Daily Stormer The Most Censored Publication in History
Daily Mail
April 19, 2014
One in six universities – including top institutions such as Oxford – have been awarding too many good degrees, a groundbreaking study has claimed.
In the first analysis of its kind, researchers looked at the ‘academic profile’ of students who graduated in 2011.
The statistics, which included exam results from school, were then used to predict what degree results the students were likely to achieve.
They discovered that out of the 123 English universities that were examined, 21 awarded significantly more firsts and 2:1s than expected.
The list included several members of the elite Russell Group including Oxford, Liverpool, Newcastle, Warwick and Exeter.
The universities insist their high rates of top degrees were down to good teaching.
But the study, which was carried out by the Higher Education Funding Council, has cast renewed doubt on the value of degree grades, which are controlled by universities with little outside scrutiny.
External examiners – academics from other institutions – check how exams are marked but generally only ensure a consistent standard for a pass mark, rather than a first or 2:1.
The figures led to warnings that university league tables are encouraging academics to mark exams leniently.
Experts said the research pointed to ‘over-awarding’ by some universities which was contributing to grade inflation.
