Regrade Policy
How to submit a regrade request
We take great care to ensure that grading is fair and consistent. Since we will always use the same grading procedure, any grades you receive are unlikely to change significantly. However, if you feel that your work deserves a regrade, please submit a request on Gradescope within one week of receiving your grade.Before requesting a regrade, please prepare a clear and concise argument for your stance by doing the following:
- Read the solution set.
- Re-read relevant sections of papers, the notes, and the text (where applicable).
- Read carefully the comments we provide on your work and consider their meaning.
And then submit your regrade request via Gradescope. There will be a "Submit Regrade Request" button on each question.
Regrades will be open for a week after the grades are released; after that you will not be able to submit any more regrade requests.
Who makes the decision?
Every time you submit a regrade request for a problem, an email gets sent to both Professor Leskovec and the TA who graded your problem. Submitting multiple regrade requests on the same problem set will result in multiple emails being sent. All TAs will be able to see your request, but the original grader of the problem will have the final say in determining your grade, because after reading 300 solutions to the same problem, they become the expert in which answers are right and which ones are wrong. (In particularly ambiguous cases, the original grader will usually consult with other TAs before replying to your request, but they will still make the final decision.)
The head TA does not technically have the power to override the original grader. However, they can make strong recommendations to the original grader, if they disagree with their decision.
Actions taken after regrade requests
Regrade requests will only be honored in cases where the TA made a clear error in grading your problem set. Please read the solution set before submitting a regrade request, and try to work out why the TA said your answer was wrong.
If your regrade request is unjustified and thus not honored, then every future unsuccessful regrade request will be penalized 5 points.
If a TA gives back points to someone who submitted a regrade request, the TA must give back points to all people who had a similar deduction, even people who did not submit a regrade request. If a TA violates this policy, you should email the head TA.
If you are not sure whether your regrade request is justified or not, come to office hours and speak to a TA.
Good and bad regrade requests
Examples of good regrade requests include
- The TA said I left Problem 4 blank, but I have Problem 4 right here, and they just didn't see it.
- The TA said I was missing a step, but I have the step on line 30 of page 2 of my assignment.
- The TA said this solution was wrong, and I realize it is not the same as the one in the solution set, but here is a clear and informal explanation of why my alternate solution is correct. I have also attached a statement addressing any concerns the TA may have raised in a comment.
Examples of bad regrade requests include
- I think this rubric is unfair.
- I deserved to get "minor error (-1 points)" instead of "major error (-4 points)."
- I know I said X, but what I really meant was Y. (We can only grade what's on the page!)
- Anything that suggests you did not read the solution set before submitting your regrade request.
- I gave several distinct answers to the problem, and one of them was correct! (Even if another was wrong).
- If I change one line in my code, I get the correct answer, so please give me more points.
- I gave a correct answer to a different problem from the one on the problem set.
- Any request that asserts your solution is correct without giving new information that helps the TA interpret your solution. If your regrade request just says "My solution is correct, please take another look at it," the answer will probably be "I looked at it the first time, and I disagree with you, so you are getting no points back." Regrade requests result from communication failures (either the TA has failed to properly explain to you why your answer is wrong, or you have failed to clearly communicate your solution and why it is correct). So if there is no new information, the TA is unlikely to change their mind.