‘Significant progress’ in fight against grade inflation

Review claims progress after decade of growth in number of top grades awarded

The bodies behind a sector-wide agreement to tackle grade inflation say universities’ commitments have helped arrest a decade-long rise in the number of top grades awarded.

Concern over grade inflation has grown in recent years, as the proportion of first-class degrees awarded surged from 15.7 per cent of all degrees in 2010-11 to 29.3 per cent in 2017-18. The Office for Students warned last month that grade inflation remains “a significant and pressing issue”, despite that growth levelling off in 2018-19—with first-class degrees representing 29.5 per cent of those awarded.