QED LAW

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Following a Freedom of Information Act request, UK universities provided data about the progression rates of first year students on law degrees.

The information requested was:

(1) The number of students enrolled on the first year of each of the university’s undergraduate law courses for the academic year 2005/6.

(2) For each of the courses, the number of students entitled to progress to the second year of the course.

The information received is displayed below:

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Links		Click
	CRIMINAL LAW RECORDED LECTURES, QUIZZES AND POWERPOINT PRESENTATIONS	Criminal Law Online
	REVISION SEMINARS FOR LLB AND GDL STUDENTS	QED LAW REVISION

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Be careful when interpreting the data. The information requested and provided relates to progression rates; that is, the number of students enrolled on a course who, at the end of the year, were entitled to proceed to the second year.

Although failure of the end of year examination is probably the most common reason for non progression it is not the only one. Those not entitled to progress includes students who, before sitting the examinations, suspended their studies, withdrew from the course and/or transferred to another course. And, although a high rate of withdrawal or transfer might indicate a lack of satisfaction with a course, it should be borne in mind that some students leave courses for personal domestic and social reasons unrelated to the quality of the course. This is especially true of mature part time students. (For more on this see the comments by Professor Mulcahy Head of Law at Birkbeck College, University of London.)

I would like to express my gratitude to all the university staff involved in providing the information and to the freedom of information officers for their assistance – especially those who were willing to overlook my initial error in requesting the information prematurely and who held the request on file until the up to date progression information became available. I would also like to thank the Heads of School for responding with additional information and helping to put the data in context. Their comments are invaluable in interpreting the raw data.

Legal Practice Course providers were asked for the following information in respect of years 1997/8 and 2007/8:

(a) The total number of the students enrolled on the university’s full time LPC;;
(b) The number awarded a ‘pass’ at the first attempt;
(c) The number awarded a ‘distinction’ at the first attempt;
(d) The number awarded a ‘commendation’ at the first attempt;
(e) The number failing / failing to complete the course at the first attempt.

Based on the information provided, the table below shows, as a percentage of the total awards, the awards for each class in the years indicated.

Please note that the figures relate to the first exam attempts and so the fail/failed to complete figures may include those who were entitled to resit some or all of their exams at a later sitting. It may also include those who withdrew from the course without taking the examinations.

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Anglia Ruskin University was unable to provide information relating to 1997/8 within the FOI limits but very kindly provided data in respect of 2005/6 and 2006/7.

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Links		Click
	CRIMINAL LAW RECORDED LECTURES, QUIZZES AND POWERPOINT PRESENTATIONS	Criminal Law Online
	REVISION SEMINARS FOR LLB AND GDL STUDENTS	QED LAW REVISION

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Universities were asked, for each of the years,

[a] 2007
[b] 2006
[c] 2002
[d] 1997
[e] 1987

the number of students graduating from the university with an LLB degree with each of the following awards

[a] First class honours
[b] Second class (upper division) honours
[c] Second class (lower division) honours
[d] Third class honours
[e] Pass degree
[f] Other award

If the university does not hold the information requested for some or all of the years indicated, but does hold the requested information in respect of other years, please provide information in respect of the year(s) closest in date to that/those requested.

And/or if the university did not award LLB degrees in one or more of the years above please provide information concerning the year(s) closest in date in which LLB degrees were awarded. Based on the information provided by Anglia Ruskin University the table below shows as a %age of the total awards the awards for each class.

For each academic year the largest class by percentage is shown in bold

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