Surge in numbers taking higher maths and Irish
September 12, 2012
Nearly half of all Junior Certificate students took higher-level maths this year and changes to the marking scheme have prompted another rise in numbers attempting higher Irish.
State Examinations Commission figures show that 48% sat higher-level maths, the highest since at least 2001. Although the SEC did not have earlier records yesterday, it could the first time higher-level candidates outnumber those who took ordinary-level exams, with just 7% sitting foundation level.
The new Project Maths syllabus was not being examined, except at 24 schools piloting the course, where students sat two entirely different papers, but its roll-out was cited by the SEC as an influence. “As increasing the uptake of maths at higher level is one of the explicit aims of Project Maths, this indication of a greater uptake is to be welcomed,” said the SEC.
Education Minister Ruairi Quinn said he hoped the rise was an indication of an ongoing trend in the subject.
“This increase has occurred even without the ‘carrot’ of bonus points for maths, whose introduction at Leaving Certificate saw a large leap in the numbers opting for the higher-level paper,” said Mr Quinn.
However, the rise could signify a knock-on effect of the bonus points system, with students already seeing the benefits of sticking at higher level for the Leaving Cert in two or three years’ time, despite the additi-onal work involved. While there was a slight fall in higher-level uptake at the 24 pilot schools, almost exactly half — 1,207 of 2,418 — of their Junior Cert maths students took higher level, while 44% sat ordinary level and 6% took foundation maths.
The doubling of marks given for the optional oral Irish exam appears to have a continued effect, with more than half of this year’s 50,809 candidates in the subject taking higher level — 51.4% up from 49.5% and 48.5% in 2011 and 2010, respectively. Despite union directives that members should not examine students in their schools, eased slightly this year by the Teachers’ Union of Ireland, 7,388 students took the optional oral Irish test as part of their exam this year. This is a 72% increase on last year, and the 155 out of 730 second-level schools where the optional oral was offered compares to just 94 last year, 54 in 2010 — when 40% of marks were first awarded for the oral test — and only 24 in 2009.
Almost 40,000 sat higher-level science, a key target subject for the Government’s ambitions, although the numbers getting an honours grade slipped below four-in-five of higher-level candidates. With 76% of science candidates taking higher level, compared to 72% just two years ago, it could be encouraging for those hoping to have more students take science subjects to Leaving Cert.
There continues to be a high fail rate at French, although the 5.3% of higher-level and 11.6% of ordinary-level candidates getting an E, F, or no grade are lower than last year and 2010. Teachers’ Union of Ireland president Gerard Craughwell said that, while 34,757 sat French exams, the considerably lower numbers taking German (9,470), Spanish (6,698), and Italian add to concerns about relatively low numbers of language graduates in Ireland.
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