New research has discovered that having a last name with a letter in the alphabet such as Williams, or Zimmers could result in lower grades. Conversely having a last name that starts with A or B like Anderson or Clark could give you better grades. According to a study published by the University of Michigan, this phenomenon is caused by teachers grading students by alphabetical order. Researchers analyzed more than 30 million grading records from the University, which uses Canvas, and found that teachers were biased when grading students with lower last names. Students who were graded first received an average of 0.3 points out of 100 possible points. However, students at the end of the alphabet receive 0.3 lower points than average.

They also found that lower-alphabet students receive more negative feedback and receive lower-quality grading. This could be due to the fatigue teachers experience after grading 30 other students’ essays before they come to the last student, tired and exhausted after correcting hundreds of spelling mistakes. Teacher’s grading will get more sloppy and rushed as they want to be done already. They lose attention and cognitive abilities as they reach the end of the alphabet. Teachers also start grading essays on a curve, comparing your essay to the best essays of the last 30 students. This would indefinitely result in a more harsh grading. This experience is amplified for students who are graded after a student whose work is fabulous. So the next time your parents complain about your grades, you can blame it on them for giving you a bad last name.