A First... in terrible spelling!

UNIVERSITIES are causing rampant grade inflation by ignoring poor spelling and grammar under policies to drive ‘inclusivity’, regulators say.

The Office for Students (OfS) said tutors are wrongly using the Equality Act to give undergraduates top marks even if they cannot write to a good enough standard. Institutions claim requiring a decent level of English would discriminate against migrants.

The watchdog found some universities are banning tutors from assessing writing proficiency in ‘most instances’. It said the trend will lead to employers having to put up with graduates who are ‘unable to perform written tasks to an appropriate standard’.

It also warned the policies would end up disadvantaging students with poor English as it will limit employment prospects. The OfS today urges universities to reinstate writing guidelines in most subjects or face fines for an ‘erosion’ of standards.

Susan Lapworth, of the OfS, said: ‘Some universities and colleges ask academics to ignore poor spelling, punctuation and grammar to make assessment more inclusive. It threatens to undermine standards as well as public confidence in the value of a degree.’

She said the OfS, the higher education watchdog in England, would start punishing universities if they continue to ‘lack rigour’. ‘The common features we have seen in assessment policies suggest that poor spelling, punctuation and grammar may be accepted across the sector,’ she added.

The report said many universities were citing the Equality Act as a reason to allow poor English. One institution said deducting marks for spelling would violate the rights of those whose ‘first language is not English’.

The report said the trend was likely to be contributing to ‘unexplained’ grade inflation, which has seen the proportion of students awarded at least a 2:1 climb from 67 per cent to 79 per cent in just eight years.

Universities UK, which represents vicechancellors, said: ‘There is no evidence in what has been presented to suggest the practices causing concern are the norm.’