“I have applied for a revision of paper before. I think the recent increase in the price one must pay to revise an exam paper is put there either to reduce the amount of students applying for a revision of paper – thus reducing the administration’s workload – or it is a quick and easy way for the University to get its hands on some funds.
“I think marks should not be reduced during a revision of paper. They should only increase or remain the same.”
Abigail Sciberras, Law, third year.
“I’ve never had to apply for a revision of paper; however, I think the recent increase in prices only stems from a thirst for money. I agree that people who mark the papers should be allowed to deduct marks during a revision of paper if the student does not deserve the marks he or she got.”
Nikolas Cassar, B.A. Geography and Archaeology, first year.
“I was once tempted to apply for a revision of paper, but decided against it following comments and complaints I had heard about how unsatisfactory the process is.
“If the recent price hike will enhance the service in terms of efficiency, then it is understandable. If, on the contrary, the increase in fees leads to futile changes, it says a lot about the sorry state of student rights.
“A revision of paper is, as its name implies, a revision, with all that entails. You can’t have your cake and eat it too, expecting marks to go up but being offended if they go down. However, I propose a capping, whereby a student who previously passed cannot be failed.
“The mark should only vary within a specified range. Besides, getting a fail following a revision of paper would really spoil summer, and defeat the concept of revising a paper in the first place.”
Lisa Marie Azzopardi, Law, first year.
The summer period may provide University students with a break from the studying routine which afflicts most of us throughout the year.
Nevertheless, the prospect of receiving our results via e-sims leads to checking our account multiple times a day in the hope of taking yet another step towards our next year of study.
However, when upon accessing e-sims the heart-stopping green font appears, hope may take a nosedive as the result might be contrary to what we had anticipated. In such a situation, one usually reverts to the last bastion of hope: the revision of paper.
Nevertheless, students may now start to shun this last option, given the latest developments in the issue. A rise in the price for revisions of paper may lead to students with limited income automatically excluding this possibility, since a revision of paper contains no guarantee that the grade will increase.
Another aspect which may limit such revisions is the new regulation stating that grades can be decreased, as well as increased. This new development will dishearten students whose grades are on the border between passing and failing.
For instance, a student who barely managed to pass his examination will undoubtedly be much more reluctant to pay for a revision of paper when faced with the possibility of paying money only to have his grade decreased and be forced to undergo a re-sit in a subject in which he had technically already passed.
Another inconvenience is that a refund may only be given in cases in which the grade in question is changed from a fail to a pass. This provision should also apply to all changes with regard to grades in general.
Therefore, certain areas which may be unfavourable towards the student must be altered in order to make the system more student-friendly and work for students rather than against them.
Conducting a revision of paper should be an option that gives students closure, not one that causes them to risk having their grades reduced further.
Edward Camilleri, student, Birkirkara.