Students excel at science, but must improve

IRISH teenagers are performing above average on science tests, but may need to improve if the country is to avoid losing hi-tech jobs, international research suggests.

The latest rankings from the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) on scores in science tests among 15-year-olds places Ireland as high as 15th out of 57 countries, and 10th among 30 OECD nations.

The average score achieved by Irish teens was significantly above the OECD average in the PISA science tests last December, for which advance results have just been released.