More than a quarter of university students are receiving top grades and a dramatic increase in high distinctions over a decade, experts warn, puts the integrity of degrees at risk.
The study, drawing on 599,455 individual undergraduate marks, examined changes in average grades among students with similar ATAR scores over 10 years. It analysed the results of students enrolled in 127 different degrees in eight faculties, but did not include international students because their entry scores could not be directly related to the ATAR.
Mellare said institutional factors identified by academics as driving grade inflation were not unique to any particular university. “Those kinds of pressures are common to all Australian universities,” he said.
“This means students who are falling behind are caught early and helped to catch up, which may also explain lower fail rates.” Mellare said the results differed from the university’s figures because the researchers analysed results for students in undergraduate degrees, controlling for ATAR, gender and degree type, and only included grades that met certain criteria, allowing them to control for student ability.