A university said students will not lose marks for language mistakes. It also said well-written English is mainly for white males and the elite. The university thinks asking students to have a high level of written English is unfair to ethnic minorities and poorer students with lower grades. The university wants to make tests fairer. It wants teachers to be more flexible when they grade students' writing. It hopes to stop poorer students dropping out.
The university said students can suffer because of their writing. People with dyslexia have problems using letters and words. It is harder for them to write with no mistakes. Dyslexia affects areas of the brain that use language. The university also said that asking for well-written English could stop overseas students from going to university. Teachers at another university were told it is fairer to judge students on their ideas and not their spelling and grammar.