EDUCATION MINISTER Mary Coughlan has promised to introduce bonus points for good grades in mathematics, after today’s Leaving Certificate results showed that more than 4,000 students failed the subject at various levels.

The Táiniste told RTÉ Radio’s News at 1 that she had discussed the idea of awarded bonus CAO points for good grades in higher level maths with various universities who had indicated their general support for such an idea.

She said she hoped the bonus scheme would be fully in place in time for the 2012 CAO applications season.

10% of students who took Maths at Ordinary Level, or the ‘pass’ grade, failed the subject entirely.

Coughlan said she was encouraged, however, by the results recorded in the new Project Maths subject, which was piloted in 24 schools, and which returned generally higher grades than the traditional Maths results.

It was separately reported this evening, however, that the marking scheme for the Project Maths syllabus was revised on two occasions over the course of the summer, after results in the new ‘user-friendly’ syllabus was considered too low.

George Humphrey, a retired maths teacher who has written a number of maths textbooks, made the assertion on RTÉ Radio’s Drivetime programme.

Results in the various Science subjects were also worrying, with more than 8% students failing Chemistry, over 2,000 people failing to pass their respective Biology courses, and fewer candidates getting A grades in physics for the second year running.