Elizabeth Rata: Auckland University Sociologist of Education on more A-grades being handed out

There's a view that NCEA has impacted how Universities grade their students.

A report by the New Zealand Initiative has found the proportion of A grades has increased from 22% to 35% since 2006.

It shows a dramatic rise during Covid - and can't be explained by academic improvement.

Auckland University Sociologist of Education, Elizabeth Rata told Ryan Bridge students now expect to get high marks.

She says it's what they've encountered at high school, where a high mark is guaranteed from certain subjects.

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
Is an A grade today worth the same as an
A grade twenty years ago? A new report out this
morning from the New Zealand Initiative shows the proportion of
A grades given out at universities has increased seven percent
to thirty five percent. This is since two thousand and six,
and during COVID get this, nearly half of all marks
were a's. So are we just giving out a's? Willing

(00:21):
Nellie Elizabeth A Data is Sociology of Education professor at
the University of Auckland with me now, good morning, Oh
good morning, Ryan, good to have you on the program.
Tell me what are we just handing these A grades out?
Or are the standards dropping or the students getting smarter?

Speaker 2 (00:39):
Well, I think the really good thing about the Tursted
report is that from the New Zealand Initiative is that
it actually gives us some empirical data which we've needed
for a long time. So we know now we've got
the evidence that there is a problem, and I think
it's time to have a really close look at all

(01:00):
the factors that have produced this problem, because you know,
I've been the University of Auckland for four decades now,
and yeah, it's my experience that this has happened, but
I haven't had the evidence until now, so it's really
good to see the report.

Speaker 1 (01:17):
Why is it happening, Oh gosh.

Speaker 2 (01:21):
Well, lots of factors, but what I think it boils
down to is that there's been a real cultural shift
over the last twenty thirty years from merit to equity,
the idea that everyone should succeed, you know, the equal
outcomes approach, and that's and that has been anticipated by NCA,

(01:44):
so that we've now got the we've got students expecting
to receive a's and not realizing that you actually have
to work extremely hard and you have to have real
ability and a subject to get an A and not
everyone does. But as I say, over the last few decades,
there's been an assumption that everyone should be able to

(02:07):
achieve the same standard.

Speaker 1 (02:09):
Some academics apparently have said that they've been told instructed
by their faculty to give a's to people who basically
just for showing up. Have you heard of anything like
that happening.

Speaker 2 (02:21):
I've heard about it. My own experience is that there's
just a societal pressure and the students they feel the
pressure to they expect to get high marks. It's what
they've encountered at secondary school an NCEA. You know, they

(02:41):
will take subjects. Not all students, of course, but a
number do take subjects where they can be sure that
the subject isn't too demanding that they will get a
high mark. So there's this sort of culture of expectation
that is not really found it in the actual ability

(03:02):
and the hard work of all students.

Speaker 1 (03:05):
Elizabeth, what's a really quick way to work out who
is actually an A level student?

Speaker 2 (03:10):
Oh gosh, well, it's to get them to write essays
and to do external exams.

Speaker 1 (03:15):
Appreciate your time this morning, Elizabeth, a Arts sociology of
Education professor at the University of Auckland. For more from
Early Edition with Ryan Bridge, listen live to news Talks
it'd be from five am weekdays, or follow the podcast
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