University degrees: our arcane system of firsts, seconds and thirds

By Andrew McGettigan. The number of first-class degrees is rising, but if we care about standards we must analyse the pressures around accreditation.
The Higher Education Statistics Agency recently published its annual overview of enrolments and qualifications achieved at UK universities and colleges. A breakdown of undergraduate results for 2010/11 showed that 16% of candidates now achieve first-class honours. The numbers graduating with the highest degree classification are now double what they were a decade ago. Immediate, superficial responses see yet another example of "dumbing down", but the changes are not that straightforward and these criticisms avoid tackling bigger issues about the place of higher education within British society. Read more...