Staff at a Russell Group university have been told that they will face investigation over their grading if they award average marks lower than a 2:1.

In an email seen by Times Higher Education, lecturers at Queen Mary University of London¡¯s School of Business and Management are told that they must remember what is called the ¡°60:60:60 principle¡± when assessing students¡¯ work.

With 60 now widely used as the threshold for an upper second ¨C often referred to, along with firsts, as a ¡°good degree¡± ¨C the memo reminds module organisers who ¡°return marks for any element of assessment where the?average mark is below 60?and/or?fewer than 60 per cent of the students receive a mark of more than 60?will be asked to explain why this is the case¡±.

Moderators are also asked to ¡°bear the 60:60:60 principle in mind¡± and to ¡°sense-check with markers if the distribution of marks does not meet this principle, recommending scaling or other adjustments if justified¡± ¨C a process used in universities to increase unusually low marks to reflect student achievement.

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The email advised that ¡°60:60:60 is not an aspirational target for marks¡± but is the ¡°minimum threshold for further investigation¡± by moderators and ¡°if necessary by the exam board chair as candidate assessments for scaling¡±.

News of the school¡¯s rule is likely to fuel concerns over degree inflation at UK universities, where 75 per cent of students?gained either a first or upper second in 2016-17, up from 68 per cent in 2012-13, according to figures released by the Higher Education Statistics Agency last month.

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In September, former universities minister Jo Johnson warned that grade inflation was ¡°ripping through English higher education¡±. A new metric has been introduced to the teaching excellence framework in a bid to tackle the issue.

However, Queen Mary defended the ¡°60:60:60 principle¡±, which it said was used only in its business school to address degree marks that were historically ¡°significantly below¡± those awarded at comparable universities.

Only 63 per cent of its business studies graduates took a ¡°good degree¡± in 2016-17, up from 53 per cent in 2012-13, it said. In contrast, at least 80 per cent of business studies graduates at 10 of its Russell Group peers took a minimum of a 2:1 last year.

¡°The 60:60:60 principle serves as a threshold, below which we look at the data and ask if the grading was fair and reasonable,¡± said a university spokesman, who added that the process is ¡°subject to oversight and approval by the Degree Examination Board and external examiners¡±.

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On the historically low marks awarded in its business school, the spokesman said that the university was ¡°looking at why this is¡± because it ¡°attracts highly capable students and we have a responsibility to ensure they reach their potential¡±.

jack.grove@timeshighereducation.com