that it does, I really want her to give me the benefit of the doubt. Is it worth emailing her and asking, “Hey, I just realized that I wrote down something that totally wasn’t what you were going for – I’m not sure if this affects my grade, but would you mind overlooking it or at least giving me partial credit on that question?”</p>

<p>I don’t want to look like a grade-grabber, but I really want that A, if for no other reason than the fact that I had an A since the beginning of the semester! Is it worth asking her?</p>

2

<p>Of course!!! there really isn’t a reason not. Just make sure it is clear that you misunderstood what type of answer she wanted but not misread the question.</p>

3

<p>I wouldn’t e-mail to ask. Your teacher will understand from your answer that you misunderstood what the question was asking, and that you are technically correct. It’ll be obvious that you understood the question but not quite what she was looking for - asking her flat-out to ignore the misunderstanding would probably only annoy her. You don’t have much more information about the misunderstanding than she does - it’s her decision whether to overlook this/give you partial credit. But that’s just my $.02, and you know your teacher better ^^</p>

4

<p>any other thoughts?</p>

5

<p>Take whatever grade you deserve. If the teacher gives you partial credit, then you’re lucky. Otherwise, just move on. One B isn’t the end of your life.</p>

<p>If I had asked a professor to give me points on an answer that vague in bio or anatomy, I would have been laughed at.</p>

6

<p>Many of my teachers would not have given me any credit unless I specifically put down what they were looking for. Think about your algebra classes where you would lose points if your answer wasn’t in simplest form. Often, writing down a correct statement is not enough; you have to get it exactly right. I feel that you deserve at least some partial credit, but don’t be surprised if your teacher thinks otherwise.</p>

7

<p>OK, I’ll just take what I get – thanks for the advice. :)</p>