Official statistic: Key performance measure 18
Students achieving 1sts
36%
Proportion in 2019-20
We are working on a target for this measure
What does this show?
We want to make sure that qualifications hold their value over time. This means, for example, that the value of a 1st now should represent broadly the same level of student achievement as one awarded in five or ten years.
This measure shows the percentage of students achieving 1sts over time. Where this reveals that more students achieve 1sts, further analysis can be used to work out if this is warranted given their overall achievements (see our report: 'Analysis of degree classifications over time'.)
The proportion of students achieving 1sts increased by over six percentage points between 2018-19 and 2019-20.
Please note that as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, a number of providers made changes to assessment and classification arrangements to ensure students were not disadvantaged by the impact of the pandemic when it came to assessment in 2019-20.
Providers did not adopt a single approach. As a result, the impact of these changes will have varied from provider to provider.
It is not possible to determine the extent to which these actions by providers may have influenced the large increase in the size of KPM 18 between 2018-19 and 2019-20.
Get the data
Updates
Update to include data for academic year 2019-20 and small change to population used to derive measure (apprenticeship students are now included in the population to fully align with our access and participation data dashboard definitions).
Update to include data for academic year 2018-19.
Update to include data for academic year 2017-18 and change to population used to derive measure (change from England domiciled graduates to UK domiciled graduates).
First publication.
About the measure
The measure shows the percentage of students achieving 1st class honours degrees.
- Frequency: Annual
- Population: Full-time (or apprenticeship) undergraduate degree (first degree and degrees including a postgraduate component) graduates domiciled in the UK obtaining classified honours degrees from higher education providers in England
- Data Sources: Individual student data from HESA and the Individualised Learner Record from ESFA
- Available: March.
Feedback
If you have any queries about the statistics published as KPM 18, please contact William Rimington at [email protected].
If you have any queries about our overall approach or on individual measures, please contact Josh Fleming at [email protected].
Last updated 11 March 2021 + show all updates
11 March 2021 - Annual update and change to population
15 February 2021 - Availability changed to March
19 November 2020 - Link updated for the report on analysis of degree classifications
02 April 2020 - Annual update
21 March 2019 - Annual update and change to population used
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