The decline of the 2:2
As Cambridge considers ditching the class system, Cara Mcgoogan wonders what could replace it
There was a time when getting “a Desmond” (Tutu, aka a classification of 2:2) was seen as a modest degree, awarded to people who had ability but didn’t take their studies too seriously. From Carol Vorderman to J K Rowling and David Dimbleby, many a notable figure has left university with a second, or even third-class degree.
The successful Desmond is becoming increasingly rare, and not just because of degree class snobbery among employers. The proportion of students awarded a 2:2 at the University of Cambridge is now so low that the institution is considering ditching the class system altogether.
A variation of the class model for grading degrees has existed in the UK since the 16th century, when Cambridge began ranking students in the top 25 per cent, the middle 50 per cent and bottom 25 per cent of a year group. This was replaced by the current first, second and third class system in 1918, but 100 years on, change may again be afoot.
“In an awful lot of subjects, less than 5 per cent are awarded a 2:2,” says Professor Graham Virgo, pro-vice-chancellor at Cambridge. “In a number of cases, it’s a non-existent grade.”
Part of the reason for this is a new diligence among students who want to make sure they get their money’s worth from their degrees. Where once higher education was a chance to make friends, indulge in boozefilled late nights and experiment with extra-curricular societies, it is now a costly step on the career ladder. After paying up to £9,250 per year for a degree, students want to make sure they leave university with a grade that will guarantee them a job.
“Students are certainly better prepared than they were and they’re motivated to get the best result they can,” says Prof Virgo. “That’s largely a product of fees: they are investing a lot in their education and therefore want to make sure the investment produces what they need. For a lot of employers, a 2:2 isn’t sufficient.”
This has created a situation where three quarters of students leave with a 2:1 or first-class degree, which in turn has made it almost impossible to differentiate between graduates.
“The top 2:1, which is almost a first, is a very different result to a low 2:1, which is almost a 2:2,” says Prof Virgo. “It’s a very broad category and it doesn’t give students, universities or employers information about how students have performed.”
One Cambridge graduate who just missed out on a first says she puts her exact degree mark, 68.5 per cent, on her CV in order to show potential employers that she achieved a high 2:1. Other graduates agree that an increase
‘The top 2:1, which is almost a first, is very different to a low 2:1, which is almost a 2:2’
of just 2 per cent in a grade can reflect a marked difference in ability.
“Students who have ended up with a 2:1 have told me how disappointed they are that their final mark doesn’t provide, in any sophisticated way, a measure of what they’ve achieved,” says Prof Virgo. “It’s a blunt tool.”
Prof Virgo is leading an inquiry at Cambridge into alternative grading systems that could fix the problem. One option is the Us-style grade point average (GPA) model, in which students are awarded a mark between 0 and 4 to one decimal point.
For example, a first-class degree would equate to a GPA of 4, while a 65 to 69 per cent mark (upper 2:1) would rank between 3.1 and 3.9.
Other universities have launched GPA pilots, including University College London, Oxford Brookes and the University of Surrey. Universities UK, an advocacy organisation made up of executive heads of higher education institutions, found last year that 27 per cent of universities are considering a full switch. The Office for Students, which is looking at creating standards for awarding degrees, could also explore introducing the GPA.
Prof Virgo hopes that if Cambridge decides to bring in GPA grading, it won’t be alone. “It would be far better for higher education systems that use the traditional classing system to make the change together,” he says. “Cambridge wouldn’t move by itself because that would put our students at a disadvantage.”
He is mindful, though, that the change, if it goes ahead, could apply further pressure to students in an already demanding academic environment. “We are very engaged and concerned about the stress of the examination process,” says Prof Virgo, adding that “we have also been reviewing our exam process to make sure it’s appropriate”.
Not that Cambridge is rushing to break the centuries-old class tradition. If it does choose to adopt the GPA, it is likely to do so alongside a host of grades, says Prof Virgo, which may see students’ transcripts branded with a class, year group ranking and GPA. Knowledge is power, after all.