I’m currently doing a law conversion course (the MA Law on the SQE route) and I just received my first semester grades. I got 58 for one and 51 for the other one. I am devastated. Although these are only 2 exams so far, it feels like I’m now at a significant disadvantage and I feel discouraged about continuing the degree. Will these two grades reduce my chance of getting a training contract?
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Low first year grades
- Thread starter Aspiringlawyer_
- Start date
Doing the same course (finished PGDL and on summer break)
You need to continue the degree. A dropped out of course is worth zero and even if you only scraped a pass it's worth infinitely more.
Getting a TC is a marathon not a sprint.
It's always worth it to continue a course!
It's hard to get to grips with legal style and what they're looking for in marks. I got a 55 in my first term which was also similarly devastating. Have soldiered on and completed the course.
I then made a huge huge effort in term 2 (went library 7 days a week with a less than 5 days off) to rectify this poor mark, and also got a tutor to actually teach me legal writing.
Was able to improve my marks massively for the second term and get all distinctions, but it wasn't easy.
You need to keep going. Remember that an important quality for a trainee is resilience. Obviously a firm would prefer it if you had 8/8 distinctions on the PGDL but this will not completely bar you from getting a TC (if it did I'd give up too!)
There are so many factors going into what makes a good trainee, remember that many people are offered TCs before ever studying law, and some go on to fail the PGDL and have their TC rescinded, so you're doing better than those people already.
You still have loads of time left to show firms you're worth it, and you should consider engaging in extracurriculars if you have the time as this can show more of your abilities too.
Thank you so much for taking the time to respond. I will double my efforts on the other modules to improve my grades.
