The proportion of UK undergraduates achieving a first-class degree fell for the first time on record last year, new figures show.
The Higher Education Statistics Agency (Hesa) said the fall was likely caused by a return to in-person exams after the Covid-19 pandemic and by pressure on English providers applied by the Office for Students (OfS), the sector regulator.
A decrease towards pre-pandemic levels was welcomed by the OfS, which said unchecked grade inflation could “erode public trust”.
The new Hesa figures show that 32.1 per cent of first-degree students were awarded a first-class honours classification in 2021-22 – down from the peak of 36.4 per cent the year before and the first ever fall on record.
