Dumbing down ‘is patronising to disadvantaged students’, universities watchdog says 

Dumbing down ‘is patronising to disadvantaged students’: Lowering standards and ignoring spelling and grammar errors does not help, universities watchdog says

  • Office for Students reviewing practices that allegedly ignored spelling mistakes
  • Universities accused of ordering lecturers to lower grades to be more ‘inclusive’
  • OfS Regulation Director said all students should receive a high-quality education

Lowering academic standards for disadvantaged students is ‘patronising’, the universities watchdog says.

The Office for Students (OfS) yesterday started a review into assessment practices that allegedly disregard spelling and grammar mistakes. 

A number of universities are accused of ordering lecturers to lower grading standards for students from ‘non-traditional backgrounds’ to be more ‘inclusive’.

Lowering academic standards for disadvantaged students is ‘patronising’, the universities watchdog says (stock image)

Susan Lapworth, the OfS director of regulation, told Times Higher Education: ‘Students from all backgrounds should expect a high-quality academic experience and a qualification that reflects their achievements. 

‘We have been clear that standards should not be reduced for particular groups of students and it is patronising to expect less from some students under the guise of supporting them.

‘Effective academic writing requires good spelling, punctuation and grammar from all.’

The review was launched after reports institutions had told academics that insisting on good written English discriminated against ethnic minorities and those who went to ‘underperforming’ schools.

Hull University reportedly told markers that requiring high proficiency in written English could be seen as ‘homogenous, North European, white, male, and elite’.

The institution said that students should be encouraged to develop a ‘more authentic academic voice…that celebrates, rather than obscures, their particular background or characteristics’.

The University of the Arts London reportedly issued guidelines saying that staff should ‘actively accept spelling, grammar or other language mistakes that do not significantly impede communication unless the brief states that formally accurate language is a requirement’.

It warned academics to ‘avoid imposing your own idea of “correct English” on student work’.

The University of Worcester allegedly told staff that if spelling and grammar were not ‘central to the assessment criteria’, it was fairer to judge students on their ideas and knowledge of the subject (pictured, students receive their A-Level results)

The University of Worcester allegedly told staff that if spelling and grammar were not ‘central to the assessment criteria’, it was fairer to judge students on their ideas and knowledge of the subject (pictured, students receive their A-Level results)

The University of Worcester allegedly told staff that if spelling and grammar were not ‘central to the assessment criteria’, it was fairer to judge students on their ideas and knowledge of the subject.

The OfS said that its review would identify areas of good practice as well as areas where it was ‘likely to have future regulatory concerns’, Times Higher Education reported.

Ms Lapworth said it was ‘a matter of strong public interest that the English higher education sector is able to demonstrate that the degrees it awards to students are a reliable indicator of academic achievement and that high standards are maintained’.