Rise in Leaving Cert candidates may put pressure on college points race

THE pressure for college places could be slightly higher this summer as the State Examinations Commission has reported that 1,837 more students than last year will sit the Leaving Certificate in June.

The commission had notification from 53,363 people that they intend to take the exam this year, compared with 51,500 at this stage in 2007.

This is an increase of 3.5% and almost 5% higher than the entry numbers at around the same time two years ago, reflecting the growth in school-leavers prompted by the increased birth rate around the early 1990s.