Regulating student awards

We have been concerned for some time that improved teaching may not fully explain the scale of the increase in the proportion of students awarded first-class and upper second class degrees over time.

To support providers, we have published a report setting out things that institutions should consider when making changes to the algorithms they use to determine bachelors’ degree classifications.

This includes testing the classes of award given to students against their actual attainment, and taking reasonable steps to ensure any award accurately reflects their academic achievements.

The report also discusses our concerns about the use of two steps sometimes included in an algorithm: awarding a student the best result from multiple algorithms and discounting credit with the lowest marks.

Case reports

We have also carried out detailed assessments of the changes three universities have made to their classification algorithms for bachelors’ degrees over time.

• Read the case report for St Mary’s University, Twickenham
• Read the case report for the Teesside University
• Read the case report for the University of West London