When a written exam exposed an uncomfortable truth in third-level education
Ten years ago, as the school was embarking on expansion, a circular in UCC described the school as 'the awakening giant of business education'. Picture Dan Linehan
A lecturer accused of racism, the resitting of an Irish university exam in extraordinary circumstances on the far side of the globe, and major questions around whether some students have any idea what is going on in their lecture hall.
These are the components of an event that may have exposed a much bigger issue in University College Cork (UCC) and the wider third-level sphere. The matter concerns how much the college, and particularly its business school, has come to rely on the lucrative fees available from overseas students.
It also involves questions about whether the system, as it prevails, is fair on the overseas students and on the domestic students whose education is supposed to be the primary focus of an Irish education.
Overseas students are a vital component in funding third level education in this country. Approximately half of the income received by universities comes directly from the State. The other half must be raised by the institutions.
Overseas students have been a cash cow. The largest income is from students studying post-graduate courses, principally masters degrees. One reason is that undergraduate numbers are constrained, while this does not generally apply to post-graduate courses. Within that area, the greatest demand from overseas students is for qualifications in the area of business.
Typically, a master's degree in business might cost a domestic or EU student up to €10,000. The same course will attract fees at least double that from overseas students. As such, the income from abroad is vital to the functioning of universities, but particularly their business schools.
UCD’s Smurfit School, Ireland’s biggest business school, has a “diverse student body, which is 50% international representing more than 70 countries worldwide”, according to its website.
From the students’ perspective, a major attraction of coming to this country is that the education can be accompanied by a two-year work visa in the area in which they studied.
One of the biggest markets for overseas students is China. Just this week, representatives from Irish universities, including UCC’s vice president Ursula Kilkelly, accompanied Taoiseach Micheál Martin on a trade visit to China.
As with any business sector with potentially lucrative bounty, competition in attracting overseas students is intense.
Apart from China, one of the other countries targeted is India. One major difference between these two countries is the degree of English proficiency in the general population, but particularly through the respective education systems. The teaching of English features prominently in India’s system.
All Irish universities require applicants to demonstrate their proficiency, mainly though a recognised English language test.
In UCC, the business school has gone to great lengths to attract overseas students. Ten years ago, as the school was embarking on expansion, a circular in UCC described the school as “the awakening giant of business education”.Â
It said was embarking on “a focused and aggressive campaign to attract greater numbers of international students, with a target of 33% of all graduate enrolments to come from outside the EU".Â
One source familiar with the college said the overseas students element was central to proposed funding for a big expansion of the business school.
With more prominent universities in both Ireland and Britain chasing the same market, nothing was going to be easy for UCC. A competitive edge was required.
UCC appears to accept a lower level of English proficiency than the Smurfit School. The latter requires “a minimum overall score of 7.0” in the International English Language Testing System (IELTS). UCC accepts “around 6.5”, according to is website.
In addition, however, Chinese students who fail to reach the required IELTS score for UCC can attend an English language class in Beijing, and they are accepted on completion of the course. It is unclear whether the students who attend the course would have to re-sit the proficiency test.
No interviews are conducted by academic staff with prospective overseas students to satisfy themselves on a face-to-face basis whether a student’s grasp of English is sufficient to study a course.
Questions submitted to UCC about the option for Chinese students who don’t reach the required language score, and the referral to a specific language school in Bejing, did not receive any answer.Â
Instead, a general statement was issued: “International candidates are only accepted to programmes at University College Cork if they have been awarded the required scores in international standardised tests of English language proficiency for non-native English language speakers.”Â
Despite that, a number of lecturers on the master's degree programme have expressed concerns about the proficiency in English of some, but not all, Chinese students.
Much of this came to a head in the master's degree in management and marketing course for the academic years 2023-24. The previously reported on this, but further details have come to light in the interim.
One module was to be assessed wholly by a written exam. Most modules concern project and group work. If, for instance, a student was not proficient in the language through which the course was being studied, it is entirely possibly to get through these elements. Some help, either digital or from fellow students, might be required, but no student would be wholly left to their own devices.
The class had 120 students, of whom around a third were overseas students from China. Most of the latter failed the exam, some with an extremely low mark, well below 25%.
Having returned to China, these students then complained that they had been the victims of racism. This allegation was based on the display in a class about the Chinese economy, of the Taiwanese flag, which had been the national flag of China until 1971.
“It was inadvertent,” one source familiar with the scenario said. “And it was ludicrous to say that this was racism.Â
Some 23 Chinese students wrote to the president of UCC complaining, among other things, about the “difficulty of the course exam”.
“Most non-native English-speaking students did not pass the exam,” the students wrote.
“We kindly request that the school assess the reasonableness of the exam’s difficulty level. Otherwise, the exam results were not published for the entire class.
“We need to ascertain the percentage of non-native English-speaking students who failed the exam.”Â
The “non-native” cohort referenced was nearly exclusively the Chinese students themselves.
The exam papers were checked by an external examiner, who found that the marking was of a proper and accurate standard. The external examiner would not be aware of the identity of the students whose papers are being checked.
Most of the students were given an opportunity to repeat the exam orally. Those who didn’t succeed at that stage were allowed to resit the exam in Beijing. Nobody from the exam board in UCC was present at the re-sit. The exam papers were marked back in Cork.
In any event, many still did not pass. Questions submitted to UCC about the resit of a university exam in Beijing did not receive an answer.
A statement from the college noted: “All examinations, repeat examinations, and assessments follow established procedures and standards as per the .”Â
A small group repeated the year, including the module they had failed. By the time their exam came around the following year, the lecturer who had given the course had been replaced. At least six of the students then passed the exam.
An internal inquiry in UCC, led by a professor from another faculty in the university, found that any charges of racism against the lecturer were false, and the lecturer had been unfairly treated. This lecturer was moved out of the business school to a new position that is more financially advantageous to the lecturer.
The whole episode and its aftermath was dealt with by the authorities in UCC stepping around the inconvenient elephant in the room. Different sources have confirmed that it was quite obvious to all concerned that the students in question had a negligible proficiency in English.
To have faced that reality would require an investigation into how the students managed to get past what UCC claims is a robust test to ensure that they are fit to take on the course.
The authorities were only faced with this issue because the students in question were left entirely to their own devices to address a test, unaided by fellow students or any technology. Immediately, it begs the question as to whether the results in this written exam were an aberration or whether glaring deficiencies were exposed which showed up a bigger problem.
It should also be noted that the families of these students most likely made great sacrifices for a European education. Equally, the inclusion of students from a superpower economy in this country could be highly advantageous for both economic and cultural reasons.Â
However, attracting students to study for a course in which some quite obviously didn’t know what was going on must be a red flag. Another issue is whether or not the students — both native and those with enough proficiency in the language — are being held back because of the shortcomings of other students.
The issue over the proficiency in English of foreign students studying in this part of the world is not confined to UCC or Ireland.
In December 2024, the BBC reported on that union representing lecturers in British third-level institutions saying it was “an open secret that students who lack English skills find ways to come to the UK to study”.
The universities denied this to be the case. However, a representative for the union, Jo Grady, told the BBC that the practice was widespread.
“When we speak to members, we hear about the tricks that are pulled in order to have people pass the relevant language test and get on courses,” she said.
Since the whole episode with the Chinese students, lecturers have not been informed of any revision or update on testing prospective students for proficiency in English. The understands that there have been no changes in this respect.
“In instances where staff have identified students who require assistance, UCC has offered and provided additional language supports,” the college said in a statement. That of itself gives rise to a question as to why any students would need such supports if they had already been subjected to a rigorous test in proficiency.
Meanwhile, in recent years, the cohort of overseas students in the business school has been double what the target was just over a decade ago. UCC has confirmed that, in the last two full academic years, overseas students made up 61% and 65% respectively of the student cohort.
Separately, the has seen documents which indicate that, in one master’s degree programme, the overseas cohort is over 80% — although the vast majority of these students are from India, where there is not a major issue with proficiency in English.
A detailed list of questions were submitted to UCC on this issues raised here. However, the only response was a general statement — most of which is quoted above.
A collection of the latest business articles and business analysis from Cork.
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