Proportion of top grades falls to pre-pandemic levels, but nearly half are still unexplained

Figures released by the Office for Students (OfS) show that the proportion of top degree classifications awarded to students has fallen to pre-pandemic levels, after considerable rises in recent years. 

Today, analysis published by the OfS shows that the number of graduates that attained first class degrees in 2022-23 fell to 29.6 per cent – a decrease of 3.7 percentage points compared to the previous year.  

Confirming 2022-23 as the second successive year that rates of first class degrees have fallen, the report also shows that students who started degrees with the very highest A-level results remain the most likely to be awarded top grades at university. Nearly half (47.9 per cent) of students who entered higher education with grades of AAA and above received first class degrees in 2022-23. The biggest increase in first class degree attainment between 2010-11 and 2022-23 was for students with A-level grades DDD, rising from 6.7 per cent to 24.4 per cent. 

The proportion of top grades awarded to students has risen significantly since 2010-11. In 2010-11, 15.8 per cent of students achieved first class degrees; in 2022-23, that figure is almost double (29.6 per cent).  

Of the 29.6 per cent of students awarded first class degrees in 2022-23, nearly half (13.4 per cent) cannot be explained by the OfS’s statistical modelling, which considers factors such as subject of study and students’ entry qualifications.  

The proportion of students awarded first and upper second class degrees combined has also fallen for two successive years. It fell to 77.6 per cent in 2022-23, compared to 80.7 per cent in the previous year.  

For students with A-levels, the decreases in first and upper second class degrees awarded between 2021-22 and 2022-23 ranged from a fall of 2.1 percentage points for students with grades of AAA and above, through to a sizable 6.3 percentage point reduction for students entering with grades of CCD. 

Susan Lapworth, chief executive of the OfS, said: 

‘This report shows that the decade-long increases we’ve seen in the award of top degrees is slowing, thanks to the steps universities have taken to curb grade inflation and to begin to restore confidence in the qualifications students are awarded. 

‘It’s encouraging to see rates decrease for the second year running and return to pre-pandemic levels. 

‘But we are still seeing nearly double the proportion of graduates awarded first class degrees as we did in 2010-11, nearly half of which is unexplained. Our report is clear that while some of this observed increase could be attributed to factors like improved teaching and learning, we need to guard against unexplained increases in classifications becoming embedded because this risks public confidence in higher education.  

‘We support the important actions universities continue to take to ensure students’ hard work is being valued consistently over time. A first class degree in 2024 should carry the same weight as one awarded in the past and into the future.’