Several UK universities are considering the introduction of a pilot scheme for grade point averages, following suggestions that current degree classifications are becoming outdated.

According to a report published in the Guardian last week, more than twenty institutions are in talks about revising the honours system already in place. Instead of assessing the work of undergraduates with a result such as a first, 2:1, 2:2 or a third, there are plans to replace this with a grade point average (GPA) system, as is currently used in American universities and in other countries around the world. Although UK degrees are still regarded as valuable qualifications, it is hoped that the GPA would offer a more accurate record of students’ achievements.

The proposal for this new system has received support from Universities Minister David Willetts, after Oxford Brookes became the first UK university to introduce it alongside the existing classification for honours degrees earlier this year.

Students have routinely criticised the current degree grading method, which has existed for 200 years after being introduced by the University of Oxford, for being unfair and vague. For instance, a 2:1 only differentiates between candidates who have achieved 60 per cent or 70 per cent and not those who have achieved borderline results such as 61 per cent or 69 per cent.

Graduate recruiters have accused the current system of being a “crude” method of selecting the most suitable candidate for employment after graduation, as each class of degree can cover a wide range of attainments. Conversely, the GPA would permit employers to see whether a students’ achievements fall at the lower or higher end of a particular grade boundary, as well as listing their extra-curricular achievements as further information that could potentially lead employers to favour one candidate over an otherwise equally well-qualified competitor.

A further argument in favour of in- troducing GPA is the possibility for a better comparison with international academic attainment, as it is already used in Canada, the USA and many Asian countries. Concerns have also been raised that employers outside of the UK do not recognise the honours degree system at all.

Amid continued accusations of grade inflation in British universities, Bob Burgess, who is the chair of the GPA Pilot National Advisory Board, is enthusiastic about the scope offered by the grading system. He believes that it “would give students more incentive to keep working to influence their final marks, and enable universities to look hard at their practices of teaching, learning and assessment.”

However those defending the current system have pointed out that by judging students on final-year performance, it allows them more scope in experiment more in their first few years of university life.

“In the first year, students are finding their feet and often only get into their stride in the second year,” said Professor Raftery, Pro Vice-Chancellor for student experience at Oxford Brookes University.

However he added: “The established classification scheme is very good at measuring ‘exit velocity’ - the achievement of a student in their final year - but we will also run GPA, where everything counts, alongside it.”.

Hannah Laidley, a third-year medi- cal student at Peterhouse College, told Varsity:“I think that it is true that the current grade groups don’t tell you a lot about the individual marks, but I don’t think that this is a bad thing. People of similar abilities may get marks that differ by 10 per cent in an exam based on what questions they have prepared in the past or how much sleep they got the night before their exam.

“[GPA] allows people to focus on not just achieving well academically, but gaining relevant experience to differentiate themselves from the many other people who got a 2:1, for example.”

The University of Cambridge did not respond to a request for comment, however Cambridge is not among the universities that are considering introducing GPA in the near future.