To counter the glut of 2:1s, Mr Thomas recommends sub-dividing that class of degree even further, to recognise the "very good but not quite first-class" students.
The year the oldest Ohio-class ballistic-missile sub completes its final nuclear patrol is now expected to be 2027, which sounds a long way off until you realize it takes nearly two decades to design, develop, build and test the lead ship in a successor class.