Proof reading: Is it cheating?
Poor standards in written English and essay writing skills have prompted one university to draw up a list of approved proofreaders so that students can have their work checked.
Bradford University has come under fire after the scheme was branded "spoon-feeding gone mad" by a critic who believes students having their work proofread is tantamount to cheating.
Professor Alan Smithers, an education expert at Buckingham University, said that by taking advantage of the service, students were demonstrating their "ability or willingness to pay" rather than their actual writing capabilities.
Bradford University's pro-vice-chancellor, Professor Geoff Layer, defended the decision, describing it as "clearly supportive" to those needing help with their written communication, such as overseas and dyslexic students.
The move has prompted fresh debate over universities seeking international students who pay the full cost of courses but might have only a poor grasp of the English language.
Although Bradford University has said most of those using the service are overseas students, a recent study found that British students have worse written skills than their foreign counterparts. Dr Bernard Lamb from Imperial College London looked at a selection of work from both British and overseas biology undergraduates. From his research, Dr Lamb found that those students whose first language was English performed worse in written communication than those who had learned English as their second language.
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