Sharp rise in first-class degrees may be linked to student expectations and competition among universities

A sharp increase in the proportion of first class honours awarded by universities in recent years may be influenced by a range of factors including competition between institutions and the expectations of parents and students, according to Government briefing material.

There has been a 50 per cent rise in first-class degrees over a seven-year period, up from 16 per cent for the class of 2015 to 24.4 per cent for the class of 2022.

Internal briefing material prepared by the Department of Further and Higher Education, released under the Freedom of Information Act, notes that the State’s watchdog for education standards is undertaking research with universities on the factors behind grade inflation.

While the final outcome of this work is not due until the second half of this year, the department says Quality and Qualifications Ireland ‘s (QQI) initial advice is that potential factors may include pressure among universities not to undermine their marketing position by being “out of step” and awarding “too few firsts”.

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This, it noted, can also make it difficult for an individual institution to combat grade inflation by acting unilaterally.

In addition, it advised that “recruitment processes, funding models, league tables, the requirement of professional and regulatory bodies and the expectation of students and parents may play a role too”.

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Other potential factors include more generous changes in assessment during Covid, such as the use of open-book exams.

Latest available data for 2022 shows a significant variation in the proportion of first-class honours degrees awarded by institutions.

Among those who awarded the most first-class honours degrees were IADT in Dún Laoghaire (41 per cent of students secured a first), Trinity College Dublin (30 per cent), UCC (27 per cent) and University of Galway (26 per cent).

Those most likely to award fewer top degrees included Maynooth University (14 per cent), Mary Immaculate College in Limerick (18 per cent), South East Technological University (20 per cent), UCD, RCSI and DCU (all 23 per cent).

There were also variations in study areas. In disciplines such as teaching and medicine, where gaining a higher education qualification is key to professional registration and career progression, the number of first-class honours tends to be lower.

Briefing material notes that degree classifications are significant for students because they can be used to shortlist candidates for employment or access to advanced studies.

It says while the proportion of top degrees can vary over time, it is often difficult to identify if this is due to improved performance by graduates or changes in how students are assessed.

The aim of the QQI’s work with universities, meanwhile, is aimed at better understanding grade inflation trends, potential causes and addressing any emerging issues

“The difficulty lies in determining how these changes relate to differences in graduate knowledge, skill or competence, as opposed to changes in approaches to the assessment of learning and algorithms for the classification of degrees,” the records state.

In addition, it says what constitutes a “good” degree can depend in part on the discipline and the institution awarding the degrees.

“These change over time within the community of practice, particularly through the work of external examiners,” it states. “Irish higher education institutions often draw their external examiners from the UK and the league table pressures in the UK may be impacting grade inflation in Ireland.”

The aim of the QQI’s work with universities, meanwhile, is aimed at better understanding grade inflation trends, potential causes and addressing any emerging issues.

In relation to potential factors, a QQI spokeswoman said that while it had suggested some possible reasons to the department, it was “impossible to say with any certainty until the we have more information from the project”.

QQI has also initiated a “rethinking assessment” programme, aimed at developing expertise in assessment at third level to ensure their validity, reliability and fairness.

This includes interactive oral assessment, “authentic” assessment and external peer review of assessment.

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