Magdalen top the Norrington table for the first time ever, with over half of Magdalen finalists awarded First Class honours this year.
The Norrington score was developed by Sir Arthur Norrington, former President of Trinity, in the 1960s to provide a way of measuring the performance of students, by college, in finals.
It works, according to the University of Oxford webpage, by attaching a score of 5 to a 1st class degree, 3 to a 2:1 degree, 2 to a 2:2 degree and 1 to a 3rd class degree. A total score is then calculated, and expressed as a percentage of the maximum possible score (ie five times the number of degrees awarded). The score allows a ranking of colleges. The greater the percentage, the better a college did.
The table is based on interim results, and a final version will be made available in October.
Third year linguist Harry Phillips said of the success: “Magdalen has had something of a golden year, proving itself not only to be a political powerhouse, but also a centre of intellectual superiority. Long may its Norrington domination continue”.
Norrington table results (sorted by rank) 2009/2010
1. Magdalen
2. Corpus Christi
3. Merton
4. St John’s
5. New
6. University
7. Christ Church
8. Worcester
9. Balliol
10. Jesus
11. Oriel
12. Wadham
13. Hertford
14. Queen’s
15. St Catherine’s
16. Lincoln
17. Pembroke
18. St Anne’s
19. St Hugh’s
20. Brasenose
21. Lady Margaret Hall
22. St Hilda’s
23. Trinity
24. St Edmund Hall
25. Somerville
26. Exeter
27. St Peter’s
28. Keble
29. Mansfield
30. Harris Manchester
A more detailed breakdown can be found here: http://www.ox.ac.uk/about_the_university/facts_and_figures/undergraduate_degr_2.html
