MA marking criteria 2021-22

Distinction

90+

Candidates will demonstrate all of the qualities required for a distinction in the 70-79 range. A dissertation marked in this range will in addition push the boundaries of existing historiography and suggest major revisions to our understanding of the topic studied.

80-89

Candidates will demonstrate all of the qualities required for a distinction in the 70-79 range. Work marked in this range will in addition demonstrate intellectual originality and imagination, and include highly innovative analysis of primary source material. Any argument that convinces the examiner to think differently about a subject should be marked above 80.

70-79

The dissertation will be well-presented, making full and appropriate use of scholarly apparatus (including the referencing of primary and/or archival sources). It will be written in fluent, lucid and stylish prose, which engages the reader's interest. In terms of research, the dissertation should clearly derive from a well-defined and identifiable primary source base. This research will inform the argument at every stage, and the candidate will demonstrate some sophistication in source criticism. The argument offered in the dissertation should be sustained and convincing, offer perceptive and independent insights, and demonstrate an ability to handle historical concepts and methods with confidence. The candidate should also be able to situate their topic within the wider literature, showing an awareness of current debates and an ability to offer informed and constructive analysis of the work of others.

Merit

60-69

Dissertations marked within the 'Merit' range will be competently or well presented, making correct use of scholarly apparatus (including the referencing of primary and/or archival sources). They will also be clearly and effectively written. The dissertation will have an identifiable and well-focused primary source base and the candidate will make effective use of this primary material in presenting his/her argument. This argument should be clear and cogent, making a plausible, if not necessarily a compelling, case. Similarly, the contextualisation of the topic will demonstrate an ability to evaluate debate and show some confidence in handling conflicting opinions.

Pass

50-59

A dissertation marked as a 'Pass' will have an identifiable primary source base but the relationship between the sources and the thesis may not be well developed. For example, primary source material may be employed descriptively or serve simply as illustration for a pre-conceived argument. Alternatively, research may be haphazard or one-sided. The dissertation should be competently presented but may not entirely follow the guidelines set. Referencing and prose style may be less well developed than is the case for a mark in the 'Merit' range. The dissertation should advance a case, but the argument may be more mechanical or show a tendency to description. There should be some attempt to situate the dissertation within a wider scholarly literature but the reading may be relatively narrow.

Fail

30-49

A dissertation in this range may have ignored presentational guidelines and the conventions of academic writing (including grammar and spelling). Primary sources will be thin, tangential, or inappropriately chosen and so fail to support the argument put forward in the dissertation. There will be little in the way of contextualization; candidates may have read narrowly or failed to engage with the historiography. The absence of any convincing argument will also be grounds for failure.

1-29

A dissertation in this range may have ignored presentational guidelines and the conventions of academic writing (including grammar and spelling). There will be little or no sign that that the candidate has identified a body of primary material. The candidate will show little evidence of familiarity with the existing scholarship on the subject. The dissertation may be incoherent and unfocused.

0

Indicates work either not submitted or unworthy of marking.