The traditional university degree classifications of first, upper second, lower second and third are to be supplemented by an end-of-course student report card under reforms of the 200-year-old system.

Eighteen universities have signed up for the higher education achievement report, which will be given to students when they complete their degrees.

The scheme comes after a report by the Burgess Group, led by Robert Burgess, the Vice-Chancellor of the University of Leicester, which concluded last year that the use of traditional classification to define graduates was an outdated “blunt tool” that failed to recognise their skills and achievements.

The report cards will give information on students' performance throughout their time at university, such as a breakdown of grades by modules and details of areas in which they have excelled. They will be given alongside a graduate's traditional final degree grade, and aim to give employers, higher education institutions or other interested parties more contextual detail about a candidate's abilities.

A trial of the reports will begin early next year. At the 18 universities that are taking part, there will be trials in four subjects: English, biology, accounting and creative arts.

It is hoped that other universities will join the scheme in 2010-11 if the pilot is successful. Professor Burgess said yesterday that the aim of the reforms was to do justice to the achievements of students and improve the way in which universities demonstrated the wide range of their achievements during their studies.

He insisted that a British honours degree was in itself a robust and highly valued qualification. “This [reform] will give us an opportunity to see if the proposals add value and are practical. I look forward to seeing the results,” he said.

David Lammy, the Higher Education Minister, said: “While the UK degree is a highly valued and internationally recognised qualification, we believe that providing clear and transparent information is essential both for students and their future employers.

“That is why we welcome this pilot scheme being run by the sector to produce a higher education achievement record, which will lead to a more detailed academic record for students, better illustrating their achievements during their time in higher education.”

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