A recent study has revealed that unconscious bias may have led to teachers giving marks for correct answers or awarding high attendance scores, to those students who turn up. One researcher from Goldsmiths’ College confirmed: ‘Out of a thousand secondary school teachers, 99% of staff refused to teach anyone over the age of fifty’.
These subtle biases could lead to grade inflation, with teachers irresponsibly awarding GCSEs to students who have passed exams. The researcher said: ‘There is no correlation between intelligence and academic achievement. Teachers are too easily swayed by pupils completing homework assignments and correctly assimilating information. Grades should be awarded on arbitrary factors, like height, ability to whistle and colour of socks.’
Students that were more ‘agreeable’ had a 10% chance of better marks, as opposed to a pupil who just took a sh$t on the teacher’s desk. One study in America showed that High School staff were 27% more likely to award an ‘A’ grade to a pupil, if that pupil had not shot their classmates.
One University admissions tutor explained how they resolved the problem: ‘It’s obvious that teachers favour kids that work hard, are diligent and volunteer in the community, but we try to ignore these factors and award a place based on whether they went to Eton’.