1st October 2012 9:00
By Blue Tutors
Having tutored university students over the last couple of years, I have noticed an alarming trend. Whilst there are the same number of bright students coming into university, the standard of their basic reading and writing skills is falling sharply. Until recently, we used to be able to say that a bright student would definitely be able to write in a smooth, well-structured way, with few errors. Indeed, when we mark university essays, writing is still assessed alongside level of research and strength of arguments.
However, it is increasingly common to find that a student might have produced a very well researched piece, with a convincing approach, which is nonetheless so badly written that it is a struggle to read. There is something very wrong when bright students have been able to leave school without being able to adequately express their thoughts on paper, and it has led to a hoard of university markers wondering how to treat such papers.
Ultimately, it comes down to individual markers, and how far they can forgive incorrectly structured sentences if the points being made are convincing. This is not a tightrope that these students should have to walk. Schools have a responsibility to ensure that students leave with basic reading and writing abilities, and students who are bright enough to be accepted onto essay-based university courses shouldn’t lack the skills with which to make the sophisticated arguments that they are struggling to explain.