Degree class

First degrees in Britain are traditionally separated into degree classes. There are, first, distinctions in Bachelor's degrees between Honours degrees and Ordinary degrees. Although the latter are taught, most British students are on Honours courses. Some who do not succeed on these are awarded Ordinary degrees as a 'near-miss' reward.

Honours degrees are further classified into:

• First class. (This should not be confused with First degree.) Firsts, as they are colloquially known, are (2009) awarded to something like 14% of students in the country. They are normally given for work given a mark above 70% - although these are matters of judgement, not of objective fact, and precise numbers may not mean very much.
• The second class contains more members than any other, and consequently is sub-divided.
  • A 2:1 ('two - one'; 'upper second' in some Universities) rewards work between 60% and 70%. Firsts and two-ones are regarded as 'good honours degrees'.
  • 2:2s ('two-two's or lower seconds) are awarded normally to marks between 50% and 60%.
• Thirds are those degrees which fall above the fail borderline, at 40%, and rise as high as 50%.
• A grey area around 40% sees some honours candidates awarded an ordinary degree; otherwise, below 40%, all candidates normally
• fail.

Candidates for ordinary degrees (those that have taken less demanding, or less prestigious, courses) are not normally classified.

See also US degree classes.