Nearly a third of university students are awarded first-class honours degrees, figures show. Concerns have been raised that the prestige of the country’s leading universities could be undermined after ...

Young people didn’t just make the grade; they smashed it, achieving first‑class results.

In the early 1990s, securing a first-class degree was an exceptional feat, meriting the admiration of classmates, a few words from the vice-chancellor at graduation and a good job.