UCU confirms end of marking boycott

In an email sent to all students this morning, Bhaskar Vira, the University of Cambridge’s Pro-Vice-Chancellor for Education,  announced the end of the marking and assessment boycott (MAB).

It revealed that ‘The University and Colleges Union (UCU) wrote to the vice chancellor yesterday to confirm they were no longer asking members to participate in the marking and assessment boycott’ and that this will be implemented with immediate effect.

It emphasised that staff have been reminded that “the completion of outstanding marking and assessment’ must now be their highest priority over the coming days”.

Following an email sent out two days before that named 16 October 2023 the deadline for Faculties to complete outstanding marking, the new email states: “We believe that the additional time now available before the start of the new academic year […] should make it easier for Departments and Faculties to meet this deadline.”

The UCU marking boycott, which began on Thursday 20 April and affected over 145 universities, has left many students at the University of Cambridge without results, delaying the graduation of many finalists.

While the email sent out today has not confirmed exact dates that students will receive marks, it claims that Faculties will be in touch with their students for more details on this. 

Feature image credit: Lucia Tara Stockmann

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