Students at Oxford University have complained that they are being given too many essays to write, which is causing them to focus on meeting deadlines rather than learning.

In particular, some undergraduates have complained that they are being given three essays to write per week, whilst other students on the same course are only being asked to submit one.

Although students are on the whole positive about essays and the support they receive from tutors, they complained about the variance in workload for students on the same course at different colleges.

As a result an external review team has suggested that the university specifies the number of contact hours and level of assessment students should expect.

Speaking on behalf of Oxford University, a spokesman said that "we are already at work on the report's three recommendations, including the provision of more information about the teaching patterns students can expect on each course".