How many people leave Cambridge or Oxford with a 2:2 (If any)

I can't imagine it's more than 0.5%

As an example:

In 2010, in Cambridge University (excluding subjects with an undivided Class II):

Class I: 22.9 %
Class II, division 1: 57.6 %
Class II, division 2: 15.5 %
Class III: 2.8 %
Other: 1.3 %

Source: http://www.admin.cam.ac.uk/univ/camdata/undergraduate.html#exams

Reply 2

YearRetaker

OP

7

Thanks very much.

Surprised at the numerous thumbs down I have received for this. I just thought that with all the effort to get into either university this hard work would continue into degree level making 2:2's or below highly unlikely. Not forgetting the quality of support and teaching received at each institution.

Reply 3

The_Lonely_Goatherd

20

MEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE (a name I call myself) :smug:

Reply 4

Chief Wiggum

20

Original post by YearRetaker

Thanks very much.

Surprised at the numerous thumbs down I have received for this. I just thought that with all the effort to get into either university this hard work would continue into degree level making 2:2's or below highly unlikely. Not forgetting the quality of support and teaching received at each institution.

I can see why you would think that. I am not sure why people thumbed down your post (perhaps simply because they know your 0.5% suggestion to be incorrect).

Especially in scientific subjects, I wouldn't consider Cambridge to be especially generous with their classifications when you consider how intelligent their students are. People do, in general, work hard, and are intelligent, but when this is true of the whole year group, Cambridge want to try to differentiate people, so standards for each classification are high.

Reply 5

YearRetaker

OP

7

Do you still feel going to oxf/camb benefited you when applying for jobs ? even against people who went to ''lesser'' uni's with 2.1's ? (To Goatherd)

(edited 10 years ago)

Reply 6

J_W-x

13

Blue rep gem, that's interdasting. Google Uni stats and it'll tell you loads of information :smile:

Reply 7

Zaphod77

1

I know Carol Vorderman left Cambridge with a Class III in Maths! She had really good skills in mental maths, but found it harder with degree level.

Reply 8

The_Lonely_Goatherd

20

Original post by YearRetaker

Do you still feel going to oxf/camb benefited you when applying for jobs ? even against people who went to ''lesser'' uni's with 2.1's ? (To Goatherd)

I don't think it directly got me any interviews or jobs but the Oxford title does seem to have carried kudos and kept people interested in me. I've had employers think I have the WOW factor and when I've said "oh but I only got a 2.2", one person replied "oh but that doesn't matter, you went to OXFORD!!!"

It's hard for me to answer your question as I'm not really trying for competitive jobs, due to being mentally disabled (which is, incidentally, also why I got a 2.2) :nah:

Reply 9

fluteflute

19

In 2012 at Oxford:

1st: 29.5%
2.1: 62.1%
2.2: 7.3%
3rd: 1.0%
Other: 0.2%

Source: adding up the numbers from http://www.ox.ac.uk/about_the_university/facts_and_figures/norringtontable.html

From anecdotal evidence, the approach of Oxford tutors seems to be "with sufficient effort, anyone who we admitted should normally be able to achieve a 2.1". The 92% of students who did (in the year I've taken as an example) seems about right to me.

(I'm not sure how to compare this to the 80% who get a 1st or 2.1 at Cambridge)

Questions about how grade classifications should be determined come up again and again. (e.g. I know it is being discussed in Oxford at the moment.) I feel like the current Oxford proportions probably work, more or less: if you get a 2.1 it means "this person has an Oxford degree, which is a huge achievement" with a 1st signifying "this person has a 1st, which means that they are exceptional".

(edited 10 years ago)

Reply 10

nexttime

22

Original post by YearRetaker

I just thought that with all the effort to get into either university this hard work would continue into degree level making 2:2's or below highly unlikely.

Why? Degree classifications are not standardised. Its harder to get a 2.1 at higher ranked universities than it is at lower ranked ones. Check out page 25 of this Sutton Trust study for some evidence for this.

Reply 11

TritonSails

11

Original post by YearRetaker

I can't imagine it's more than 0.5%

In my course (Cambiridge English) something like 70% get 2.is, 20% 1sts, and the rest lower classes. As others have said, essays worth a 2:ii here may well get a lot more marks at other universities. Another thing to consider is that some subjects are marked competitively such that a set proportion always get 2:iis anyway, regardless of the absolute merit of any candidate's work.

Reply 12

natninja

21

Original post by YearRetaker

I can't imagine it's more than 0.5%

So badly wrong...

On my course - Physics at Oxford - around 20% get less than a 2:1

Reply 13

natninja

21

Original post by YearRetaker

Thanks very much.

Surprised at the numerous thumbs down I have received for this. I just thought that with all the effort to get into either university this hard work would continue into degree level making 2:2's or below highly unlikely. Not forgetting the quality of support and teaching received at each institution.

now take into account the relative difficulties of degrees at different places - there is no real nationwide standardisation

Reply 14

FreddyG

Original post by YearRetaker

Thanks very much.

Surprised at the numerous thumbs down I have received for this. I just thought that with all the effort to get into either university this hard work would continue into degree level making 2:2's or below highly unlikely. Not forgetting the quality of support and teaching received at each institution.

If 2.2s were the same across universities of course you would be correct. However, every year the same percentage of students are given 2.2 degrees at each university. So to get a 2.1 in Oxford you have to be in the top 80% of Oxford students.

Reply 15

nulli tertius

21

Original post by FreddyG

If 2.2s were the same across universities of course you would be correct. However, every year the same percentage of students are given 2.2 degrees at each university. So to get a 2.1 in Oxford you have to be in the top 80% of Oxford students.

If you read the stats earlier in the thread, you will see this is not the case. Approximately 92% of Oxofrd students get a 2:1 or better.

Moreover this has not been constant through time. The second class degree was first divided at Oxford for finals in 1986. The earliest widely available stats are for 1990 (though with a bit of work I could probably find the 1986 stats) which were:

Firsts: 16.76%
2:1: 52.95%
2:2: 24.58%
Thirds: 4.93%
Others: 0.46%
Fails: 0.32% (9 candidates)

Reply 16

FreddyG

This is still a percentage, and you're competing with the best candidates for university application. On top of that, Oxbridge have continual assessment, and if you fall behind, you will be kicked out. By the time you get to finals a significant percentage of the people who started the degree have been made to leave. In some courses - like materials - this number can be as high as 50%.

Reply 17

Ilovemaths96

13

if you leave oxbridge with a 2:2 or below then you've pretty much wasted your time there unless there were extenuating circumstances. just because you got in doesn't mean you can take your foot off the pedal

i can imagine many people disagreeing with this weeping statement

Reply 18

Chief Wiggum

20

Original post by Ilovemaths96

if you leave oxbridge with a 2:2 or below then you've pretty much wasted your time there unless there were extenuating circumstances. just because you got in doesn't mean you can take your foot off the pedal

i can imagine many people disagreeing with this weeping statement

Getting a 2.2 doesn't mean you've taken your foot off the pedal.

Reply 19

smile:D

16

Original post by YearRetaker

I can't imagine it's more than 0.5%

Depends on subject and uni. Can't really speak for Oxford but for Cambridge it varies hugely depending on subject, e.g. for History 97% got a first or a 2.1, for Computer Science it was 65%.

Bear in mind that unistats might be a bit out of date but you get the picture

Edit: can anyone shed any light on why there's this disparity between sciences/humanities?

(edited 9 years ago)

How many people leave Cambridge or Oxford with a 2:2 (If any)

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