Ninth Level Ireland

“First-class honours and 2.1 grades have increased significantly in most Irish universities, institutes of technology and colleges over the last ten years, an analysis by Noteworthy.ie has found. The upward trend has led academics and recruiters to warn that third-level degrees are becoming ubiquitous, with employers struggling to differentiate one first-class honours or 2.1 degree from another in their search for top talent, and extracurricular activities and work experience becoming increasingly important for students …” (more)

[TheJournal.ie, 13 August]

“The proportion of students in England awarded first-class degrees continues to increase – rising by 80% since 2010-11, the university watchdog says. The Office for Students, warning of grade inflation, says for almost three-quarters of universities such increases in top grades are ‘unexplained’ …” (more)

[Sean Coughlan, BBC News, 11 July]

“Universities will be fined if they hand out too many first and 2:1 degrees to be fair to ‘hard-working students’, the education secretary is threatening. Damian Hinds said a big leap in the two top awards – to 78% of degrees, up from 67% at the start of the decade – amounted to ‘grade inflation’, rather than rising standards alone … ” (more)

[Rob Merrick, Independent, 24 March]

“A record number of first-class degrees were awarded to graduates last year despite growing pressure on UK universities to tackle grade inflation. More than a quarter (28%) of graduates now leave UK universities with top marks – a rise of two percentage points, figures from the Higher Education Statistics Agency (Hesa) reveal …” (more)

[Eleanor Busby, Independent, 17 January]

“The figure below shows the exam and CA marks for two of my third year modules in DCU for the last three years. The blue data is for a rather mathematical module for which the CA is worth 20% of the module marks. Two of us teach into the module and both of our CAs involve in-class tests …” (more)

[An Irish Blog about Education, 9 January]

“For many, the news last week that Trinity students are the most likely in Ireland to get a first-class degree will hardly have come as any great surprise. Trinity courses are, after all, among those with the highest points in the country. For others, however, that a fifth of Trinity graduates get firsts is a sign that grade inflation – an issue that has vexed education systems for decades – in College is spiralling dangerously …” (more)

[University Times, 7 January]

“Well here I am, back in my office at Maynooth University, although I wish I could say the same about the heating. The Christmas closure officially ended yesterday (3rd January) but there are very few people about today and no heating in my office. I doubt there will be anywhere open to get lunch later. And did I mention there’s no heating? …” (more)

[In the Dark, 4 January]

“Sir, – Considering how much coverage your newspaper gives to education, the shallowness of your analysis (in your editorial ‘Keeping an eye on standards’ of January 3rd) of ‘grade inflation’ in Irish third-level institutions, and the implied suggestion that our quality systems are somewhat lacking, is surprising …” (more)

[Letters, Irish Times, 4 January]

“Lecturers at Institute of Technology Tralee are refusing to attend exam and course meetings after an exam board at the college overturned a lecturer’s marks for every student in his class. The industrial action, which was voted for by 65% of the members of the Teachers’ Union of Ireland at IT Tralee, has raised concerns about academic standards at the college …” (more)

[Peter McGuire, Irish Times, 31 December]

“Students are most likely to secure first or upper-second class degrees at Dublin City University (72%), followed by University College Dublin (71%) and University College Cork (69%). They are more difficult to come by at University of Limerick (53%) and NUI Galway (63%). Trinity College Dublin’s figures are more difficult to calculate …” (more)

[Peter McGuire and Carl O’Brien, Irish Times, 31 December]

“Which university offers the best shot of a first-class or 2.1 degree? Is there much difference between University College Dublin and Trinity College Dublin? The Irish Times has used a mix of Freedom of Information requests and statistics from the Higher Education Authority (HEA) to crunch the numbers. The analysis shows grades at Ireland’s seven universities have been rising consistently over the past decade …” (more)

[Peter McGuire and Carl O’Brien, Irish Times, 31 December]

“Today’s Guardian reports that in the UK, that the University watchdog (OfS) ‘threatens fines over grade inflation’. This is as a consequence of the proportion of first class degrees increasing from 16% to 27% in six years. According to the article ‘84% of universities seeing significant unexplained increases in the number of first-class degrees awarded’. Below I have drawn a chart showing the average percentage of First Class Honours Degrees for 148 Universities across the UK showing the 16% to 27% increase …” (more)

[Careful With That Axe, Eugene, 19 December]

“Universities in England are giving too many students top degree grades, the Office for Students (OfS) has warned. The watchdog’s analysis shows the number of graduates being awarded first and upper-second class degrees rose from 67% in 2010-11 to 78% in 2016-17 …” (more)

[Katherine Sellgren, BBC News, 19 December]

“Are universities handing out more firsts than than they should … or than they used to? That is the story. And may be we should wait until the reporters have reported. But from the coal face, there are some obvious answers. Yes, over my career, we are giving more firsts. But more to the point we are giving even more 2.1s and even fewer 2.2s and 3rds (which have been virtually eradicated). Why is that? …” (more)

[Mary Beard, Times Literary Supplement, 28 November]

“Concerns about UK grade inflation are now such a regular feature in the media that most of us are probably in the terminal stages of grade inflation fatigue. It is also the case that the term itself is interpreted in two different ways leading to two (intertwined) debates where both require a different policy response …” (more)

[David Allen, Wonkhe, 15 July]

“On Thursday morning, I travelled to another university to act as an external examiner for one of their degrees. Before I left the house, I listened to the Today programme. On the show, I heard Tom Richmond from the think-tank Reform complaining that universities were ‘handing out incredible numbers of top degrees’ because the system allows them to ‘mark their own homework’ …” (more)

[Alice Bennett, New Statesman, 22 June]

“Universities risk losing their credibility due to ‘rocketing’ grade inflation, a think tank has said. According to Reform, the proportion of firsts awarded almost doubled between 1997-2009 and rose by 26% since 2010 …” (more)

[BBC News, 21 June]

“British universities have been handing out higher-class degrees at an unprecedented rate over the past decade, according to detailed figures released by the higher education regulator. The figures, from a selection of universities taking part in the government’s latest teaching excellence framework, known as Tef3, show huge variation …” (more)

[Richard Adams, Guardian, 13 June]

“Grade inflation is endemic in our higher education system. What’s more, its pace appears to be accelerating and neither high tariff nor low tariff institutions are immune. The regular newspaper articles showcasing the latest growth in firsts and 2:1s have become an expected feature of the summer, yet the sector still shows a failure to truly grip this nettle. Too often, debates over whether it really exists are still taking the place of genuine attempts to reform …” (more)

[Iain Mansfield, Wonkhe, 17 May]

“Staff at a Russell Group university have been told that they will face investigation over their grading if they award average marks lower than a 2:1. In an email seen by Times Higher Education, lecturers at Queen Mary University of London’s School of Business and Management are told that they must remember what is called the ’60:60:60 principle’ when assessing students’ work …” (more)

[Jack Grove, Times Higher Education, 1 February]