The University of Sydney’s business school might introduce compulsory English courses after many of its foreign students failed a language-heavy course.

More than 400 mostly-Chinese Masters degree students reportedly failed ‘Critical Thinking in Business‘ last semester, a unit requiring strong language skills, the Sydney Morning Herald reported.

The subject was a hurdle, meaning at least a 50 per cent pass was needed for students to be able to successfully complete the Masters degree.

The union has questioned why Sydney Uni let the students in in the first place. Photo: AAP

• Labor boss on kiss claim
• Shenhua corruption claims
• Abducted toddler found

Deputy dean of the business school Professor John Shields said the failure rate had been “generally quite high” in previous years, but that the sharp spike had been a cause for concern.

Students’ scores in tests differed dramatically from those completed at home, suggesting some students may have received “undue assistance”, Professor Shields said.

“We can catch and kill plagiarism with the touch of a button with Turnitin [plagiarism-detection software],” Professor Shields told the Sydney Morning Herald.

“Plagiarism is not where the major problem is, it is ghostwriting.”

While Professor Shields admitted there was no evidence to substantiate the claim, it echoed the revelation last year that 1000 students, many from the University of Sydney, had used a third party company to write essays and sit tests for them.

Following the scandal, the university introduced a mandatory final exam, which students are required to pass in order to complete the course.

The National Tertiary Education Union (NTEU) has criticised the university for failing to adequately prepare students for the tests.

“If the students needed greater language skills, why were these students let in and given places if there were real doubts about their capacity to successfully complete?” union president Jeanie Rae told the ABC.

Ms Rae viewed the introduction of the exam as a “cynical” solution to the problem of poor English skills, particularly as the exam was held right at the end of the course.

Many of the students who failed the test have appealed the result.