Extra study time in lockdown ‘may have driven rise in firsts’

Coronavirus lockdowns allowed some students to spend more time studying and could have contributed to the increase in top grades awarded in the UK last year, a report says.

More than one in three – 35 per cent – of graduates gained a first-class degree in 2019-20, compared with 28 per cent the previous year, according to Higher Education Statistics Agency data. Some 82 per cent achieved a “good” honours – a first or a 2:1 – compared with 76 per cent the previous year.

A briefing produced by Universities UK and GuildHE says that a number of factors could be behind the rise. And, while many students found the shift to online learning triggered by the pandemic difficult, for some “the circumstances have been favourable to an increased focus on independent study and revision”.

The report says that many students would have usually worked alongside their studies, but many will have been furloughed or made redundant. Meanwhile, social activities have been curtailed.

“An unintended consequence of the pandemic has been some students having additional time to focus on their studies,” the paper says.

The shift to online teaching also offered other ways for students to improve their learning. With online lectures, students could learn asynchronously, at their own pace and around their other responsibilities, with the option to revisit sessions too.

This was particularly helpful for commuter students, students in employment, those with caring responsibilities and disabled students, the report says.

Much of the rise has been previously attributed to the “no detriment” policies implemented to recognise the disruption to learning and assessment caused by the lockdowns. This meant that, when it came to classifying final year students’ degrees, students could not be given a grade lower than their previous marks.

However, this did not prevent universities upholding quality and standards when it came to end-of-year exams, the report says.

For example, universities were also able to change the format of assessments rather than cancel them. Many switched from summative exams to formative assessment, such as coursework and digital portfolios, which have the benefit of “focusing on comprehension instead of memorisation”, the paper says.

It is also likely that no-detriment policies may have influenced student behaviour, by giving them the confidence to relax and perform better, for example.

UUK and GuildHE write that the sector must now “take forward the new opportunities created during the pandemic’s upheaval and further our understanding of the diverse factors that drive degree classification results”.

anna.mckie@timeshighereducation.com