Almost half of first-class degrees are ‘unexplained’, says watchdog

NEARLY half of first- class degrees awarded by universities last year were “unexplained”, figures published by the education watchdog show.

Students entering university with grades below DDD were still almost four times as likely to receive a first in 2018-19 compared with 2010-11, the report by the Office for Students (OFS) also reveals.

The proportion of graduates who attained top degrees rose from 15.7 per cent to 29.5 per cent in the same period, amounting to an 88 per cent increase, according to the OFS.

However, it was not immediately clear why almost half of those – 14.3 percent of the overall total – achieved a first, prompting concerns about grade inflation.

Nearly three quarters (73 per cent) of the 147 providers included in the analysis saw “unexplained” increases in firstclass degrees between 2017-18 and 2018-19. Some institutions gave firsts to more than 40 per cent of graduating students in 2018-19, including Imperial College London and University College London (UCL), the analysis found.

Anglia Ruskin, Northumbria, Bradford, Kingston, Central Lancashire and Wolverhampton were among the universities that experienced the biggest rises in first-class degree attainment in the past eight years. Nicola Dandridge, chief executive of the OFS, said: “This data shows that the increase in the proportion of first-class degrees awarded in 2018-19 has slowed compared to previous years, with a small increase from last year in the percentage of first-class degrees which cannot be explained by other factors.

“While this may indicate that the brakes have been applied, it is clear that grade inflation remains a significant and pressing issue in English higher education. Unexplained grade inflation risks undermining public confidence in higher education, and devaluing the hard work of students. Degrees must stand the test of time, which is why the OFS will continue to address this issue at both a sector-wide and individual university level.

“Where we have concerns about unexplained grade inflation at any particular university or college, we are prepared to intervene to protect the integrity of the degree awarding system for all students.”

The number of students being awarded first-class degrees has increased from 34,885 to 77,110. Much of the increase cannot be explained by typical factors that affect attainment, the report said. These factors include the university, how old the graduate is and what subject they are studying.

A Universities UK spokesman said: “It is essential that degree classifications are meaningful f or students and employers, and universities are taking action to improve transparency, fairness and reliability in the way they award degrees.”