Degree classification calculator
Enter your module marks and credits, choose how your university weights each year, and see your current average, your likely classification and exactly what you need in your remaining modules for a First or a 2:1.
Free to use. Your answers stay in this browser and aren't sent to us unless you ask us to email you something.
How UK degree classifications work
Most UK universities turn your module marks into a single weighted average, then place it in a band:
| Classification | Usual average |
|---|---|
| First class honours (First) | 70% and above |
| Upper second class (2:1) | 60% to 69% |
| Lower second class (2:2) | 50% to 59% |
| Third class | 40% to 49% |
Within each year, modules count in proportion to their credits, so a 40-credit dissertation counts twice as much as a 20-credit module. The years are then combined using your university's weighting.
Year weightings
Universities weight the years differently, and the first year often doesn't count towards the final classification in England and Wales. Common patterns include 40:60 or one third and two thirds between second and final year, 25:75, 50:50 and the final year only. Your programme handbook or regulations will say which applies to you. If yours is unusual, choose Custom weighting.
What you need in your remaining modules
Leave the mark blank for any module you haven't finished. The calculator then works out the average you'd need across those remaining credits to reach each classification, assuming the same mark in each. If it says "already secured", you'd reach that band as long as you pass the remaining modules. If it says "not reachable", the remaining credits can't carry you there on these weightings.
Borderline results
If you finish just below a boundary, many universities look again at your profile. Common approaches include checking whether most of your final-year credits are in the higher band, sometimes called the preponderance rule, or considering your final-year average on its own. The width of the borderline zone, often one or two marks, and the rules vary. The calculator flags when you're within two marks, but your university's regulations decide.
Why it matters for a law career
Many law firms and chambers have traditionally asked for at least a 2:1, although more now look at the whole application and use contextual recruitment. If you're between bands, small gains in your remaining assessments are worth chasing. That's where targeted feedback on your writing helps most: our essay and problem question feedback marks your own work the way an examiner would.
Questions
What percentage is a 2:1?
Usually an average of 60% to 69%. A First is usually 70% or above and a 2:2 is 50% to 59%. Check your university's regulations, because some use slightly different rules at the boundaries.
Does first year count towards my degree?
At many universities in England and Wales it doesn't, or it only needs to be passed. Some universities do count it. Your programme handbook will say.
How are credits used?
Within a year, each module counts in proportion to its credits. A 40-credit module counts twice as much as a 20-credit module.
What is a borderline mark?
A result just below a boundary, often within one or two marks. Universities may then apply extra rules, such as the preponderance of credits in the higher band, to decide the classification.
Is my data saved?
Only in your browser, on this device, so you can come back to it. Nothing is sent to LawSquads.
Classification rules are set by each university. Your programme handbook or academic regulations are the final word on weightings, boundaries and borderline rules.
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