The ‘marking boycott’ is yet another betrayal for students

Students have had a rough deal over the past years. They’ve had their degrees interrupted by Covid and teaching strikes, they’re set to graduate into an economic crisis, and they’re saddled with record amounts of debt which they’ll repay earlier and for longer. So for many, the proposed ‘marking boycott’ might feel like the last straw. 

In April, the University and College Union, which represents academics and university support staff, announced that they planned to stop ‘all summative marking and associated assessment activities/duties’, including ‘assessment-related work such as exam invigilation and the processing of marks’. This decision has left students in limbo, with no idea whether their work will be marked and when they’ll be able to graduate.

Yesterday students at Cambridge received an email from the Pro-Vice Chancellor for Education saying that proposals to ‘introduce exceptional powers to help mitigate the impacts of the boycott’ have been voted down. This means most students will see significant delays in marking, and will graduate later than they hoped.