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.

The biggest concern, however — just as it has been for a number of years — is the fact that one-in-eight of those taking ordinary level maths were unable to pass the exam. For these 4,069 people, a college place is not achievable, as entry to most courses requires a minimum level of maths.

Even considering that many of these people are not interested in going on to third level and might not be unduly concerned about their maths grade, Third level aside, questions must be asked about a system which allows such high failure rates.

Despite continuing reviews of the maths curriculum by the National Council for Curriculum and Assessment (NCCA), many expert reports on the topic and much lengthy debate, this remains an annual phenomenon on a day which should be celebrated as the climax of so many young people’s school lives.

It remains to be seen what Education Minister Mary Hanafin, the NCCA, schools and teachers can do to resolve the issue in the coming months and years.

The figures should not overshadow results which reflect the continued positive input of staff at the country’s 740 second-level schools, with a mix of grade increases and drops across all subjects.

In higher level subjects, As were awarded to at least one-in-five students in physics, chemistry, biology, and accounting, while at least one in 10 scored the top grade at higher level maths, French, German, Spanish and technical drawing, among others. There are 11 students who will find out today they got eight A1s in higher level subjects, a grade awarded to almost 5,600 students in at least one subject.

Clearly, there is a wide gap in achievement but this is a reflection of the varying ability levels, not just across the country, but within each school and in each class.

Association of Secondary Teachers Ireland (ASTI) president Patricia Wroe said a student obtaining passes is just as significant and deserves as much praise as another getting straight honours.

While the numbers sitting their Leaving Certificate exams has dropped every year for almost a decade, the SEC figures show a 7% rise in the numbers taking honours Irish. Almost 900 students more than last year took higher level Irish in June. This means that nearly one-in-three of the 44,000 taking the subject chose the tougher paper. This will be encouraging news for Ms Hanafin, a strong proponent of keeping the language alive and who was adamant there would be no removal of its obligatory status for Leaving Certificate when Fine Gael suggested such a move last year.

In line with other years, a little less than two-thirds of students took the higher level English papers, with one in 10 getting an A and a little more than three out of four receiving honours grades, ranging from A1 to C3. At ordinary level, almost 600 students — one in 30 — failed, while one-in-12 got an A.

Just over one-in-six maths candidates took the higher level paper this summer, the lowest uptake since before 2000. Among these 8,400 students, four in five secured a C or higher, including nearly one in six with an A.

For those in government and industry promoting science for the country’s future economic development, the 2007 Leaving Certificate results deliver mixed messages on efforts to encourage more young people to take science subjects and continue them into their third-level education. These efforts should be bolstered by a new hands-on Junior Certificate science curriculum, although its true impact might not be measurable until the first group to have completed the course sit the Leaving Certificate next year.

The most popular of the science subjects, biology, attracted 25,791 candidates this time around, up 900 on last year, despite falling numbers of overall Leaving Certificate students. The number of As awarded at higher level rose again this year, to almost one-in-five of the 17,521 students concerned, up from one in eight just two years ago.

And while half the increased uptake for biology was at ordinary level, the honours rate remains quite low. Just over half of students at this level received a C or higher and 15% of all candidates — 1,240 in total — were unable to pass the paper.

The physical sciences — physics and chemistry — on which the real promotional efforts are concentrated showed slight drops in uptake, more or less in line with the drop of less than 1% in total Leaving Certificate numbers.

The respectable levels of honours grades — 72% of those who took higher level physics and almost four out of five for chemistry — represent slight increases on 2006 and may encourage those beginning fifth year in the coming weeks to consider these as worthwhile subjects.

Results in languages were also in line with other years, with three-quarters of the 13,770 who sat higher level French getting a C or higher. Among the 14,035 who sat the ordinary level paper, the honours rate was 62%.

The next most popular modern language is German, in which three out of four or a little more than 7,500 who sat the exam at either level, got an honours grade.