UCD to offer bonus points for higher maths

STUDENTS applying for courses at the country’s biggest university will get bonus points if they have higher level Leaving Certificate maths from 2012.

However, University College Dublin (UCD) said it will be on a trial basis for four years, during which time research will be needed to find out if the move raises uptake and attainment of the subject at higher level.

Education Minister Mary Coughlan wrote to all third level colleges earlier this year, urging them to introduce a bonus points system to help encourage more students to sit the tougher exam. The proportion taking higher level maths has fallen to below one-in-six but a new second level curriculum and other initiatives aim to almost double that.