Number of first class university degrees soars amid grade inflation warning

The number of first class degrees being handed out to graduates at British universities has soared to make up almost a quarter of all degrees awarded.

Since 2010, when the cap on tuition fees was raised to £9,250 by the coalition Government, numbers of firsts have risen at almost all universities so that a third of institutions now pass one in four students with top honours.

The new analysis by the Press Association has fuelled renewed debate about grade inflation as well as the structure of grade classification system that has been in place in the UK for centuries.

Nick Hillman, director of the Higher Education Policy Institute (HEPI), told PA: “Some rise is not unreasonable, given that schools have got better and some universities have increased their entry tariffs so they're getting better quality students.”

But he also said greater focus on university league tables may also be a cause for institutions awarding students higher grades in a bid to prevent the university moving down the rankings.

Mr Hillman suggested the system in which external examiners are recruited from other institutions could be open to abuse.

“There are people who think the system isn't as robust as it might be. It can all be a bit bit cosy - you ask someone you know to be an external examiner.”

In addition, many universities mark students’ work themselves.

“A comparison would be if schools could decide how many A grades to give in A-levels - it's a big incentive for grade inflation,” he said.

The PA analysis shows:

• At 50 UK universities - roughly a third of the total - at least 25% of degrees awarded in 2015/16 were a first, while at 10 institutions, more than a third were given the highest award. By contrast, in 2010/11 just 12 institutions gave at least one in four degrees a first, and only two gave more than a third the top honour.
• On average, across all institutions there has been around an eight percentage point rise in firsts in the last five years, the analysis of Higher Education Statistics Agency (HESA) data shows.
• Just seven institutions have seen a fall in the proportion of firsts.
• Five universities and colleges have seen the proportion of top honours rise by at least 20 percentage points, while 40 institutions have seen at at least a 10-point hike.

The figures, for the academic years 2010/11 and 2015/16, are based on 148 universities and colleges for which there is comparable data, and exclude degrees rated as “unclassified”.

Another factor in the apparent improvement in performance could be a growing work ethic among students.

Mr Hillman said that while grades had risen, contact hours with teachers had not, and students themselves may be working harder now than in recent history.

He said: “As you wander round universities, the student union bars are empty and the libraries and working environments are full.

“They're not putting in more hours, but they are more productive in the hours they are doing.”

A spokeswoman for vice-chancellors' group Universities UK told PA degree classifications are a matter for individual institutions.

“Every one of our universities is unique, with a different subject mix, student body, faculties and departments and, of course, different course curricula and content, which makes comparison difficult, but this diversity is valued by students and staff and this is a strength of the UK sector,” she said.

“The sector has changed significantly since 2010, with universities putting more emphasis on the quality of teaching and investing in learning support, alongside the fact that with higher fees, students may be working harder to achieve higher grades.”

Additional reporting by Press Association