Good Excuses For Bad Grades

Getting bad grades in school is something that no one likes. It can be incredibly disheartening. It can also lead to self-doubt and even despair, which is understandable. Furthermore, most students fear disappointing their teachers and parents. 

But we’ve all had bad grades in the past. So, it is not new, and you should not crucify yourself beyond measure. This article provides some good excuses for bad grades in high school or college. These reasons can also help if you or any of your loved ones need to make up a reason for why there are bad grades on their final exams this semester. 

What to say when you get a bad grade?

• Bereavement 

If you’re looking for a way to get out of bad grades, consider using grief as a cause.

If you’ve ever lost a loved one, you know how traumatic it can be. And if you’re in school, you know that your grades can suffer when the stress of grieving gets in the way of studying. Here are two main reasons why using bereavement as an excuse can work.

The first reason bereavement affects students’ grades is because students do not have time to study. When your family member passes away, it is usually up to you to take care of everything, including taking care of yourself and your family and paying bills on time. Even if you have other people in your family who can help out, they might not be able to do so daily. Therefore, when it comes to studying, you may find that no one can help you with it except yourself.

Also see: Why smart students get bad grades

Another reason bereavement affects students’ grades is because they are distracted by other things they need to do to survive after their loved one passes away. For example, if someone dies and leaves behind children who are still very young and therefore cannot take care of themselves, then there will be additional responsibilities placed upon the shoulders of whoever has been left behind.

However, as you use this excuse, ensure you cover your tracks to avoid being nabbed.

• Claim To Be Unwell

Do you have bad grades and don’t know how to explain them to your parents? If yes, feigning sickness is a perfect excuse.

Whether true or not, you can use illness as an excuse for your poor exam performance. You can tell your parents that you could not concentrate on your studies or prepare well for exams due to the illness. However, make sure that you don’t use this excuse very often because they will get suspicious after some time and may even call up your doctor to confirm whether you have been ill or not.

If you have been caught cheating during an exam by the invigilator or teacher, this is one of the best excuses for bad grades that can be used by students who are afraid of facing the consequences. You should tell them it was a mistake and take full responsibility for it. This way, they won’t take drastic action against you but will let you off lightly instead.

• I Was Stuck In Traffic And Missed My Bus

Being stuck in traffic can be an excellent reason for your bad grades. This is because it can eventually cause you to get bad grades. When you are stuck in traffic, it takes longer to get to school, causing you to be late for class or exams.

If you are late for class, you will probably miss a few concepts your professor may be presenting in class, which might form a good chunk of your examination. Further, if you are late for exams, it causes you to panic, lose concentration thus perform poorly.

Additionally, your learning will be challenged if you are late because you won’t concentrate. And if you don’t focus, your grades will suffer. And bad grades mean no fun.

So if we want to ensure this doesn’t happen, you need to avoid getting stuck in traffic by starting early. However, if it does not work, and you still get bad grades, this can be a good excuse to give whenever you get a bad grade.

• I Was Sick, And I Couldn’t Go To School

Being sick can be a perfect reason to give whenever you post bad grades. It’s not just about the fact that you might have to miss school or the quizzes and tests you might have to miss. It’s also about how it impacts your mental health impacting your ability to do well in school.

If you’re feeling stressed out, anxious, or depressed because of being sick, it’s hard to focus on schoolwork. When suffering from depression, anxiety, or other mental illnesses, it can be difficult to get yourself out of bed in the morning and even harder to concentrate on what you’re doing when you get out of bed.

Also, when you’re sick and in school, you won’t be able to focus on the exams. This can seriously impact your grades. When you are ill and trying to take an exam or write a paper, it’s easy to forget what you learned in class or not know how to answer questions appropriately; thus, you can use it as a reason for failing your exams. 

• Suffering From Insomnia

You can also use suffering from insomnia as an excuse for your bad grades. To use this excuse, you must prove that you have insomnia. This can be done by obtaining a medical certificate from your doctor stating that you have chronic insomnia and that this condition has caused some problems at school or work.

• My Computer Crashed

A computer crash is a perfect excuse for bad grades. If a computer crashes, it can be hard to recover the lost work. If the crash happens in the middle of writing a paper or doing an assignment, it could mean starting over from scratch. It’s easy to get behind when you lose work because of a computer crash, which can lead to bad grades.

Further, you can give this as an excuse because computer crashes come with the loss of assignments and data, as well as the loss of information about tests and quizzes. This can lead to lower grades or even failing grades in some cases.

• The Internet Was Down

This can be a perfect excuse if you are doing an online exam or assignment. When the internet is down during your last exam, it significantly impacts your grades. You cannot look up information in the textbook or on Wikipedia. Also, you cannot check over your notes from class, and you can’t access any websites that might have helped you with the exam questions.

Additionally, you can say the internet was down, thus making it challenging to do your homework and assignments. You can back up this excuse by saying going outside to find a Wi-Fi connection is problematic because it is usually unavailable in your area.

With such an excuse, you can probably get a second chance from your professor. However, ensure you perfectly utilize the opportunity.

Conclusion

In conclusion, the most effective excuses are those whose believability ranks at the top and have a segue into the following sentence. Also, notice that none of these excuses included statements about their teachers’ ineffectiveness or incompetence. 

Such statements can anger a professor and backfire on you, so avoid making criticisms and name calling. On the other hand, sympathy is an excellent tactic and should be used often.