A university said students will not lose marks for making language mistakes. It said that asking for English with no mistakes is "elitist". It also said well-written English is mainly for white males and the elite. The university said asking students to have a high proficiency in written English was unfair to ethnic minorities and students who went to schools where grades were low. The university wants to make writing and tests "more inclusive". It wants teachers to be more flexible when they grade students' writing. It hopes to cut the number of poorer students who drop out.
The university said many students suffer in life because their writing has mistakes. This includes students with dyslexia. People with dyslexia have difficulty in using letters and words. It is harder for them to write with no mistakes. Dyslexia affects areas of the brain that process language. The university also said that requiring well-written English could discourage students for whom English is a second language from going to university. Teachers at another university were told it is fairer to judge students on their ideas and knowledge and not their spelling and grammar.