Tutorials blamed for fewer firsts by Cambridge women

Female students at Cambridge University are less likely to be awarded first-class degrees than male undergraduates because the competitive culture and exams do not suit how many women learn, a report into women's underachievement at Cambridge will say next week.

Women often fail to be awarded the top degrees because the system does not reward their strengths. Their confidence is gradually undermined by three years of intimidating tutorials, the four-year study will conclude.

While 26.2 per cent of men were awarded first-class degrees last summer, 16.6 per cent of women achieved this standard. This gap should be tackled by training all academics who run tutorials, known in Cambridge as supervisions, how to teach, the report will recommend.

The report will also call for first-year students to receive more support in making the transition from school to university after evidence that women did not adjust as readily to Cambridge's system.