UNIVERSITIES have been ordered to toughen up marking after nearly a third of students got first-class degrees.
The proportion of graduates gaining top marks shot up from 16 per cent in 2011 to 29 per cent last year, the latest stats show.
2
Education Secretary Damian Hinds warns grade inflation is risking Britain’s reputation for providing quality higher education. And he calls on uni bosses to stop awarding so many plum degrees.
The regulator, Office for Students, is also writing to the worst offenders to ask for an explanation.
Mr Hinds said yesterday: “It cannot be right some students are awarded higher grades for the same level of achievement than those from previous years.
“We owe it to hard-working students and institutions who play by the rules to stamp out this unfair practice.”
Unis not cracking down can be fined or struck off.
2
