England’s higher education regulator has warned that some universities refuse to penalise poor spelling, grammar and punctuation in student assessments, in the name of inclusivity.
The Office for Students (OfS), which regulates higher education in England, reached this conclusion after reviewing assessment policies at five institutions.
It expressed concern that the practice of overlooking errors in written work may be widespread, driven by a misguided application of equalities legislation aimed at making assessments more “inclusive”.
It warned that such practices threaten academic rigour and public confidence in degrees.
Some providers interpreted the 2010 Equality Act in a way that led them to avoid assessing written English proficiency for all students, focusing instead on ideas and subject understanding.
According to reports in the British media today, a leading institution such as King’s College London, a Russel Group University, instructed lecturers to “focus on ideas, not grammar” as part of an overhaul of its assessment framework.
Internal slides headed “equality, diversity and inclusion” advised staff to embrace linguistic diversity, make assessments “culturally responsive” and reward students’ use of their culture, language and identity.
Essay word limits in some cases are being reduced from 2,000 to 1,300 to avoid overburdening students, while traditional exams are being scaled back in favour of greater choice in assessment formats.
King’s has 41 per cent black and minority ethnic undergraduates and cites its commitment to inclusion in its access plan.
A spokesman for King’s College London defended the changes, stating: “Standards at King’s remain as high as ever. Our approach still includes rigorous exams, alongside other forms of assessment that help students build the practical skills employers are looking for.
“We have worked closely with students, alongside academic experts, to develop this approach so that our graduates are ready for the workplace – without compromising academic integrity.”
An anonymous academic at the university described the framework in the Daily Mail as “dreamt up by middle management to justify their existence” and said it was “about sending a message about which side of the culture war the university is on”.
Students have launched a petition against the reduced word counts, arguing that the changes would leave them less prepared for postgraduate study and the job market.
King’s College was not the only university reportedly overlooking literacy errors in an effort to boost “inclusivity” among students, claiming high standards might disadvantage ethnic minorities.
A University of Hull marking policy reportedly stated that a “homogenous North European, white, male, elite mode of expression” put students whose first language is not English at a disadvantage.
Staff at the University of Worcester, Durham University, and the University of the Arts London were told to focus on marking ideas and understanding of subject matter as opposed to language mistakes.
The findings echoed earlier warnings from ministers and commentators that “inclusive assessment” practices could contribute to artificial grade inflation.
Former Conservative education secretary Gavin Williamson addressed such instances last month at a higher education conference, saying: “Lowering the bar for certain groups of students serves no one.”
He described the approach as “patronising to expect less from some students under the guise of supporting them”.
Minister for Higher and Further Education Michelle Donelan said the government was “determined to drive up standards at universities so that every student can benefit from a quality education which leads to good outcomes”.
Dr Edward Skidelsky, lecturer in philosophy at the University of Exeter and director of the Committee for Academic Freedom, warned: “These attempts to dumb down assessment in the name of ‘inclusivity’ are being pushed by university managers against the will of academics and students themselves, the best of whom hunger for an education that is deep and rigorous.”
Universities UK responded that the OfS review was too narrow in scope and that there was “no evidence” such practices were the norm across the diverse higher education sector.
The OfS published findings from a review of assessment policies at five institutions, prompted by reported cases this year in which universities appeared to overlook literacy errors to boost inclusivity.
The regulator found a range of practices that raised concerns about rigour, with some institutions interpreting the Equality Act in ways that led them to avoid assessing written English proficiency for all students.
The OfS stated there is “no inconsistency” between complying with equality legislation and maintaining standards in spelling, punctuation and grammar. It described failing to penalise poor writing as “not necessary or justified”.
Susan Lapworth, Director of Regulation at the OfS, said students should be able to communicate their ideas “effectively and correctly”.
She called the practice of ignoring poor language skills both “patronising” and something that “threatens to undermine standards [and] public confidence in the value of a degree”.
The regulator said it would revisit the issue in a year and is prepared to take action where assessment practices lack sufficient rigour. It also noted that such policies could indicate wider concerns about unexplained grade inflation.
COMMENT: The Left controls culture, media, education—it is, essentially, always in power. Conservatives, meanwhile, take office now and again, but rarely shape the culture, writes @Raphfel. https://t.co/nn5VWMZ8xP
— Brussels Signal (@brusselssignal) July 22, 2025
