MORE LEAVING CERTIFICATE students are sitting Higher Level Maths and getting the top grades, according to the figures released today by the State Examination Commission.

The results show that there has been a sharp increase of almost 5,000 in the number of candidates sitting the Higher Level paper in the past two years, since the introduction of a bonus scheme introduced for the first time last year which gives students 25 extra CAO points if they pass. The extra points were introduced to act as an incentive to encourage people to sit the more difficult paper after figures declined in recent years.

More than 10 per cent of students who sat the exam received an A, which is broadly comparable to the percentage in previous years.

However the number of students who failed the subject rose slightly this year – from 2.3 per cent to 3.4 per cent – while the number of students who received a D, the lowest passing grade, also rose compared to last year.

The most common grade for students who sat the Maths examination was a C2 (for both the Higher and Ordinary Level paper).

Separately, many of the subjects in which students received the highest number of As were in non-curricular languages: 80.8 per cent of students who studied Higher Level Russian got an A, for example. Outside of the non-curricular languages, Accounting had one of the highest rates of students getting As with 20.3 per cent receiving either an A1 or an A2 at higher level.

Physics & Chemistry had the highest failure rate of all subjects with 11.2 per cent of the 330 students who sat the exam receiving an E, F or NG (No Grade) result. Classical Studies also had one of the highest failure rates with more than 10.6 per cent of students failing.

Here’s a round-up of how people got on with the three compulsory Leaving Certificate subjects.

ENGLISH:

• 33,279 students sat Higher Level English this year – more than half of all candidates in this year’s examinations.
• Of these, 9.7 per cent got either an A1 or an A2 (3.6 per cent and 6.1 per cent respectively).
• The most common grade among students who sat the Higher Level Paper was a C2, with 14.4 per cent of students achieving this grade.
• 17,538 students sat the Ordinary Level paper. Of these, 7.4 per cent got an A grade (2 per cent got an A1 and 5.4 per cent got an A2).
• The most common grade among Ordinary Level students was a B3, with 15.6 per cent of students achieving this grade.

MATHS:

• 13,014 students sat Higher Level Maths this year – a massive increase of 5,000 in the past two years.
• Of these, almost 11 per cent of students got either an A1 or an A2 (5.4 per cent and 5.5 per cent respectively)
• The most common grade among students who sat the Higher Level paper was a C2, with 12.8 per cent of students achieving this grade.
• 3.4 per cent of students failed Higher Level Maths, while Ordinary Level had a much higher failure rate: 9.4 per cent of students failed (which is exactly how many failed last year too).
• 32,165 students sat the Ordinary Level paper and 5,677 sat Foundation level.
• 5.4 per cent of students got either an A1 or an A2 on the Ordinary Level exam (1.6 per cent and 3.8 per cent respectively).
• The most common grade among students who sat Ordinary Level was a C2, with 11.6 per cent of students achieving this grade.

IRISH:

• 16,669 students sat the Higher Level Irish paper this year – a figure which has increased by more than 2,000 over the past two years.
• Of these, more than 15 per cent of students got either an A1 or an A2 (5.8 per cent and 9.5 per cent respectively)
• The most common grade among students who sat the Higher Level paper was a B3, with 14.2 per cent of students achieving this grade.
• 23,066 students sat the Ordinary Level paper and 3,916 sat Foundation level.
• Just 2.6 per cent of students got either an A1 or an A2 on the Ordinary Level paper (0.4 per cent and 2.2 per cent respectively).
• The most common grade among students who sat Ordinary Level was a C1, with 15.1 per cent of students achieving this grade.

The National Parents’ Council is running a helpline today to offer assistance to students and parents. It can be contacted at 1800 265 165.

Best of luck to everyone getting their results today from all of us here at TheJournal.ie!

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