Anyone received a first at university with less than 70%?

Wow, that's like, really unfair..

haha well depends what you get

haha well I got a first, but because I had over 70% average. It seems a bit silly for people with 68% to get a first, you gotta make a cut off point somewhere! Then again, all university exams are different and at varying levels of difficulty so it'll never be a level playing field.

haha well I got a first, but because I had over 70% average. It seems a bit silly for people with 68% to get a first, you gotta make a cut off point somewhere! Then again, all university exams are different and at varying levels of difficulty so it'll never be a level playing field.

Last year a guy from my course got a 2.2 in second year but graduated with a first. Another boy got a third in second year and graduated with a 2.1. But on my course second:third year is weighted 1:2 so if you do significantly better in your last year you can still get the higher grade.

My uni is that you have to be within 2% of the higher grade (so for a 1st, 68 or 69) and then have 120 credits, with at least 60 in final year, at 70+.

That seems pretty harsh. I'm having visions about ending up with something ridiculous like 69.4% overall with like 110 credits at 70+.

It is designed for those who just missed a first by a few marks in one/two modules to still get a first. If you got an average of 69.9%, failing to get a first by 5 marks in one module - is it fair you get the same classification as someone who had an average of 61%.
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But you could say that about anything - what happens if you make the cut off point 68.5% and someone gets 68.4% ? You can't just keep lowering it. A percentage only system would probably be better, and then you'd also see the difference between someone with a 61% 2:1 and a 69.9% one.

I only meant that it was unfair some universities have this and some don't.
I did point out that due to the way there is no universal 'exam board' style system, and all universities set their own exams, it's inherently unfair anyway.

The point of the borderline system is it allows the examination board to make a decision, based on someone's performance, if to grant them a first or a 2:1. If they only get 66.9% - there are a fair distance from the 70% of a 1st. You have to remember as well that they need to have half their modules at 70% or higher - so it is going to be people who missed out on a 1st because of one or two modules at 60 something %, as opposed to people who just had an average which was too low.

Within CS @ Nottingham at least, each decision on borderline classifications is taken by the board of examiners, so it is basically where people who just missed out on a classification have a chance of getting it still, allowing human judgement on where leeway should be granted or not.

At my university you can get a first with a 68% average as long as you got 70%+ in enough individual modules. I thought that some variant on this was pretty standard.

Year weighting is different - usually the later years are weighted higher because they are considered more difficult.

Yes? That's what I said is it not? First year doesn't count towards your overall grade at my uni, second year is one third and third year is two thirds. Lots of people leave with a first which isn't a 'true' first, apparently.

Yes, a board of examiners decision on borderline candidates is best. Rather than putting extra rules in place about which percentage is what.

I think the thread is more based around borderline classifications than non-weighted averages. I don't think many people would think that a first is not a true first with a < 70% non-weighted average.




You do still need some guidelines on what is put before the board of examiners though - they don't have the time, nor do they want to review every candidate.

I think the thread is more based around borderline classifications than non-weighted averages. I don't think many people would think that a first is not a true first with a < 70% non-weighted average.

Yeah so stick to - are they incredibly close to the 60 or 70% grade boundaries? Simples.

But that's what I'm saying...a lot of people leave my uni with a first even when they got a low grade in second year because their average is like 68 but if they got mostly firsts in third year they leave with a first. My uni rounds up a lot, a girl I worked with last year graduated with a first in english and she got 67 overall..

For Classics mods at Oxford



I imagine things like this vary enormously however by university and course.