Female students seem to be getting more cautious about taking honours Leaving Certificate maths after an initial spike when bonus college entry points were introduced.

The doubling of failure rates in higher level Leaving Certificate maths is not a cause for concern, says Education Minister Jan O’Sullivan.

David Glynn was the top Leaving Certificate student of 2015 — with an amazing nine higher-level A1s.

Picture, if you can, the public reaction to an announcement that all students who wish to study engineering need to have an honours grade in Irish.

Ian Fitzhenry can thank an alert taximan and a garda patrol crew. Ian, a student at Sexton Street CBS, almost didn’t sit English Paper 1, on the first day of the Leaving Cert, in June, because he misread the bus timetable.

Almost 800 students who attempted higher-level Leaving Certificate maths in search of the bonus college entry points have failed the subject.

Just like the back door to the All-Ireland finals, maths students who fail to gain the minimum grades in their Leaving Certificate exam will have a second chance to gain entry to some science and engineering courses.

For students the period between their Leaving Certificate results and choosing a route to the next stage of their lives is exciting but for many it is an anxious time.

There are no significant changes to grades in most subjects since last year but analysis of Leaving Certificate subject choices and and levels show some contrasting trends.

Third-level colleges will today begin using Leaving Certificate results to decide offers for around 50,000 people next Monday.

Leaving Certificate students have been advised to stay safe this evening when celebrating their exam results and not to over-indulge in alcohol.