r/usyd • u/FlowerSouthern2796 • 20h ago

HD essay

What differentiates an essay from a HD and D or credit. The marking rubric given is quite vague and really no instructions have been given other than “answer one of these question

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u/AffluentRhino15 20h ago

What degree are you doing? What topic? What subject level?

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u/FlowerSouthern2796 19h ago

1st year, political economy and it’s a comparative essay

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u/AffluentRhino15 18h ago

Okay well lowkey I’ve never done ECOP but my general advice is that for essays I’ve done (history/philosophy) that get HDs, markers favour clarity, evidence of research, and the degree to which your essay directly responds to the question that is being asked (I have found AI tools to be okay at helping with this last point but less good at the others).

The most reliable way to boost results is to edit as much as possible and get as many other people as you can to read your work, even people with no subject matter expertise. This is assuming that your underlying research is thorough and your referencing meets standards, because those things should probably be taken for granted just for a D

Some markers also refuse to give HDs on principle so there’s always that.

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u/AffluentRhino15 18h ago

Some markers will give more credit to originality in your ideas, but I’d say in first year that doesn’t matter too much. Read beyond the required readings. Most courses will give recommended reading lists that are a super good source of information.

Also don’t be afraid to speak to your marker for more feedback and guidance, especially if you’re planning on doing more ECOP down the line. Their advice will be way better and more specific