British undergraduate degree classification
The UK's university degree classification system, established in 1918, serves to recognize academic achievement beyond examination performance.
The honours degree system has been subject to scrutiny owing to significant shifts in the distribution of classifications, leading to calls for reform.
Critics argue this trend, driven partly by institutional pressures to maintain high league table rankings, dilutes the value of higher education and undermines public confidence.
The system affects progression to postgraduate education, with most courses requiring at least a 2:1, although work experience and additional qualifications can sometimes compensate for lower classifications.
The ongoing debate over grade inflation and its implications for the UK's higher education landscape reflect broader concerns about maintaining academic standards and the value of university degrees in an increasingly competitive job market.
[2] Honours were then a means to recognise individuals who demonstrated depth of knowledge or originality, as opposed to relative achievement in examination conditions.
[4] A 2018 study by the UK Standing Committee for Quality Assessment concluded that improvements in faculty skill and student motivation are only two of many factors driving average grades upward, that grade inflation is real, that the British undergraduate degree classifications will become less useful to students and employers, and that inflation will undermine public confidence in the overall value of higher education.
[5] Students already believe that a first or upper second, by itself, is no longer sufficient to secure a good job, and that they need to engage in extra-curricular activities to build their CV.
While grade boundaries are defined by institutions, there are well-defined conventional values that are generally followed:[7] Students who do not achieve honours may be awarded an ordinary degree, sometimes known as a "pass".
However, even students with a high average mark may be unable to take honours if they have failed part of the course and so have insufficient credits.
The Higher Education Statistics Agency (HESA) has published the number of degrees awarded with different classifications since 1994–1995.
The relative proportions of different classes have changed over this period, with increasing numbers of students being awarded higher honours.
It is also required for the award of a research council postgraduate studentship in the UK, although a combination of qualifications and experience equal to a 2:1 is also acceptable.
[32][33][34] The percentage of candidates who achieve Upper Second Class Honours can vary widely by degree subject, as well as by university.
Scottish universities may also award their ordinary degrees with distinction if a student achieves a particularly good grade average, usually 70% or above.
A common example of a Scottish ordinary degree is the Bachelor of Laws course taken by graduates of other subjects, as this is sufficient (without honours) for entry into the legal profession.
Where the substance of incorporated credit exceeds a given threshold, the granting institution may be unable to grade sufficient work to award a degree classification.
[citation needed] At the University of Cambridge, undergraduate Tripos examinations are split into one or more Parts, which span either one or two years.
Examinations for Prelims or Honour Moderations are also undertaken in the first or second year, but their results do not typically affect the final degree classification.
At University College London, candidates who perform well beyond the requirements of a standard First Class Honours may be nominated to the Dean's List.
[62] Equivalencies for the purposes of initial teacher training have also been derived by the UK NARIC for 1st, 2:1 and 2:2 degrees, which do not align with St Andrews' table.
The UK NARIC has derived equivalencies for the grades of the Spanish grado and licenciatura degrees for purposes of initial teacher training bursaries.
[70] Different universities convert grades differently: the London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE) considers a GPA of 3.5 or better as equivalent to gaining a 2:1,[71] while the department of English Language and Literature at Oxford considers a GPA of "about 3.8" equivalent to a first class degree.
[72] Similarly, the UK NARIC gives equivalent GPAs for determining eligibility for teacher training bursaries.
[73] The GPA conversions are summarised in the following table: Letter grade equivalents are more commonly used by American institutions.
[86] Regulations governing the progression of undergraduate degree graduates to postgraduate programmes vary among universities, and are often flexible.
[87][88] Candidates with a Third or an Ordinary degree are sometimes accepted, provided they have acquired satisfactory professional experience subsequent to graduation.
[93] A GPA scale, tied to percentage marks and letter grades, was recommended for use nationally following the study, to run in parallel with the honours degree classification system.
[93] However, a Universities UK and Guild HE report in 2017 found that adoption had been slow, further uptake in the future was unlikely, and the envisaged benefits had not been delivered.
Problems encountered included a lack of awareness among employers and students, meaning that where it was introduced it was typically in parallel to instead of in place of traditional degree classifications.
