The BBC article is based on a leaked email from Manchester Metropolitan University quoting an email from their Maths & Computing dept's "academic standards manager" not-so-subtly hinting that a failure to award as many 1st/2:1 degrees as other Universities is a bad thing. I disagree that it's necessarily bad to have some institutions with a smaller rate of 1st/2:1 (variability is natural) and I am wholeheartedly against the implied hint to "drop your standards, the institution needs better statistics". Professional University staff work hard to (a) maintain standards (internally) and (b) maintain comparable standards (with the help of external examiners etc.) and we should continue to do-so.
I and my colleagues are under the same pressure: The institution where I work also awards fewer 1st/2:1 than the sector average. So what? It's a meaningless statistic! What about intake? Compare like with like! Where I work we're proud of the fact that we take students with lower A-level grades than at some other places and give 1st/2:1 degrees to a good proportion of those who make it to final year ... we add value, they work hard to reach the standard. I say to students: Keep it up! And to staff: Resist grade deflation!
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