Grade inflation falls at universities following concerns

Grade inflation is falling in Irish universities following a surge in the proportion of students being awarded first-class degrees over recent years, new figures show, writes Carl O’Brien for The Irish Times.

Across Irish higher education institutions, 22.4% of students were awarded a first-class honours degree in 2022-23, according to Higher Education Authority data. This is a drop of 2% on the year before, when it stood at 24.4%, and a drop of 6% on the previous year, when it stood at 27.9%, a record high.

While the proportion is down, it still represents a 40% increase since 2015 when just 16% achieved a first-class honours degree. The dramatic increase in top awards led some academics and recruiters to warn that the trend was making it difficult to differentiate between high-achieving students, while commentators warned that the integrity of college degrees could be in question. It triggered an investigation by the State’s education standards watchdog, Quality and Qualifications Ireland, including discussions with universities on ‘rethinking assessment’.
Full report on The Irish Times site