Focus will be on maths as students get results

ALMOST 56,000 students will receive their Leaving Certificate results at schools around the country tomorrow.

The focus this year is likely to centre, once again, on the uptake of higher level maths and an analysis of whether numbers failing ordinary level maths have steadied or not.

Last year, a record low of less than one-in-six maths students took the higher level paper, and there was a slight fall in the numbers who got an E or lower grade in the ordinary level exam. The first students to sit the Leaving Certificate under a new programme for learning maths will get their results tomorrow.

Some of those at the 24 schools which began the pilot Project Maths course in 2008 said they found the subject much more understandable and useful to them in real life since the changes were made.

The new syllabus will be examined for the first time at Junior Certificate level for students at the pilot schools next year, but all 730 second level schools will begin teaching it when they open next month.

Students in Dublin, whose higher level accounting papers were missing half the pages, may also be scrutinising their grades closely tomorrow morning to ensure they were treated fairly.

The State Examination Commission (SEC) had printed the papers themselves but it was discovered that when the packages were opened at 16 schools in the capital the middle pages with four of the nine questions were missing.

The missing pages were faxed or e-mailed to the schools and students were given additional time to make up for the disruption.

For almost 45,000 of this year’s Leaving Certificate students, the real nerves will be in the lead-up to Monday’s first round of college place offers from the Central Applications Office (CAO).

Early offer stages have seen the allocation of 7,300 places – up from 6,479 last year – to mature and overseas students, graduates and other applicants not awaiting exam results.

However, despite a steady rise in these categories as a proportion of those seeking college entry in recent years, school leavers will still fill about two-thirds of places when courses begin.

A slight increase in college places is expected to be green lighted by third-level chiefs and this should also mean that students should not see points requirements rise significantly on most courses.

Meanwhile, the Union of Students in Ireland (USI) held a protest yesterday in Cork at the constituency office of Enterprise, Trade and Innovation Minister Batt O’Keeffe. They claimed the Government is not doing enough to keep college graduates from emigrating to find work.

- The National Parents Council Post-Primary student helpline run by the Institute of Guidance Counsellors will open from 8am-6pm tomorrow and Thursday on 1800 265 165. Cork Youth Information Centre (021 427 0187) is also offering advice for students and parents from 9.30am-5.30pm this week.