Inside the marking boycotts leaving Bristol students in limbo

Finishing the last exam of your degree course or handing in your dissertation should be one of the most joyous moments of a student’s career.

But for thousands of them this summer, the reality is proving very different.

Marking boycotts by the union representing many UK university lecturers have meant that tests are being left ungraded and dissertations unassessed.

Final years feel as though they have drawn the short straw, dealing with covid, a cost of living crisis and now a marking boycott to boot.

With previous strike action failing to achieve meaningful changes in pensions, job security or pay, the marking boycott hopes to prompt change through more extreme striking tactics.

The boycott has affected a significant proportion of students, with over a third of final-year undergraduates facing delays in their final exams and degree classifications nationally.

In Bristol, students at the University of West England (UWE) and the University of Bristol have been affected by the boycott, with graduations delayed and course progression stalled.

Both universities insist that the marking and assessment boycott is a national dispute which requires a national resolution.

“The sector and the government need to work together to find affordable, long-term solutions to higher education funding and seek better ways of resolving these ongoing issues for the good of both staff, students and our wider community,” a spokesperson from the University of Bristol said.

A number of strikes have been staged by university unions in recent years – photo: Rob Browne

Why are lecturers striking?

The boycotts come after several months of intensive strike action.

Throughout the academic year, lecturers have protested the financial hardships and job instability apparent in universities today.

Many academics are often hired on fixed-term contracts, meaning that many staff are unsure of whether they’ll be hired back the following academic year.

Because of the hyper-competitive nature of university employment, this puts enormous pressure on academic staff to continually find work.

Some contracts are unsalaried, with some academics being paid by the hour for work which often exceeds the expected working hours.

Pay for university staff has also failed to keep up with inflation, with staff being paid equivalent to 25 per cent less when it comes to paying the bills than in 2022.

 

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A post shared by University and College Union (@ucunion)

University pension schemes are also a continuing point of tension.

The University Superannuation Scheme (USS) which handles university pensions continues to make changes which devalue academic pensions.

In this year’s latest changes, the value of a typical pension from the scheme shrunk by 20 per cent. 

While striking staff remain dissatisfied, the university insists that it has made significant changes to its working conditions and pay.

One of these changes includes increased overall staff numbers by 17.5 per cent and decreasing the number of hourly paid teaching staff. The University has also stated that, from August 1 2023, lecturers at Bristol will start at £41,732 rising to a maximum of £64,914 base salary for a senior lecturer.

How are Bristol students being affected?

While some students stand in solidarity with striking lecturers, many feel torn over exams and coursework which remain unmarked.

For Sophie, a second year history student at the University of Bristol, the marking boycotts have affected how she views her degree.

Sophie said: “While I support the strikes, the marking boycotts have really affected me.

“I worked incredibly hard for my exams and coursework, but I feel like none of it has been worth it now that it remains unmarked.”

While Tuesday was meant to be results day for many at the University of Bristol, some students are still awaiting final grades.

Despite this, universities are finding ways to allow progression on courses with grades still missing.

In the case of UWE and the University of Bristol, both universities are allowing students to continue their studies with uncompleted units, with missing marks simply being ignored or postponed.

When it comes to final year students, however, the situation becomes far more complicated.

As universities remain desperate to ensure graduations happen, departments have turned to some extreme measures to ensure dissertations get marked.

In June, UWE posted a since-deleted listing advertising zero-hour contracts to help mitigate the marking and assessment boycott.

In the post, the university offered £60 per script for a 30-credit module and £40 for a 15-credit module. These amounts are around £10 more than what the average lecturer is paid for the same work.

In response, a UWE spokesperson stated: “We have recruited additional qualified assessors to mark students’ work. All marking remains subject to moderation.

“We are fully focused on supporting our students to ensure they are recognised for the hard work they have put into their studies.

“We are committed to ensuring academic standards and quality are assured and the value of our students’ degrees is maintained.”

NEW: Bristol vice-chancellor Evelyn Welch should be working to resolve the assessment boycott

Instead, she’s signed herself up to mark dissertations

Provocative actions like this are why our @Bristol_UCU members will strike on Friday#ucuRISINGhttps://t.co/vqLgcgDXju

— UCU (@ucu) June 12, 2023

At the University of Bristol, students and lecturers alike were shocked to discover that vice chancellor Evelyn Welch was marking dissertations for the history of art department.

Previously working as a lecturer in the renaissance and early modern period, Welch defended her status as a ‘subject expert’ when choosing to mark dissertations.

In response, history of art students have started a petition calling for Welch to stop marking dissertations, reasoning that their tutors are better suited to marking their work.

“We strongly believe that our tutors, who are familiar with our research and have invested time in nurturing our academic growth, are better positioned to evaluate and provide feedback on our dissertations,” petitioners wrote.

Final year history of art student, Gemma Morris, spoke of her frustration at Welch’s involvement.

Morris told Bristol24/7: “As a vice-chancellor, Welch has no right intervening in our dissertations.

“What she should be focusing on is paying our tutors properly, and redistributing university funds.”

Lecturers at the University of Bristol have been striking throughout the academic term – photo: UCU BristolIn response to the continuing marking boycott, Welch said: “We are very sorry about the uncertainty and frustration the marking and assessment boycott is causing our students.

“I want to offer my assurance that our priority is to support them through this challenging period.”

“Our examination boards continue to meet and we will be updating students on their results over the next few weeks.

“We have been prioritising the marking of final-year students’ work and are currently expecting the vast majority of Bristol’s undergraduate students to graduate as normal this summer.”

“However, we know that those students who are impacted are frustrated and anxious.

“We share their disappointment that a national dispute is having such a significant local impact on their lives.

“There has been, and continues to be, a phenomenal amount of work by staff from all parts of the University to ensure that as many students as possible can progress as planned.”

“I am particularly sorry that we still find ourselves in this situation.

“With union colleagues, we have made excellent progress on important issues that really matter to all of us here in Bristol.

“We have done significant work to close the gender pay gap and reduce casualisation in our workforce.

“We are one of 147 universities which participate in a national bargaining arrangement to agree to the annual pay award, which this year amounts to an increase in salaries of 5 per cent to 8 per cent depending on pay grade.

“This is the highest uplift offered in two decades and recognises the current cost pressures faced by both employees and employers.”

“While we continue to work with our local unions here at Bristol, the sector needs to find affordable solutions and better ways of resolving this ongoing dispute nationally.”

“The majority of students will have a better idea of their results (this week).

“For those affected, we urge them to check the Industrial Action page on our website or contact student services with any questions.

“In addition, our well-being services are available throughout the summer.”

Stuck in limbo?

While measures such as this have been used to push through the boycott, many students, both graduating and continuing studies, are still stuck in limbo.

For students in the psychology department of UWE, degree classifications have been delayed until November.

While students have the option of attending ceremonies in July without their classification, many are still unhappy with the delays.

For a recent psychology graduate, who did not wish to give his name, marking boycotts has caused difficulties in his job search.

“With so many jobs and academic positions requiring specific grades, the jobs I can apply for have been really limited,” he said. “The marking boycott has definitely put me in a tough situation.”

UWE’s response

Responding to the graduation delays, a spokesperson from UWE Bristol stated: “All our graduation ceremonies are progressing as planned later this month. All final-year students who wish to participate in their graduation ceremonies in July can still do so as planned.”

“With the exception of a very small number of students (two per cent of our graduating cohort), all students will have received notification of their degree classification prior to graduation. The impacted students are primarily on psychology degrees.”

“For those affected students, we have given them the option of attending a graduation ceremony in July, without a degree classification, or a ceremony in November with their final result.

“Most of those students have chosen to attend a July graduation ceremony, with fewer than 25 students selecting a November ceremony.

“In recognition of the anxiety caused by the disruption, the University has provided a full graduation package free of charge to those students affected.

“We sincerely apologise for any upset or distress this may have caused our students.”

“We have advised affected psychology students that the marking and assessment boycott will not have an adverse impact on their plans for future employment or further study.

“If students are planning to start employment which is conditional on their final result, we are supporting them with communications to their new employer about any impacts of the boycott.

“If students are progressing to postgraduate study and need evidence that their marks indicate they are likely to meet the terms of the offer, the University is providing this.”

How will the strikes affect future students?

As uncertainty continues, eyes turn to how strikes may continue to affect the coming academic year and its cohort of new students.

In continuing their industrial action, striking staff at the University of Bristol chose to stage protests at the latest open day for prospective students.

Throughout campus, striking lecturers were handing out leaflets and loudly voicing their reasons for protesting.

Prospective students turned up to @BristolUni‘s open day today to see staff striking over low pay?

But deputy VC Judith Squires told BBC News the strikes mean students will see “a vibrant community where there is debate”?#ucuRISING pic.twitter.com/WYDQkvAIO8

— UCU (@ucu) June 16, 2023

During the open day on June 17, deputy vice-chancellor Professor Judith Squires told the BBC: “Well, it’s obviously a challenge for us to have industrial action during an open day and that’s not where we would have wanted to be.

“But I think (prospective students) also get a sense that this is a vibrant community where there is debate and we’re open to hearing a diversity of opinions and that’s all part of what it is to be in a university.”

A final-year philosophy student who was working the event spoke about the impact it had on prospective students and parents. “The strikes definitely made a few visitors uncomfortable,” the said.

“I think many were surprised that university staff let (the pickets) go ahead, and had a lot of questions for me about how my studies were affected by the boycott.”

A striking lecturer from the University of Bristol’s english department, who wished to remain anonymous, spoke of their concern for the future of the university.

They said: “Workloads (at the university) are unsustainable.

“With more and more students being admitted each year, I really do worry about the future of higher education.

“If institutions continue to underpay staff on short-term contracts, degrees will continue to be undervalued.”

In the latest update, Bristol UCU has posted a screenshot from University of Bristol correspondence which is offering finance reimbursements to students still awaiting classifications.

Instead of trying to settle this dispute so that students’ work is marked and marked properly… pic.twitter.com/ziIyz2C4ib

— Bristol UCU (@Bristol_UCU) July 11, 2023

In a recent statement, the University of Bristol have confirmed that 10 per cent of final year undergraduates will have their degree outcome delayed beyond their graduation. They are yet to comment on any financial reimbursements available.

Main photo: Rob Browne

Read next:

• Bristol University staff strike to demand better pay
• UWE staff strike for first time in nine years
• University of Bristol students call on private accommodation providers to reduce rent

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