First-class degrees were awarded to almost four in 10 students nationally last year.

The Office for Students (OfS) has criticised the high figure, which it says has no explanation, as reported by The Times.

One institution even recorded firsts for 80 per cent of its graduates. Nationally the number of students getting top degrees, despite getting three Ds or lower at A-Level, has increased rapidly over the last 10 years.

While GCSEs and A-Levels are externally set, marked and moderated, degrees are run internally, with universities setting their own standards, potentially leading to inconsistency nationally.

The OfS analysed results since 2011 and said 59 per cent of firsts awarded in 2021 cannot be explained, when compared with results from a decade ago.

In 2010-11, just 15.7 per cent of students achieved a first, compared to 37.9 per cent in 2020-21. In 2021, 84.4 per cent of students achieved either a first or 2:1, compared with 67 per cent 10 years earlier.