Jan 22, 2015 | Applications, CVs and interviews, Employers and recruitment, Graduate Jobs, Graduate unemployment, job hunting, Universities | 21 comments
ARE EXAMS GETTING EASIER – OR ARE STUDENTS WORKING HARDER?
A record number of UK graduates are being awarded a 2:1 degree or above – but why? Are exams getting easier, is teaching getting better – or are students simply working harder?
New figures from the Higher Education Statistics Authority show that 70% of today’s students leave university with a 2:1 or above. Now,one in five graduates is awarded a first class degree – a score that has almost doubled in the past decade. The proportion receiving a 2:1 has also risen sharply in that time.
While this is great news for graduates, some employers say it creates a headache for them – making it even harder to spot the very best talent.Professor Alan Smithers, director of the Centre for Education and Employment Research at Buckingham University, warned that the rise was“undermining the usefulness of the degree in being able to distinguish” between students of different abilities.
Graduate Fog wants to know what you make of this surge in good grades. Are universities pulling their socks up and providing better teaching, mindful of their position in the uni rankings? Or are students working harder than ever, now they’re paying huge fees for their degree? And is it fair of employers to complain that all this success makes it harder for them to spot the very best talent? Have your say below!
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JCon January 23, 2015 at 11:52 am
What’s next then? Job applications stating ‘Must have a First, 3000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000 UCAS points and a personal commendation from your university’s Vice Chancellor?’ FFS
The degree classification is just a lazy filter, it does not reflect how good someone is going to be at their job. I worked incredibly hard for my 2.2, battling personal and mental health problems and I don’t think I should have to bring that up all the time to employers to ‘justify’ why I didn’t get 100% on all my exams
A4e Suckson January 23, 2015 at 1:52 pm
That must get really frustrating, JC. I agree that feeling as if you almost have to apologise to employers for getting lower than a 2.1 stinks, when you should be able to feel proud that you pursued your degree in the face of adversity.
Catherineon January 26, 2015 at 8:26 am
I think we are taking our degrees more seriously now we have to invest in student debt. I don’t have much sympathy for employers as it’s a persons specific skills rather than degree class that makes the most difference as to whether they would be good at a job. I think filtering out by grades rather than considering the actual people can be a mistake.
A Graduateon January 26, 2015 at 4:05 pm
I agree with JC.
I was a straight A student throughout school, and I also worked really hard and got a 2:2. I had excellent grades with coursework but dealt with anxiety issues during exams.
This grade doesn’t define me because I developed so many skills which I can apply to work with my extra curricular activities, such as university society work or charity work.
Employers should not restrict themselves by only searching for candidates using a grade filter. A person with a third could be a better candidate for them than a first. Grades are not everything!
Sireniaon January 27, 2015 at 12:21 am
I feel for those above, I got a 2:1 despite being very sick. I poured my blood, sweat and tears into completing my degree. Do employers care? Nope, not a chance. They don’t value that you have the sheer mental determination to complete something that many others in the same position would simply give up. Even if you are only sick for a temporary time,employers deem you a broken body, only suited to the gutter.
Illness (and disability) is a moral failure of the worst sort in this ConDem Nation.
Jzon January 27, 2015 at 12:56 pm
It could be any numbers of reasons from students working harder to easier courses. I know for a fact that many science degrees have been watered down, because many used to go straight from a BSc to a PhD. Now you either need a masters or an extra year on top of the PhD. Saying that, some degrees are still very difficult and it only takes one bad exam to mess your average up. Someone could have a 2:2 but actually have been a good student.
Brianon February 10, 2015 at 11:23 am
I wonder if the difference in excellence depends upon the university ‘s choice of method of assessment – exams or continuous assessments. Whereas exams seem to favour the university, assignments favour the undergraduate. By exams the university is literally examining the individual through a maze of questions. By assignment the student perhaps has greater opportunity to demonstrate a broad range of skills. Perhaps.
In the case of employers post-2008, they have become much wiser and often outsource their Personnel departments to recruitment agencies of varying quality who are often run off their feet trying to juggle a mixed bag of school and college leavers, graduates, 1st year uuniversity students, experienced workers and long-term unemployed. Is there any wonder that the exceptional can often be overlooked?
Alex Won February 24, 2015 at 3:50 am
There are employers that care what degree classification you got? 😉
LJon December 24, 2015 at 2:08 am
I largely agree with what others have said above. Degree classification is not indicative of how well somebody will perform in the majority of jobs, perhaps with the exception of medicine or law etc. It’s a very arbitrary and unfair recruitment filter.
There are so many competent individuals who are either unemployed or working in areas that are not suited to them. The jobs market is frankly a mess and I think it’s had dire consequences for the mental health of large swathes of the population.See AlsoUnderstanding gradesDanielon December 24, 2015 at 9:27 am
If anything my academics are a hindrance (AAA at A-level, First at undergrad). It is the kind of academic record that can get you labelled a ‘poor cultural fit’ for many positions. Nevermind I have no desire to ever enter a university library ever again…
Anthony Milleron December 30, 2015 at 5:38 pm
I did my degree in 1996. It was in Physics. I got onto the course with a C,d and E at A level in 1992 (had a year out ill). Honestly they couldn’t give the places away in those days and that was when they paid you to do it. To get on the same course today you need an AAB. Tiny bit of grade inflation. I got a third – I’m thick/lazy. They told me that to work out degree classifications they divided everyone over 40% up statistically basically by dividing them in 4. The top 25% got a 1st, the next 25% a 2:1 etc. Surely if 50% of people get a 2:1 these days the system is pastures…but unless you got a 2:1 you couldn’t go into research. I didn’t want to anyway …not that kind of clever. But now they want to sell everyone an Msc as well as a Bsc how would that work these days for the lucrative academic industry?
Brianon December 31, 2015 at 5:44 pm
A 2:1 classification can hide an excellent stream. For example, my studies on the former Yugoslavia were assessed as Excellent for each assignment. My 2nd Year History project on cultural identities in Kosovo was assessed as Outstanding and of an exceptionally high quality. However, I got a 2:1. Perhaps students should be give more options to specialise in their 2nd Year and focus on their best area. If I wanted to go into postgraduate research on the former Yugoslavia, I would need a good level of written knowledge of Serbian. Yet, a language course was not provided as part of the degree and I would have to put extra pressure on myself to learn.
Do universities generally provide mediocre undergraduate courses which produce mediocre graduates?
Anthony Milleron December 31, 2015 at 6:48 pm
There were no specialisms much when I went. It probably depends a lot on supply and demand. Clearly even today not everyone can get a 2:1 so us thickish must go somewhere or the economy wouldn’t work? While the respectable professions like banking are likely to be oversubscribed clearly many people with good qualifications will be applying to multiple jobs… & There are plenty of jobs that pay well but aren’t structured “professions”. I suppose you have to ask what you’re doing it for …to learn skills, for a piece of paper saying you’re clever or something between the two? Or perhaps just to study for its own sake… I can’t help feeling the ethos of self improvement has been lost in commercialism..
Richardon January 1, 2016 at 9:22 pm
I graduated with a first in physics and AABB at A-level. If I search for physics jobs I get lots of adverts for PhD scholarships, but not so many jobs. The vast majority of science jobs I have seen require experience, and the jobs involving computers usually want two years programming experience and a plethora of languages. This goes for other sectors too, like finance, the media etc. They all want specific experience. It seems the only thing I can do is continue applying for grad schemes?
Anthony Milleron January 2, 2016 at 10:36 am
Well, there are ways round the system. One thing I used to do was go down the Job Centre. They don’t do it now but they used to have cards from employers who directly advertised with them because it was free. This cut out all the middle men like Recruitment agencies and HR departments. The downside of doing that for the employer is the risk of a bad hire. We used to have a bloke working for us called Mr R. Mr R did literally nothing…and I don’t mean he was a bit passive aggressive or a bit lazy he’d actually outright refuse to do things. So I’d get my boss and he’d ask and he’d get his boss and he’d ask and he’d get his boss …now you’d think that we could just sack Mr R but no once people have over 2 years service you have to go through a whole procedure and it’s much pain …so that’s who they’re trying to avoid hiring. Computer languages well most procedural languages aren’t that hard to teach yourself …I’d just read up a bit and blag it. object orientated languages a bit harder …. Pure physics jobs they would want macs and PhDs because they’re linked to academia …but I’ve seen PHD jobs as low as 25,000->30000 starting salary which is really not a lot of money …but it’s all supply and demand. If it’s a job lots of people really want the money goes down…. There are plenty of physics jobs outside finance and the media and pure research. I thought I’d never get to use my degree but as Mr Micawber would say “something’s bound to turn up…” Anyway the point is there are ways round the middle men such as speculatively applying direct …you have to think outside the box….
Richardon January 2, 2016 at 4:45 pm
I vowed to never step foot in a job centre plus again, but I would consider it if my retail job fell through and there was nothing else. I’ve been looking at the option of a student visa or postgrad medicine in Europe. I’m of an age where I can’t really afford to wait around, especially if I want a family and a decent standard of living…
Richardon January 2, 2016 at 5:14 pm
What do you do for a living, if you don’t mind me asking? I have to admit, thinking about jobs and careers is really starting to get me down. It would help if I had a focus, but how does one decide what they want to do for the rest of their lives?
Anthony Milleron January 2, 2016 at 6:16 pm
Oil & Gas. You can try the professional societies like the PESGB or the Geological Society which are largely upmarket Job Centres / drinking clubs…. But there’s no oil and gas work much at the moment. 15 yearly OPEC price war… But seriously organisations like those or the Institute of Physics are there to help you out. Even if they’re about as useful as a chocolate teapot they’re better than no teapot.
Anthony Milleron January 2, 2016 at 6:42 pm
Also if you want to get into coding you could try the government’s various Tech Cities… There’s one in London and another in Croydon. More upmarket job centres … But lots of start up companies hang out there and they’re quite good. Even when you get a job it never ends. New round of inventing yourself a new job or trying not to get laid off. The average lifespan of most companies I’ve been in is 4/5 years before they’re taken over, sold or go bust…
Richardon January 4, 2016 at 9:36 pm
Anthony thanks for the replies. Do I simply email the PESGB, Geological Society and institute of physics about job vacancies / finding work? Do they know where the jobs are for new graduates? I have never heard of these tech cities before, I suppose they would want people with established skills, rather than new grads? Thanks again
Anthony Milleron January 7, 2016 at 10:52 am
The PESGB is in Croydon these days. They cost about £25 or something to join …maybe deductions for students. They don’t directly advertise jobs except sometimes in their magazine… If you have a related degree (geology) you can join or if you have any work related experience. They run lectures and organise evens many of which are free or very cheap. I don’t know if emailing them would do much good but it can’t do any harm. Geological Society might have the bar set higher for entry… Institute of Physics not sure quite what it does but they might be able to advise you on sectors you haven’t thought of.
There are very few jobs in this sector at the moment though … But when the oil price is high they can’t hire people fast enough. Although mainly they want geology graduates they do take other Stem graduates.
The tech cities are a government funding initiative there’s one in Croydon & the other is in old street …both have open meetings the public can go to once a month or so.
