First-class degrees 二塁打 in a １０年間まっただ中に 'dumbing 負かす／撃墜する' （人命などを）奪う，主張するs

By LAURA CLARK

Last updated at 20:01 10 January 2008

A 記録，記録的な／記録する one in eight university students is awarded a first- class degree, 人物／姿／数字s 明らかにする／漏らすd yesterday.

Thirteen per cent receive the highest grade possible - nearly twice as many as a １０年間 ago.

The にわか景気 in firsts will 燃料恐れるs that the university honours system has been 平価を切り下げるd by 'grade インフレーション' and 増加する圧力 for it to be 改革（する）d.

A 政府-支援するd 調査結論するd last year that the 200-year-old system was not fit for 目的 but did not recommend 取って代わるing it.

The 統計（学） also show how women are の近くにing the gap on men.

Although men 伸び（る） more firsts, women's success 率s in 達成するing the highest accolade are 増加するing more quickly.

The 人物／姿／数字s from the Higher Education 統計（学）機関 show 36,645 firsts were awarded last year, up 1 per cent on 2006.

Nearly half of students - 48 per cent - 達成するd a 2.1, again up 1 per cent on 2006. In 1997, 7.5 per cent of students 達成するd firsts and 44 per cent 伸び（る）d 2.1s.

First-class degrees have 伝統的に been reserved for students who showed an exceptional breadth of 初めの work.

But some 会・原則s now 手渡す firsts to a third of students.

Ten per cent of universities give out firsts to a fifth of students while, at the other end of the 規模, some bestow the honour on only 4 per cent.

Separate 研究示唆するs エリート会・原則s are 増加するing their 運ぶ／漁獲高 of firsts and 2.1s faster than いっそう少なく prestigious 競争相手s.

An eight-year 分析 by Professor Mantz Yorke, a visiting professor of education at Lancaster University, 明らかにする／漏らすd a 広げるing gap in degree 業績／成就 at the Russell Group of 20 エリート universities compared with former polytechnics.

計画（する）s for students to be 問題／発行するd with a 詳細（に述べる）d transcript of 示すs were published last year after a three-year review.

The Higher Education 業績／成就記録，記録的な／記録する could show 全体にわたる百分率得点する／非難する／２０s and is ーするつもりであるd to become the main way to grade students by 2010.

But the review, 長，率いるd by Professor （頭が）ひょいと動く Burgess, of Leicester University, said the 存在するing honours 分類s would run と一緒に the new transcripts, at least in the first few years, before hopefully becoming "obsolete".

His 報告（する）／憶測 also 非難するd as "unhealthy and 損失ing" the 広範囲にわたって-held 見解（をとる） that it is 必須の for students to 達成する at least a 2.1 to get a good 職業.

The 結論s followed a 報告（する）／憶測 from the 質保証／確信機関 which 設立する degree grades were becoming 事実上 meaningless.

It 警告するd 最高の，を越す卒業生（する）s could be 行方不明の out on 職業s because 競争相手候補者s were 示すd too generously.

Yesterday's 人物／姿／数字s also 確認する a 下降 in enrolments to university last year after ￡3,000-a-year tuition 料金s were 課すd.

Enrolments dipped in England and Northern Ireland, where 最高の，を越す-up 料金s had been introduced, but rose in Scotland and むちの跡s, where they had not.

Sally 追跡（する）, general 長官 of the University and College Union, said: "Anyone who really believes that 非難する more for degrees is the way to encourage students to 適用する to university is living in a dream world."

But Higher 文部大臣法案 Rammell said that while the numbers of entrants had 減少（する）d in 2006/7 after the introduction of the 料金s, they rose by 6 per cent in 2007/8.

? One in five university 卒業生（する）s - 125,595 - comes from outside Britain, the 人物／姿／数字s show.

The number of students from the ten new EU members has 急に上がるd by more than 200 per cent since they joined in 2004.

一方／合間, enrolments from outside the EU have leapt more than 10 per cent in a year.