You list first class honours on your CV by including it as part of your degree title in the education section, typically formatted as “BA (Hons) English, First Class Honours” or “BSc (Hons) Mathematics, First Class.” The exact phrasing depends on whether you’ve already graduated, whether you’re applying domestically or internationally, and how much professional experience you have.
Standard Formatting for a Completed Degree
The cleanest way to present a first class honours degree is to pair the degree title, classification, institution, and dates in a consistent block. Here are three commonly accepted formats:
- Full classification after the degree title: BA (Hons) History, First Class Honours — University of Leeds, 2019–2022
- Shortened version: BSc (Hons) Economics, First Class — University of Bristol, 2018–2021
- Numeric shorthand: MA (Hons) Politics, 1st Class — University of Edinburgh, 2017–2021
All three are widely understood by UK employers. “First Class Honours,” “First Class,” and “1st Class” are interchangeable, though writing it out in full looks slightly more polished on a formal CV. Whichever you choose, keep the format identical across every qualification you list so the education section looks tidy.
Some graduates also include their overall percentage or a note like “achieved 78% overall” alongside the classification. This is optional and mostly useful if your percentage was well above the 70% threshold, since it signals you weren’t borderline. If your percentage was exactly 70 or 71, the classification alone does the job.
Listing a Predicted First Before Graduation
If you’re still studying but expect to graduate with a first, you can include a predicted classification. Use “Predicted” or “Expected” before the classification to make it clear you haven’t graduated yet, and add your expected graduation date:
BA (Hons) Journalism, Predicted First Class Honours
University of Sheffield, 2021–2024
Expected graduation: July 2024
Only list a predicted first if your university or personal tutor has confirmed it, or if your marks so far firmly place you above 70%. Employers understand that predicted grades can shift, but overstating your classification and then graduating with a 2:1 creates an awkward conversation. If you’re not confident in the prediction, list your strongest module results instead, including the credit points or marks for each. This gives the employer real evidence of your ability without committing you to a classification you might not achieve.
One important detail: never write “incomplete” next to your degree name. It draws attention to what you haven’t done rather than what you have. Simply including the expected graduation date makes it clear you’re still studying.
Where Education Should Sit on Your CV
A first class degree is a strong credential, but where it appears on the page depends on your career stage. If you’re a recent graduate with limited work experience, your education section should sit near the top of your CV, right after your personal statement or profile. A first class honours degree is one of the strongest signals you can lead with when you don’t yet have years of professional results to point to.
Once you have a few years of relevant work experience, move education below your employment history. At that point, employers care more about what you’ve delivered in a role than your university marks. The degree still belongs on the CV, and the classification still matters, but it no longer needs prime positioning.
Applying to International Employers
If you’re sending your CV to companies outside the UK, keep in mind that “first class honours” is a specifically British classification and may not be immediately understood. US employers, for example, work with GPA scales. There’s no official conversion, but the Fulbright Commission’s widely used equivalency table puts UK marks of 70 and above (the first class threshold) at a 4.0 GPA. In practice, some US institutions treat a GPA as low as 3.7 as equivalent to a first.
For international applications, you have two good options. You can list the degree exactly as your university awarded it and add a parenthetical note: “First Class Honours (equivalent to 4.0 GPA).” Or you can include a brief line in your cover letter explaining the classification for context. Either approach prevents the recruiter from having to look it up themselves, which increases the chance they register how strong the result is.
For European employers familiar with the Bologna system or ECTS credits, the same principle applies. State your classification as awarded and add a short explanation if the employer is unlikely to know UK grading conventions.
How Much Detail to Include
Beyond the classification itself, consider whether any of the following add value for the specific role you’re applying to:
- Dissertation or thesis title: Worth including if the topic is directly relevant to the job or demonstrates specialist knowledge the employer is looking for.
- Key modules: Useful when your degree is broad (like “Business Management”) but the role requires specific skills covered by particular modules, such as data analysis or financial modelling.
- Awards or prizes: If you received a departmental prize, dean’s list equivalent, or scholarship tied to academic performance, list it alongside the degree. It reinforces the first class result.
If none of these extras are relevant to the job, the degree title and classification on their own are enough. A clean, single-line entry communicates confidence. Padding the education section with every module you ever took dilutes the impact of the first itself.