Universities set out plan to beat grade inflation

Move to protect the value of top degrees

UNIVERSITIES HAVE agreed a set of principles to tackle grade inflation and protect the value of qualifications following a rise in the proportion of top degrees awarded in recent years.

Institutions should limit the amount of rounding up for borderline classifications, and discounting core and final-year modules from a student’s degree award should be avoided, a report by Universities UK (UUK) said.

It comes after Universities Minister Michelle Donelan warned this month that too many institutions have felt pressured to “dumb down” the standards of courses, or when admitting students.

The commitment from UUK and GuildHE, on behalf of the UK Standing Committee for Quality Assessment [UKSCQA], outlines six principles which cover the importance of being transparent with students on how degree algorithms work and how they have

performed against the learning outcomes.

The report, which highlights examples of recommended good practice, says:

■ Only one algorithm should be used to calculate a degree classification and this should be clearly stated to students as they start their studies.

■ Discounting core or final-year modules should not be an option and any form of discounting should be minimised. Students should also be given clear instructions on how discounting some credits will apply to their final award.

■ There should be a maximum zone of consideration of two percentage points from the grade boundary with no additional rounding-up for borderline classifications. For example, this would allow reconsideration of a mark of 68 per cent for a firstclass degree, but no consideration of a mark of 67.99 per cent.

Education Secretary Gavin Williamson previously warned that the increasing proportion of top grades was “undermining our world-class reputation”.

A PA news agency analysis of the data in February found that soaring numbers of firsts were being handed out by universities, with some giving at least a third of degrees the top honour.

Nearly all UK universities and colleges saw an increase in firsts in the last five years.