Universities in the United Kingdom are overlooking students' inadequate writing skills to promote diversity and inclusivity.

The higher education regulatory body in England has warned that some universities are unwilling to penalize students for spelling, grammar, and punctuation errors in assessments in the name of inclusivity.

This conclusion was reached by the Office for Students (OfS), which oversees higher education in England, following a review of the assessment policies of five institutions.

The practice of overlooking errors in written work may be widespread, encouraged by misapplied equality legislation aimed at making assessments „more inclusive.”

Some educational institutions have interpreted the 2010 Equality Act in such a way that they have avoided assessing all students’ written English proficiency, instead focusing on ideas and subject knowledge. The regulator found several practices that raised concerns about rigor, as some institutions interpreted the Equality Act to sidestep evaluating all students’ written English skills.

The regulatory body stated that there is „no contradiction” between adhering to equality legislation and maintaining standards for spelling, punctuation, and grammar. It deemed the failure to penalize poor written expression as „unnecessary and unjustified.”

Grammar Takes a Backseat, Ideas Matter

According to reports in the British media, a leading institution like King’s College London, part of the Russell Group, has instructed its educators to „focus on ideas, not grammar” as part of a transformation of its assessment framework.

Internal presentations titled „Equality, Diversity, and Inclusion” advised educators to embrace linguistic diversity, make assessments „culturally sensitive,” and reward the use of students’ culture, language, and identity.

In some cases, the word count for essays has been limited, reduced from 2,000 to 1,300 words, to avoid overwhelming students, while traditional exams are being phased out in favor of a broader range of assessment methods.

A spokesperson for King’s College London defended the changes, stating:

„The standard at King’s remains as high as ever. Our approach continues to include rigorous examinations, alongside other forms of assessment that help students develop the practical skills that employers seek. We work closely with students and academic experts in developing this approach to ensure our graduates are ready for the workplace—without compromising academic integrity.”

An anonymous lecturer described the framework in the Daily Mail as „a construct of middle management to justify its existence,” adding that it is „about sending a message regarding which side of the culture war the university stands on.”

Students have launched a petition against the word count reduction, arguing that the changes will leave them less prepared for postgraduate studies and the job market, as reported by GB News.

Top UK university tells lecturers to ignore students’ poor grammar in ‘diversity and inclusion’ drivehttps://t.co/5BlmDLjSht

— GB News (@GBNEWS) April 7, 2026

King’s College was not the only university accused of overlooking written errors to promote „inclusivity” among students, with the argument that high standards could disadvantage ethnic minorities. The University of Hull’s assessment policy reportedly stated that a „homogeneous Northern European, white, male, elite mode of expression” disadvantages students whose first language is not English.

Staff at the University of Worcester, Durham University, and the University of the Arts London were instructed to focus on assessing ideas and subject knowledge rather than language errors.

Michelle Donelan, the Minister for Higher and Further Education, declared that the government is „determined to raise standards in universities so that every student can benefit from a quality education that leads to good outcomes.”

Dr. Edward Skidelsky, a philosophy lecturer at the University of Exeter and director of the Academic Freedom Committee, warned:

„These attempts to lower assessment standards in the name of ‘inclusivity’ are being imposed by university leaders against the will of academics and students themselves, who seek a rigorous and profound education.”

Universities UK responded by stating that the review by the regulatory body was too narrow and that there is „no evidence” that such practices are widespread in the diverse higher education sector, as reported by Brussels Signal.