Thousands of students left in limbo over exam grades amid lecturer marking strikes at top universities
- Lecturers are refusing to mark exams and dissertations due to a UCU boycott
- Students at top universities including Cambridge and Edinburgh will be affected
Britain’s brightest students are in limbo over their graduation as lecturers refuse to hand out grades.
Thousands of undergraduates from the country’s top institutions have been struck by a marking boycott, meaning their final exams won’t be graded on time.
They include students at Cambridge, who have been warned they will not get their final grades until the next academic year.
Students at Edinburgh University have also been told the results of their dissertations may be delayed as a result of the action by the University and College Union.
Alan Smithers, director of the Centre for Education and Employment Research at the University of Buckingham, said it was ‘irresponsible’ of academics not to let students move on with their careers.
The marking boycott is set to leave Cambridge University (pictured) students in Limbo
He added: ‘It’s very hard and unfair on the students and it’s a great pity the university couldn’t come up with a better way of handling the situation.’
It comes as Cambridge finalists were told this week not to expect their exam results on time due to the marking boycott.
In emails seen by the student newspaper Varsity, politics and international studies students as well as sociology students were told to expect results after September 30, if the dispute cannot be resolved.
It means some students face receiving conditional offers from employers until they get their final grades.
Students at Edinburgh University (pictured) could see marking of their dissertations delayed
Instead, they will be given a letter detailing ‘when they’re expected to receive final marks’, to give to ‘prospective employers’.
Dan Hawes, co-founder of the Graduate Recruitment Bureau – one of the UK’s biggest graduate recruitment consultancies – said employees risked being ‘left in limbo’.
More than 500,000 students face having their graduations delayed as a result of the boycott, the union has warned.
Members began the action at 145 universities in an ongoing dispute over staff’s pay and working conditions on April 20.
It said the boycott will continue until employers make an improved offer.
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