degree classifaction

[JennaFitz]

Hi,

could someone explain to me how degree classifcation works. what average marks do you need to have to get a 2.1?

thanks,

Jenna

[Gnu]

The highest degree is a First, then 2:1 or Upper Second, 2:2 and finally Third. These are called 'Honours' degrees, and there are also 'Pass' or 'Ordinary' degrees which indicate that the standard for an Honours degree has not been reached.

Every university and subject sets its own criteria for what is needed to achieve each class of degree, so there are no clear 'marks' for each class. However, most universities grade each Year 1 and Year 2 exams into the classes, so you would know how well you were doing. Many universities also count Year 2 exam results towards the final degree classification.

[turquoise]

For my degree, year one was included towards my final degree classification. Mines was year one 10%, year 2 30% and year 3 60%.

[turquoise]

oh and sorry, for my uni, to get a 2.1 you need 60% and above, and for a first it was 70% and above.

[Octavius]

Yes I agree with torquoise, except my degree was all counted in the final year. For years 1 and 2, you needed to attain 40% or above to continue into the following year.

In the final year 1st Class was 70%+, 2nd Class Upper (2:1) was 60-69%, a 2nd Class Lower (2:2) was I believe 50-59%. Below 50% was a 3rd Class degree and below 40% was an outright fail.

My final year was split into modules, and depending on the course this was split between coursework assignments, exams, presentations and dissertation. The final year was heavily weighted on the dissertation and if you failed this element (on my course) you were "stripped" of your Honours classification (e.g. BSc instead of BSc (Hons)) and as this bought down the rest of the score you would end up with a 2:2 at the most,

[JennaFitz]

Thanks all for your replies.

Octavius, my degree to is an honours degree. I am aiming for a 2.1 and when I average my marks out for 3rd yr and 4th yr (both count) I am on around 62. this includes my disseration which I expect to get 50-55. Will I still be able to scrap through and get a 2.1?

Thanks

Jenna.

[Sasha13]

It may be an honours degree course that you are studying, but you still need to attain a certain mark ( i.e 1st, 2:1, 2:2 or 3rd) to be awared a degree with honours i.e. BSc (Hons) or BA (Hons). Get below that certain mark (and above the fail mark) and you'll be awarded with a 'plain' BSc or BA. My university was similar to Octavius' - above 70% was a 1st (with Hons) 60-69% was a 2:1 (Hons), 50-59% was a 2:2 (Hons), and 40-45% was a 3rd (Hons). 40-44% was a pass (i.e. without Hons) and below that was a fail. If your university marks similarly then you're on for a 2:1 with a mark of 62% Hope this helps and good luck! :-)

[Octavius]

Yes, my final average across all modules for the final year was about 62% from memory and I earned a 2:1 with Honours. I would check with your course leader though as final marks will depend on the distribution of marks (grades may be uplifted or downshifted if too many students are getting 1st's or 3rd's.

Good luck, aim higher than what you have at the moment and I am sure you will be content.