fail marks

USAGE SUMMARY

The phrase "fail marks" is correct and usable in written English.
It can be used to refer to grades or scores that indicate failure in an academic context. Example: "Students who receive fail marks in their exams will need to retake the course next semester."

✓ Grammatically correct

Science

News & Media

Human-verified examples from authoritative sources

Exact Expressions

3 human-written examples

Rather than the assignment of pass or fail marks, the proposed multi-source feedback approach requires further evaluation of any radiologists who receive consistently low scores.

European Radiology

Multiple Poisson regression was performed to predict the number of stipulated, major, and fail marks trainees received for their five case reports, along the same lines as the multiple linear regressions used to predict the exam marks.

British Journal of Clinical Psychology

An additional rule, which applies to only a tiny percentage of candidates, is that any candidate who receives three Clear Fail marks from three different examiners will automatically fail the examination; in practice most candidates meeting this criterion would have failed the examination anyway as their total mark is below 41.

BMC Medical Education

Human-verified similar examples from authoritative sources

Similar Expressions

57 human-written examples

Only 51 banks are being assessed, compared with 124 in 2014, and they will not be given a pass or fail mark as in the past.

The Guardian - Business

The much-anticipated result of the stress tests – for which there was no pass or fail mark – of 51 banks showed that Italy's third largest bank emerged weakest from the assessment.

The Guardian - Business

It's not entirely clear whether a Supreme Court judge even has the power to override a fail mark and award a uni student a pass.

Vice

Twenty-three-year-old Chinmay Maik has launched legal action against Monash University in the hope that a judge will wipe the fail mark and instead give him a pass for a journalism assessment he submitted last year.

Vice

Theoretically, greasing your answers with Chapstick will confuse the machine and cause it to fail marking anything on the test form.

WikiHow

Eventually, the thing starts to look right, and all those failed marks and corrections give it its character.

Vice

Branson, who is to give a video address at the opening of the International Harm Reduction Conference IHRCC) in Vilnius on Sunday, said recent comments from Latin American leaders that the "war on drugs" had failed marked a "sea change" among politicians in that region and should spur those in the UK and elsewhere into action.

The Guardian

On 13 July, a platoon drawn from the 2nd Guards Brigade attempted to capture the Vlaštica Peak, but the attack failed, marking the end of Operation Tiger.

Wikipedia

Expert writing Tips

Best practice

When discussing academic performance, use "fail marks" to specifically indicate grades that signify failure, ensuring clarity in your assessment.

Common error

Avoid using "fail marks" when referring to slight underperformance; reserve it for situations where the performance is explicitly categorized as a failure. Otherwise, consider terms like "low marks" or "unsatisfactory performance".

Linguistic Context

The phrase "fail marks" functions as a noun phrase, specifically referring to academic grades or scores that indicate a failure. Ludwig AI confirms this usage through various examples, demonstrating its role in describing performance assessments.

Expression frequency: Rare

Frequent in

News & Media

33%

Science

33%

Formal & Business

0%

Less common in

Encyclopedias

0%

Wiki

0%

Reference

0%

Ludwig's WRAP-UP

In summary, the phrase "fail marks" is a grammatically sound noun phrase used to denote grades indicating academic failure. While Ludwig AI shows its usage is relatively rare, it's correctly employed across diverse contexts like science and news reporting. Alternatives like "failing grades" or "unsatisfactory marks" can be considered depending on the specific nuance you wish to convey. Remember to reserve "fail marks" for instances explicitly categorized as failure, to maintain clarity in your communication.

More alternative expressions

Phrases that express similar concepts, ordered by semantic similarity:

failing grades

Focuses on the grading system, explicitly indicating a failure.

unsatisfactory marks

Emphasizes the inadequacy of the marks, a more general term for poor performance.

poor grades

Highlights the low quality of the grades received.

low marks

Indicates marks that are below the expected or required standard.

passing marks

Implies the marks aren't sufficient to pass an exam.

failed assessments

Refers to evaluations that resulted in failure.

deficient scores

Highlights the insufficiency or inadequacy of the obtained scores.

substandard evaluations

Emphasizes that the evaluations did not meet the required standard.

inadequate performance

Focuses on the broader concept of performance not meeting expectations.

unsuccessful results

Highlights that results were not successful in some way.

FAQs

How can I use "fail marks" in a sentence?

You can use "fail marks" to refer to grades that indicate failure in an academic setting. For example, "Students who receive "fail marks" may need to retake the course."

What's the difference between "fail marks" and "failing grades"?

While both terms refer to grades indicating failure, "fail marks" is a more general term, while "failing grades" specifically relates to a grading system.

Which is correct, "fail marks" or "failure marks"?

"Fail marks" is the more commonly used and accepted phrase. "Failure marks" isn't incorrect, but it is less idiomatic.

What are some alternatives to saying "fail marks"?

Depending on the context, you can use "unsatisfactory marks", "poor grades", or "low marks" as alternatives to "fail marks".