THEY expect their students to hand their essays in on time and write coherently, but England’s university teachers are pretty poor at meeting deadlines or explaining difficult concepts.

Only 51 per cent provided prompt feedback to their students last year, and the same percentage were able to clarify things their students did not understand, according to the second National Student Satisfaction Survey, published yesterday.

“Could try harder” was the overall verdict students gave to their lecturers when it came to marking and feedback. Just 57 per cent of students said that they had received detailed comments on work. Two thirds said that criteria used in marking coursework and exams had been made clear in advance.

Medical faculties scored particularly poorly on feedback and assessment. Students of history, theology, philosophy, physical science and geography were the most content with their courses.

Some less fashionable higher education institutions, including the Open University, Leicester and East Anglia, were in the survey’s top ten for overall student satisfaction. A spokesman for the Open University, which had the highest overall ranking, said its results were all the more remarkable given that its students tended to be older, and therefore more demanding. “It means we have to work extra hard to rise to that challenge,” he said.

About 80 per cent of students were satisfied with their courses, similar to the results from last year’s survey. Students in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland were marginally more satisfied than those in England.

Wes Streeting, from the National Union of Students, said that he would welcome a question in future surveys on whether students thought that they were getting value for money, as university fees in England will double this autumn to £3,000 a year.

Bill Rammell, the Higher Education Minister, said that he accepted that universities needed to improve their performance on providing feedback and clearer assessment criteria, adding that one purpose of the survey was to highlight areas for improvement such as these.

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