Results a mixed bag but some patterns worrying

THIS morning brings an end to six years’ hard work for almost 54,000 people.

A breakdown of results from the State Examinations Commission (SEC) reveals a pattern of grades very much in line with those of previous years — some of them extremely positive but others somewhat worrying. It is not just students, parents and teachers who will be concerned to see repeated high failure rates in ordinary level subjects such as maths, physics, chemistry, accounting and others.

For colleges seeking to fill places with highly qualified undergraduates for degrees and other programmes, there are concerns that those students without highest levels of attainment might find it difficult keeping up at third level.