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Memo to those who teach or study for the Natural Sciences Tripos, Cambridge University
26 February, 2015
Bernard Rivers
Analysis of exam results in the Natural Sciences Tripos and other Cambridge Triposes
Today I published “An analysis of how often ‘Firsts’ and other classes are assigned in Cambridge University
exams.” The analysis, available at www.BernardRivers.com/exam-analysis, compares the percentages of
Cambridge students awarded Firsts and Upper Seconds from Tripos to Tripos and from year to year.
Among my findings regarding the Natural Sciences Tripos, as shown in the table and charts below, are:

26.6% of final-year (i.e. Part II) Natural Sciences students in 2014 were awarded a First; this was
somewhat above the university average of 29.4%. Values among others of the 22 main Triposes
ranged widely, from 22.2% to 47.1%.

86.2% of final-year Natural Sciences students in 2014 were awarded a First or a 2.1; this was
slightly below the university average of 87.9%. Values for other Triposes ranged from 67.2% to
100.0%.
% of students awarded a
First
First or 2.1
Final-year students in 2014, by Tripos
Natural Sciences Tripos
26.6%
86.2%
Highest-scoring Tripos (among the 22 main ones) 47.1% (Education) 100.0%
Average across students in all Triposes
29.4%
Average across students in all Arts Triposes
30.0%
Average across students in all Sciences Triposes 28.7%
87.9%
94.0%
80.6%
Lowest-scoring Tripos (among the 22 main ones) 22.2% (Music)
67.2%
(Land
Economy)
(Chemical
Engineering)
Shown on pages 3-4 below are four charts. In each chart, the lower group of lines shows, for each year
from 2000 through 2014, the percentages of final-year students awarded a First, and the upper group of
lines shows, for the same years, the percentages of such students awarded a First or an Upper Second.
The charts were generated from a database I have compiled that is based entirely on public data.
One of my findings is that between 2000 and 2014, the percentage of final-year Arts students awarded a
First increased from 17% to 30%, and the percentage of such students awarded a First or an UpperSecond increased from 84% to 94%. No significant growth took place among the Sciences Triposes.
Another finding is that during the same period, examiners for the final-year Law Tripos awarded a First to
an average of just 17% of their students; examiners for the Mathematics Tripos awarded a First to an
average of 32% of their students; while examiners for the final-year Education Tripos steadily increased
the percentage of students to whom they awarded a First from 11% to 47%. Such differences raise
questions about what is the true meaning, or value, of a First or an Upper-Second.
A third finding is that in 2014, not one of the 50 Part II students in the Land Economy Tripos and only one
of the 149 Part II students in the MML Tripos was awarded a Lower-Second or a Third. Yet that same year,
a Lower-Second or a Third was awarded to 26% of the Part II Mathematics and Engineering students.
On pages 5-8 below are to be found additional charts relating to the individual subject options within the
Part II Natural Sciences Tripos.
Readers should note that in these subject-specific charts, lines are of course more likely to take on
apparently extreme values when they are based on percentages where the denominator is a small number.
For instance, if a line shows (hypothetically) that in some year, 50% of the students taking a certain exam
were awarded a First, this would be significant if the number of students taking the exam was, say, 40, but
it would not be significant if the number was, say, four. Accordingly, chart lines are shown in dotted form for
any year in which the number of students taking the exam for that subject was below 25.
1
It will be seen that percentages of students awarded the different classes vary considerably between
Natural Science subject options. One factor behind this, but not necessarily the only one, is that admission
to study some of these Part II subject options is selective.
A copy of this memo is available via www.BernardRivers.com/exam-analysis, as is a spreadsheet
containing all exam data relevant to the Natural Sciences Tripos.
Sincerely,
Bernard Rivers (bernard.rivers@gmail.com)
(Visiting fellow at Cambridge University during 2013-14)
PO Box 5295-80401, Diani Beach, Kenya. +254-736-280702
PO Box 54, Cornwallville, NY 12418, USA. +1-518-239-4598
2
Chart A: First-year students
Black – Natural Sciences Tripos. Green – average across all Arts Triposes. Red – average across all
Sciences Triposes. Blue – average across all Arts plus Sciences Triposes. (Note: Natural Sciences does
not provide a divided Second in its first-year exams.)
Chart B: Second-year students
Black – Natural Sciences Tripos. Green – average across all Arts Triposes. Red – average across all
Sciences Triposes. Blue – average across all Arts plus Sciences Triposes.
3
Chart C1: Final-year students
Black – Natural Sciences Tripos. Green – average across all Arts Triposes. Red – average across all
Sciences Triposes. Blue – average across all Arts plus Sciences Triposes
Chart C2: Final-year students
Black – Natural Sciences Tripos. Green lines – individual Arts Triposes. Red lines – Individual Sciences
Triposes. Blue – average across all Arts plus Sciences Triposes.
4
Charts D1 and D2: Natural Sciences Part II Biochemistry; Biological and Biomedical Sciences;
Genetics; Neuroscience; and Pathology
Chart D1 re Firsts:
Chart D2 re Firsts plus Upper-Seconds:
5
Charts E1 and E2: Natural Sciences Part II Physiology and Psychology; Physiology, Development
and Neuroscience; Plant Sciences; Psychology; and Zoology
Chart E1 re Firsts:
Chart E2 re Firsts plus Upper-Seconds:
6
Charts F1 and F2: Natural Sciences Part II Astrophysics; Experimental and Theoretical Physics;
Geological Sciences; Materials Science; and Physical Sciences
Chart F1 re Firsts:
Chart F2 re Firsts plus Upper-Seconds:
7
Charts G1 and G2: Natural Sciences Part II Chemistry; History and Philosophy of Science; and
Pharmacology
Chart G1 re Firsts:
Chart G2 re Firsts plus Upper-Seconds:
8