Compared to undergraduates of ten years ago, students in Britain today are increasingly weak at reading critically, constructing arguments and communicating ideas in writing, and have poor grammar skills. These are the findings of a comprehensive study undertaken by Oxford University's educational studies department along with the Universities and Colleges Admissions Service, and reported in The Times Higher. Many of the 250 university staff questioned said the independent and self-directed style of learning expected by higher education tutors presented a major challenge for new students. The survey found that lecturers were forced to postpone courses to the second year of undergraduate degrees to make time for remedial teaching and to develop students' independent learning skills. Respondents to the survey said new students expected to be spoon-fed, and were suffering from "assessment burnout" due to the overemphasis on exam success and league tables in the education system. Geoff Hayward, lecturer in Oxford University's educational studies department, said the reduced "teachability" of new undergraduates placed the efficiency of the UK higher education sector at risk. David Law, chair of the Admissions Practitioners' Group of the Academic Registrars' Council and academic registrar at Warwick University, said the report confirmed the concerns often aired by admissions staff. "We are concerned about the interface between pre-university education and undergraduate study. We are all seeing the need to be very careful with our admissions. Universities also need to review their curricula to adapt their courses to new students, though," Mr Law said. (THES)