Tuition fees trigger surge in first-class marks
The number of students receiving a first-class degree has surged by nearly 60 per cent since the tripling of tuition fees, raising concerns that universities are “up-marking” in order to improve their ranking. The Government has urged the sector to “do more” to tackle grade inflation.
THE number of students receiving a first-class degree has surged by nearly 60 per cent since the tripling of tuition fees, raising concerns that universities are “up marking” in order to improve their national ranking.
The Government has urged the sector to “do more” to tackle grade inflation, as it emerged that 50 universities awarded at least a quarter of their students top marks last year.
Recent data published by the Higher Education Statistics Agency also show that 104,000 students – one in four – graduated with a top degree last year. It represents a 59 per cent increase on the number awarded before the rise in tuition fees in 2011. Meanwhile, figures obtained through freedom of information requests found that Durham University has recorded the greatest increase in firsts awarded among Russell Group institutions, with 30.2 per cent of students awarded top marks last year, up from 17.8 per cent in 2011.
Elsewhere, the proportion of firsts rose by more than 10 per cent at Birmingham, Nottingham and University College London, while Imperial College of Science, Technology and Medicine awarded 41.8 per cent of students top class degrees last year. Out of the 148 institutions, just seven recorded a decline in the proportion of firsts awarded.
The Daily Telegraph understands that the Office for Students, the new university regulator, will be asked to investigate the issue amid pressure from leaders in the sector who warn that the value of a British degree is being watered down.
There is growing unease in the jobs market over the quality of graduates, with leading companies removing degree classifications from employment criteria.
While universities argue that teaching quality and students’ work ethic has increased as a result of the fees hike, critics have accused academics of marking more generously in order to improve student satisfaction.
In both university league tables and the Government’s new Teaching Excellence Framework (TEF) – which awards gold, silver and bronze rankings according to the quality of undergraduate teaching – student satisfaction is a key metric in determining ranking.
Nick Hillman, director of the Higher Education Policy Institute, said that universities were now so concerned with league tables that they had begun to employ staff to compare data with rival institutions. He added that the focus on outperforming competitors could be fuelling grade inflation, and that universities are incentivised to increase the proportion of firsts they award.
A spokesman for Universities UK insisted that universities continued to adhere to “high standards” and that students “may be working harder to achieve higher grades”.
However, a spokesman for the Department for Education said that the issue of grade inflation was concerning and that steps were being taken to ensure that universities are applying consistent standards.