Getting it back

The seven stages of planning your assignment

As well as marking the work, your tutor provides comments and advice on the content of your assignment, and on your skills in communicating your ideas.

The assignments below are from the 'Openings' programme of courses at The Open University. These courses have been created as introductions to studying at university level. Tutors tailor any feedback according to the needs of each particular student. However, at Level 1, the comments are designed to coach students in general assignment writing skills. Look at the following examples of feedback on students' assignments.

Marking assignments is how we assess progress and ensure that students process the course material and learn. It's easy to just look at the grade and put the assignment away but the feedback I give is individual to each student. It's important to address misunderstandings so they aren't repeated in other assignments or in the exam.

Mick's advice on dealing with feedback

Listen to OU student Mick talking about how feedback helped him to develop his writing skills.

Listen to the audio (and/or read the transcript)

Note: you will need your OU computer username and password to access the audio and transcript.

When you get your assignment back, you'll no doubt look at the grade first and then look at your tutor's comments. Try to be objective in how you react and use the suggestions below to build on your skills.

Read carefully your tutor's comments on the assignment and the PT3 form.
Mark anything that you don't understand and want to ask your tutor about.
Take note of issues to do with your structure and presentation.
Use a TMA review form to note any suggestions for future improvement.
Keep your feedback in one place and occasionally return to it to identify themes that keep coming up.
Speak to your tutor, or review material on this site for ideas on how to improve.
Attend learning skills workshops at your regional centre. Contact Learner Support at your regional office and ask what they can offer.

Take twenty minutes to review your assignment (twenty minutes or so should be enough). If you want to work out how you are doing on the course so far, you can work out your preliminary overall continuous assessment score (pOCAS). You can also find out about general assessment matters, including assignments and examinations.

TMA review form

You can use this TMA review form (RTF, 106KB) to keep a record of your tutor's comments, your responses to them, and anything you need to remember for your next assignment.