Grading
I remember that for my Masters there were different grades that people could achieve: distinction, merit or pass.
They were sort of similar to undergraduate grade boundaries in terms of achievement. There were extra conditions like needing to get certain percentages for exams and projects but they were simple groupings more or less.
PhDs don’t typically have that. I’ve seen universities organise special prizes for achievement or recognition but that’s separate to the candidate’s research and viva.
With a PhD, typically you pass or fail.
Actually, typically, you pass: the success rate is almost 100%.
Corrections aren’t a kind of pass but rather a condition of success: you might be asked to make some small changes, amend typos and so on. Do the work and you’re done.
Your grade for your PhD, after years of work, is a simple pass. Success. Finished. Done.
So, if you were going to an exam that you knew you were almost certainly going to pass, what would you do to help your success? Perhaps more importantly, what will you do to help how you want to feel about your viva?