One in four students achieve highest grade

MORE THAN one in four students graduated from university with a first last year as the proportion awarded the highest honours soared.

New official figures show that the proportion with the highest possible result has risen by almost 50 per cent in five years.

The statistics are likely to spark fresh debate about grade inflation and whether the centuries-old degree classification system is fit for purpose.

Overall, 26 per cent of graduates who completed their first undergraduate degree in the 2016/17 academic year achieved a first – up from 18 per cent in 2012/13.

This means that the proportion achieving the highest honours has increased by 44 per cent in five years.

The data, published by the Higher Education Statistics Agency (HESA), also shows a hike in the proportions gaining a first or 2:1, with three in four achieving this benchmark in 2016/17.

A spokesman for vice-chancellors’ group Universities UK said: “The sector has recognised for some time that the current degree classification system is a blunt instrument, hence the trialling in recent years of the Higher Education Achievement Report (HEAR) and grade point average system at a number of universities.

“Degree classification is a matter for individual institutions and degrees are awarded based on assessment by academics, internal and external moderation and sector-wide frameworks to ensure that high standards are upheld.

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