The Degree Classification System in Great Britain

The British undergraduate degree classification system is a grading scheme for undergraduate degrees (bachelor's degrees and some master's degrees) in the UK. A degree may be awarded with or without honours, with the class of an honours degree based on the average mark of the assessed work a candidate has completed.

First-class honours degrees (often simply "firsts") are the highest level of degree awarded and are taken to indicate high academic achievement and ability. Many holders of first class degrees go on to further academic study, becoming researchers, academics and professors.

Second-class honours degrees are usually divided into Upper and Lower divisions. Second-class honours, Upper divisionis commonly abbreviated to 2:1 (pronounced two-one). Many reputable universities have a university-wide minimum requirement of a 2:1 for entry into their postgraduate degrees. Second-class honours, Lower division is abbreviated as 2:2 (pronounced two-two).

Third-class honours is the lowest honours classification in most modern universities. Ordinary degrees (pass degrees without honours) are sometimes awarded to honours degree students who do not complete an Honours degree course to the very end but complete enough of it to earn a pass.

Study the pie chartshowing the proportion of classes of honours degrees in the UK in 2007-2008 and answer the questions:

Which class of honours did the majority of graduates receive?

What percentage of British students graduated with a top degree in 2007-2008?

What proportion of university graduates met the entry requirements for postgraduate courses?

Useful phrases

At first glance it is clear that …

to account for

over a quarter

approximately a third

just under a half

a significant minority / majority

Focus on Vocabulary

Unit 8 “Live and Learn”

Vocabulary Commentary

on the text “How I Got My First-Class Degree”

Don’t spend too much time in the student lounge, do turn up for most lectures and tutorials and do submit all coursework - eventually. (1-2)

· to turn up – to arrive, appear; e.g. A total of 325 Tories failed to turn up for the House of Commons vote to guarantee European citizens the right to remain in the UK following the vote for Brexit. (The Independent)

· coursework - (uncountable) is carried out by students as part of a course of study and contributes towards their overall grade, but is assessed separately from their final exams.Coursework can take the form of short essays, extended essays, reports, presentations, etc. e.g. You are expected to submit all coursework (whether online or in hardcopy) on the published deadline. (London Metropolitan University website)

NOTE: «курсовая работа» as a countable noun – “term paper”, “course paper”, “research paper”

For a 2:1, I’d require a better attendance record and have to work harder, but not at the expense of being cut off from civilisation. (3-5)

· at the expense ofsth - to the detriment / harm of sth; e.g. Hedge funds are notorious for making large profits in unstable markets - sometimes at the expense of a country's economic health, critics say. (The Herald Scotland)

And for a First I would have to become some sort of social outcast… (5-6)

· outcast - someone who is not accepted by the people they live among, or who has been forced out of their home; e.g. The Indian attitude to disability is changing: 25 years ago people with disabilities were seen as social outcasts; but now disabled children are gradually being accepted in the society. (The Guardian)

Sometimes I couldn’t be bothered to go to university and stayed at home instead. But I always knew where I was, what I had to do, and what not to bother with. (12-14)

Collections of selected readings or journal articles were excellent sources that often saved me the bother ofreading the original texts. (47-48)

· bother - (U.) trouble or difficulty that has been caused by small problems and that usually only continues for a short time;

to savesbthe bother ofdoing something - to make it possible for sb to avoid doing sth; e.g. Meaningless or hackneyed phrases are always ready to form the writer’s thoughts to save him the bother of thinking, or writing, clearly. (George Orwell)

to bother - to make the effort to do something; to annoy, worry or upset somebody;

sbcan't / couldn't be bothered(to do something)– (Brit.) used to say that you do not want to make the effort to do something, or that you are not interested in doing something; e.g. “Washington university students too busy, can't be botheredto vote.” (ABC News)

They wanted something different, inspirational, iconoclastic. (37-38)

· iconoclastic ideas / opinions / writings - attacking established beliefs and customs; e.g. …the obsession with the story of the iconoclastic CEO who drops out of college and starts a technology revolution. (Scientific American)

I sought shortcuts. (47)

· shortcut, n. - (C.) a path or route that is quicker and shorter than the usual way; a way of saving time or effort in doing smth, often a method that produces a result that is not good enough; e.g. Only rigorous adherence to law can discourage the populist temptation to seek shortcuts to solving problems. (The New Times)

I would flick through the book, read the introduction, note any summaries, look at diagrams, skim the index, and read any conclusions. (50-51)

· to flick through sth - to turn the pages of a book, magazine, newspaper etc very quickly; e.g. But over the next decade, you can expect to chat to friends whose language you don't share without stopping to flick througha dictionary. (BBC News)

· to skim (through / over) – to read quickly without reading every word so that you get an overall impression of a text or part of a text; e.g.Skimming is a high speed reading that can save time and help the readers get through lots of materials quickly. (“More Reading Power” by Mikulecky)

· to scan(through) for sth – to read a passage quickly searching for a particular word or term;e.g.Scan the text quickly for the names of the different people and underline each one in the text. (www.cambridge.org)

I prefer to be spontaneous and open-minded. (57)

· open-minded about / towards sth, adj. - willing to consider and accept other people's ideas; keeping an open mind on sth; unprejudiced;e.g. She is open-minded and is willing to listen to both sides of an argument.≠ narrow-minded;

Be a happy student by strikingthe rightbalance between working and enjoying yourself. (60)

· to strike a balance between sth. - to make a compromise; to give the correct amount of importance or attention to two separate things; e.g. How to strike a balance betweenmainstream and targeted efforts for immigrant integration in Europe? (Podcasts; the University of Oxford)

From Ex. 1, p. 166-167

· to excel in/atsth – to be outstandingly good or proficient at sth; e.g. We believe that everyone should be given the opportunity to excel in education in order to secure a safe future for themselves.( thesundayschool.org.uk)

excellence, n. - (U.); e.g. NYS Scholarships for Academic Excellenceprovide up to $1,500 per year for up to five years of undergraduate study in New York State. (www.hesc.ny.gov)

· perseverance, n. - (U.) determination to keep trying to achieve sth over a long period in spite of difficulties; e.g. “The difference between perseverance and obstinacy is that one comes from a strong will, and the other comes from a strong won't.” (H.W. Beecher)

· morale, n. - (U.) the level of confidence and enthusiasm that people have, esp. people who work together, who belong to the same team etc; to boost / raise / keep up / restore morale; e.g. low / high staff morale

NOTE: The moral of a story is the lesson that story teaches about how to behave in the world. Add an "e" and you have morale: the spirit a group has that makes them want to succeed. It's a sense of well-being that comes from confidence, usefulness, and purpose.

COMPARE: “Saudi Arabia blocked access to Facebook on moral grounds.” AND “Perks keep morale high at Michigan's top workplaces.”

· to prejudicesbagainstsb/sth - to influence sb so that they have an unfair or unreasonable opinion about sb/sth; e.g. An accused murderer isworried that his gigantic neck tattoo reading “Murder” might prejudice the jury. (The Daily Caller)

Search the Vocabulary Commentary for the equivalents of the following:

1) бегло просматривать / поверхностно знакомиться;

2) бросающий вызов традициям и авторитетам / критически настроенный / мятежный / дерзкий;

3) за счет / ценой экономического благосостояния;

4) избавить от необходимости писать;

5) изгой общества;

6) искать «кратчайший путь» / самый легкий способ;

7) не хочется / лень;

8) настойчивость / упорство / стойкость;

9) настраивать против / создавать предвзятое мнение;

10) непоявиться на работе;

11) ограниченный / недалёкий / с предрассудками / необъективный / предвзятый / узколобый;

12) отличиться / добиться блестящих результатов в учебе;

13) поднимать моральный / боевой дух;

14) пролистывать / бегло просматривать;

15) стипендия, назначаемая заблестящие / выдающиеся успехи в учебе;

16) установить баланс / найти компромисс / удачно совмещать;

17) широких взглядов / восприимчивый (к новым идеям) / непредубеждённый.

Vocabulary Exercises

1. Translate the following English phrases from the text “How I Got My First-Class Degree” into Russian:

1) did not give up my life for study;

2) I was usually behind with my reading;

3) I was occasionally mystified by the syllabus;

4) sometimes I couldn’t be bothered to go to university;

5) to have a feel for the education market and really sell your inspirations;

6) customers who fell into two broad categories;

7) to pull down monuments;

8) to rake over familiar ground;

9) every book on my reading list was out on long loan from the university library;

10) I sought shortcuts;

11) to skim the index;

12) to pluck out what was needed;

13) I prefer to be spontaneous and open-minded;

14) to strike the right balance between working and enjoying yourself.

2. Find in the text English equivalents for the following Russian phrases:

1) диплом с отличием;

2) появиться на занятиях;

3) сдать все курсовые работы;

4) требовать лучшей посещаемости;

5) погруженный в научные книги;

6) усиленно работать на тем, что важно / идет в расчет;

7) избавить меня от необходимости читать оригиналы;

8) пролистать книгу;

9) составлять конспект;

10) относиться серьезно к тому, что делаешь.

3. Answer the following questions to the text (use the Vocabulary Commentary to answer 1-2).

1. How does students’ academic progress affect the class of the degrees that they are awarded?

2. What levels of an undergraduate degree are required to apply for a postgraduate degree?

3. What does it take to graduate from university with honours according to the PhD student from the article?

4. Did the author of the article devote all his time to studying?

5. What idea does one need to grasp to do well at university (according to the writer)?

6. What tactics did the author of the article employ to get better marks for his essays?

7. Did the writer read all the books from his reading list from cover to cover?

8. How did he revise for his exams?

9. What part of your time should be occupied by studying according to Marc McArdle?

4. Match the following words and phrases with their meanings: