Well someone is gunna get schooled....ok I’ll see myself out.

I would make a complaint to the dean. It would be one thing to take a point off or even a few points, but if there was nothing else wrong with your paper than that's over the top to give a zero.

It’s literally spelled Colombia too.

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She deserved a zero for what I'm assuming is just one spelling mistake? Deductions of points she deserves, not a straight zero if there's nothing else wrong with the paper other than that one simple mistake.

There is actually a Columbia in New York, and a country named Colombia. depending on the subject of the paper it might not be misspelled at all, and either way, no way this is a zero. Sounds like someone else's IQ should be in question.

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No.... a 0 is not well deserved for misspelling one word.

I’d imagine in a paper about Colombia, you’d use the word about a dozen times or so. Misspelling it every time shows a pretty alarming lack of attention.

Depending on the course, that error might be unforgivable.

Ok let's play a little game, of who is right or wrong. If OP was talking about Washington D.C. then the teacher is wrong; however if OP was talking about the country of Colombia then the teacher is right.

How the teacher decides to grade the paper is his or her decision.

Spelling it consistently throughout would be normal, because if the thought it was spelled that way, if course they always spell it that way.
Spelling the same word multiple ways within one essay would show inattention and carelessness.
This is simply a case of thinking a word is spelled X and it's actually spelled Y.

Hate to break it to you, but you are also misspelling your name: It's M-u-r-r-a-y not M-a-r-r-a-y!

Marray is a French female name pronounced ma-ray.😊

Unless you possess a copy of her birth certificate, you have no business telling her that she can't spell her name.

Obviously a joke about the irony of the male OP's nickname and the subject of the paper. Settle down. People can spell anything however they want, other people might get it wrong or other cultures will have trouble with it. Colombia vs Columbia; Roma vs Rome; United States vs Estados Unidos; Marray vs Murray - it's going to happen. They shouldn't be offended when it happens - and neither should you.

If Colombia is the subject of the paper, points should be deducted; however because the OP is on the right subject, he should get some credit. My brother received a paper about whales when the subject was Wales. The student fought the 0% he/she received and ended up with a 20%. LOL. But seriously, the OP should fight or more civilly ask the instructor if they can resubmit with a letter grade deduction.

If a single spelling error was the only thing wrong with your paper, her IQ must be low if she deemed it appropriate to give your entire paper a straight zero.

Wow that's harsh you should a appeal it.

I would bring it up with her higher ups... like dean, principal etc. or Google it for her and show it

unless the paper was over Colombia, i would y’all to the dean.