High school student confronts teacher after they give her the lowest grade on a group project she did all the work for: ‘I should've gotten the grade I deserved’

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Bar Mor Hazut • Senior Editor
Jan 19, 2026 3:00 PM EST

The grades were based on presentation, not the effort?

When a student finds themselves doing all the work during a group project, the one motivation they have is to get a good grade. Sure, it's annoying to do all the work while your classmates are slacking off and doing nothing, but at least at the end of the day, you will get the grade you deserve for all of the hard work you've put in. It's genuinely easier than starting a battle you will most likely lose. Even if you classments end up getting a good grade for a project they didn't contribute to, at least you're getting a good grade as well. At the end of the day, the grades are what matter in school, right?

That was the thought process of the 16-year-old student in the story below. She had a week to make a presentation with her two classmates, and it became clear pretty early on that she was going to have to do all the work, and she did. 

After the presentation, the teacher graded all three students, but she gave the hardworking 16-year-old the lowest grade of the three. The teacher claimed that she was grading them all based on their performance during the presentation, and not the work done beforehand, and she was the least active out of the three. The student, on the other hand, thought this was completely unfair and insisted that the teacher grade them based on the effort they've put in. She also made sure the teacher knew she was the one who did all the work to put the presentation together.

This was no help. The teacher refused to change the grades and even contacted the student's parents and informed them of the disrespect she demonstrated in class.

Was the teacher right, or does the student deserve a higher grade for all her hard work?

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  • Smiling high school student standing next to a locker
    via @monkeybusinessimages

    Image is representative only and does not depict the actual subjects of the story.

  • AITA for telling my teacher she’s not allowed to give my group member a better grade?

    So I (16F) am in a group project class. we were in groups of 3, and I was paired with Lana (16F) and lan (16M).
    via Bridgeofincident
  • we had a week to make a presentation. I did the research, wrote most of the scripts, and put together the slides.
    via Bridgeofincident
  • lana showed up once and gave me few printed pictures for a presentation, that's the only time she "helped" then she spent the rest of the week not doing anything, ian helped a bit, but not much.
    via Bridgeofincident
  • we all presented and the teacher said we all did a good job, then she graded us.
    via Bridgeofincident
  • Students with Digital Tablets Giving Presentation to High School
    via @monkeybusinessimages

    Image is representative only and does not depict the actual subjects of the story.

  • (We use different grade system) lana got 10/10 ian got 9/10 and I got a 7/10 I got upset and asked the teacher the reason she gave me the lowest grade, all she said was that lana was "more confident" during the presentation and ian "helped with the visuals" I said that I did 90% of
    via Bridgeofincident
  • the work and that it wasn't fair, she then said that grades are based on presentation, not effort, The teacher looked annoyed and said she graded fairly and I shouldn't be upset with her
    via Bridgeofincident
  • grading based on how active we were during a presentation, Now my teacher is telling my parents that I was rude and disrespectful and that I'm acting like I'm entitled.
    via Bridgeofincident
  • Lana said I was being "too much" and I "should've just asked nicely" I feel like I'm not the problem.
    via Bridgeofincident
  • If I worked the hardest i should've gotten the grade I deserved. AITA?
    via Bridgeofincident

  • How would you react if something like that happened to you, and what would you have done differently if you were in the teacher's shoes?

    Keep scrolling to read the comments and share your thoughts below.

  • dragon_Porra NTA If this is a team project, then the whole team gets the same mark. Please see if you can see your teacher's senior, principal. Involve your parents. What this person has done is outright favouratism
    via dragon_Porra
  • Capelily INFO: Did your teacher make it clear that you'd be graded on presentation only? > I did 90% of the work and that it wasn't fair, she then said that grades are based on presentation, not effort If your teacher didn't make this clear ahead of time, then NTA.
    via Capelily
  • Syric13 As a High school teacher, this teacher sucks. Everyone telling you you are wrong sucks. You are 100% NTA Don't listen to them. You are 100% correct. The teacher's lesson was inappropriate. Grading based on presentation alone is a shitty lesson and deserves to be called out on it.
    via Syric13
  • armchairshrink99 INFO: what was the rubric for this project? Did it specify that scores were based on presentation alone or did it specifically mention that it was based on effort in putting the presentation together?
    via armchairshrink99
  • EmbeeBug Do you have the grading rubric? If the purpose of the presentation was presenting and that's what you were being graded on, like your actual oral presentation skills, then your teacher has every right to give them better grades. If it was being graded on the content of the presentation then maybe you are justified, but still you shouldn't be rude to a teacher
    via EmbeeBug
  • perfidious_snatch NTA. Your teacher took what sucks most about group presentations (one person does all the work, but everyone gets the same grade) and made it worse! How can you be graded down for the presentation when without you there would be nothing to present?
    via perfidious_snatch
  • KiyoMizu1996 NTA. You just learned a very important life lesson...there will be people who put in the bare minimum of work but bc they have charisma, they will be rewarded while those who do the most work will be ignored, penalized or treated w condescension. Unfortunately I don't have a lot of advice for you other than to buckle down and study hard so you will have more opportunities and choices when it comes time to launch into adulthood. Good luck
    via KiyoMizu1996

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school students presentation teenagers group projects teacher grades high school parents entitled people
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