Leaked email from MMU causes concern over manipulation of degree awards

A leaked email has highlighted how university staff are being encouraged to increase the number of top degree grades in order to keep pace with competing universities.
An internal email was leaked from Manchester Metropolitan University (MMU), telling staff to “bear this in mind” when assessing students.
The email to staff at Manchester Metropolitan University read: “We do not award as many Firsts and 2.1s as other comparable institutions so there is an understandable desire to increase the proportion of such awards.”
The email was sent to computing and mathematics staff by the department’s academic standards manager, calling for an increase in the number of first class and high second degrees.
The email proceeded to state: “We have never received any external examiner criticism that our ‘standards’ are too low so there should be quite a lot of leeway available to us all when assessments are set. Please do not complain when all the BSc (Hons) mathematics students gain first class awards next summer. Now that really would increase our students satisfaction!”
The leaked email has prompted concern over the manipulation of degree awards to improve the image of universities and subsequently attract more applicants. The number of students awarded first class degrees at UK universities has doubled since the mid-1990’s and 61 per cent of last year’s university leavers achieved a first class or upper second class degree.
A spokesman from MMU said: “This is an informal comment by a member of staff below the level of head of department to immediate colleagues. It is merely the interpretation of a single member of staff which reflects the increased awareness of comparable and publicly-available statistics, and in no way relates to university policy. Decisions about degree classifications are made by boards of examiners in accordance with the university’s assessment regulations, which specify how classifications are determined.”