A new grading plan for UK universities.

  A new grading plan for UK universities.

Universities want to find a way of showing more detail in degree grades

A total of 18 UK universities are to test a new plan for Higher Education. This will show more information about students' performances in individual modules and assessments.

However the pilot project will run alongside the current system of classifying degrees as first, second and third class in English, biology, accounting and creative arts courses.

It has been noticed that too many students were being awarded and that employers did not have enough information from degree levels to distinguish between job applicants. This system is now going to be tested from 2009 and there might be formally implemented everywhere from 2010-11.

The project follows the report – the Hear - by the professor Robert Burgess who was looking for a replacement for the traditional grading system. In 2004, he deduced that the current grading system has "outlived its usefulness" - and which called for a more informative "progress file".

'Become Transparent'

A follow-up report in 2007 concluded that despite the weaknesses of the current system nothing else had been found that was definitively better.
"We are delighted that so many institutions agreed to trial the Hear with the involvement of students and employers. This will give us an opportunity to see if the proposals add value and are practical," said Professor Burgess.
Higher Education Minister, David Lammy, said: "Providing clear and transparent information is essential both for students and their future employers."

The reform of degree grades was proposed in 2004 against a backdrop of changes in higher education - with the government linking extra funding from fees to an expectation of widening participation and greater openness in admissions.

In England traditions rule the world but the ideas are set up now let's go.

Alexandra Trzcinski
Pierre Sanchez
Nicolas Verdier