As a student in the 1970s, knowing that colleagues failed and were thrown out of university was actually seen as evidence by me and my fellow students that we were at a good university. As with A levels, the current approach will ultimately lead to everyone getting firsts which will then be useless

Clive, Chichester, UK

I teach at Liverpool U. I have stopped failing students because it means penalising myself: Resits during the summer hols with compulsory attendance for lecturer? Silly. 300% increase of students, 10% increase of staff. Go figure. Appeal threats - be safe and give a 2.1. The problem is structural.

Fred Caprivi, Manchester,

The failure of teaching in the production of diplomas and degrees is a mere theoretical measure of ability. What really matters is what students actually learn for themselves. Those who know something will succeed: those that do not know will fail whatever the parchment says. It is always thus

Brian Lewis, Manila, Philippines

Any statistic that is adopted as a target becomes useless as a measure. Here it is applicable to degrees, but it applies in almost all social areas (think performance bonuses, NHS waiting times, police crime stats, etc). human nature is to fudge the numbers without fixing the underlying problems.

Charles, Charlottesville,

Same in US, where "non-traditional" students go to online schools. Many are illiterate; computerised class is no help. No proctors for exams, no "face time" for students, and for faculty, pressure from admin to keep up "persistence rates." What is the value of the degree? Yet schools get federal $.

Lina, Auckland, New Zealand

Readers of this article need to be aware that the problems exposed by G. Alderman do not occur in all British universities. It is true that student intakes have risen, and that there are more 2:1's and Firsts. However, standards remain high in most institutions.

Vinay , Egham, UK

I am still prepared to believe that our best universities can withstand these pressures - ex-Polys cannot. This problem will grow with the myopic plan to shovel 50 % of students into a 'university'. In addition to a 40 % drop out rate, we can expect 20 % to pass when by judgement they should fail.

Alan Gooch, Honiton,

I too worry about the reliance on international students, particularly at postgraduate level. In some cases, our PGTs and PGRs are almost 80% international and I work at a Russell Group institution. What happens when we have no British academics left?

Viv, Uk,

Currently studying Masters level and being a helpful sort of chap I find myself constantly assisting students from far eastern countries with basic English. They have all attended the Uni remedial classes, but to little effect. I am not sure that their fees £9,000 are really good value for money.

Boris, London, UK

I am an academic currently working in a leading UK University and Prof Alderman's conclusion is spot on! The self-serving target-driven culture imposed by our bureaucrat class has done, and is doing, enormous damage to standards. We all know it's true but the system will crush anyone who speaks out.

John Smith, Edinburgh, UK

Read Physics at Oxford - joined ICI.
Left ICI -to be self employed.
Why?
ICI was full of lazy Graduates (Technical Officers - TOs) who didn't work because that was down to the non graduates (Experimental Officers - EOs).
England needs more doers and fewer papier mache graduates.

Ivan de Nemethy, London, UK

It's all about money.

Money for the institution. Money for the senior management. Money for the Professors. It's the same in the secondary school sector.

Short sighted, but that's the game we have been playing in the UK for the best part of 30 years.

John Jenkins, York,

I have recently discovered that plagiarism is usual for secondary teaching in certain far eastern countries. It is a communal effort. Everyone copies each other to come up with identical essays. Full marks students and teacher. It must be very difficult to break that habit when studying in the UK.

Boris, London, UK

Targets and league tables will always lead to corruption the evidence of which is all around us. UK Institutions that indulge in this practice should be named and shamed. We will all suffer the future consequences of this behaviour.

We are selling out for managerial egotisim and bonuses

Elizabeth, Glasgow,

In China you can't matriculate for any university course (even 'soft' ones) without the equivalent of a 'B'grade at A-level maths. How long till we send our children there for a prestige education?

Eric Skelton, Cardiff, Wales

We can already see the results of 'anything passes' in schools, where the blind are leading the blind, and of course seeing nothing wrong.

Graham Rounce, London, UK

Geoffrey Alderman's conclusions confirm those of a television documentary on Solent "university" four years ago: that students are awarded degrees despite sometimes appalling work. It's the result of a increasingly competitive and ultimately highly damaging educational climate.

Paul Slater, Bournemouth , England

There is no emphasis on "customer satisfaction." The customer of education is business. Business is most emphatically not satisfied.

Base the league tables on the salaries subsequently earned by alumni. Then you just might start to pay attention to the customers' needs.

Ian Kemmish, Biggleswade, UK

Having postgraduated last year from a UK university after completing my studies in France, I concur: non-EU students benefit from lower standards when assessed, and their number is growing. What result in 10 years or so ?

Vianney, Paris, France

I teach at LSE, and am external examiner at Royal Holloway College, Economics. I see as many scripts and pieces of assessed work as I like, and can adjust marks as I see fit, not just for individual papers, but for individual questions. Standards remain high at our best univs.

Tim Leunig, London, UK

Excellent article. Answer? Stop awarding degrees in 'meeja studies' and sociology which require no intelligence whatsoever.. Only worthwhile degrees such as medicine, science, law and engineering should be available. Anything else is just an application for the unemployment line.

Jay, London,

Of course the statistical interpretation is flawed: it only works if achievement can be measured objectively and standards have not changed, but grades have. If students genuinely have improved (much like average IQ levels have risen, although this is a poor comparator), then the analysis collapses.

John Scott, London,

In view of our conversation last week I thought you would find this interesting

Ian Walker, Croydon Park, Australia

Universities need to focus on a commitment to education and creating communities committed to knowledge and learning. They need to be less obsessive about peer group comparisons. Difficult in the age of league tables, but necessary!

Michael Lower, Ma On Shan, Hong Kong SAR

This is global problem. In Australia, exactly the same problem occurs for exactly the same reason - reliance on overseas students and their full fee paying status. One University should go "old school" and insist on high standards for entry and progress. Demand for its graduates woud soar!!

David Inches, Sydney, Australia

I am Scottish and born mid thirties. My Mother barely finished her schooling about five years earlier.She "Matriculated" from "High School" Rutherglen Academy - 18 subjects out of 21 and the pass mark was between 60% and 80%.
Todays students have difficulty reading the tyre pressures of their cars

John Turnbull, Lagos. (Glasgow), Portugal