Leaving Cert students told to consider options
There is speculation that bonus college points for those who pass higher-level maths could disadvantage those with ordinary-level maths grades. However, it will not emerge until tomorrow if the predicted increase in numbers taking honours papers was matched by those who actually did so.
Almost 44,000 of this year’s Leaving Cert students are seeking entry to college through the CAO, which will make its first round of offers to school-leavers next Monday.
The results will lead to more discussion on the new Project Maths syllabus, for which the latest criticism came from more than a dozen professors, lecturers, and maths teachers, as reported in yesterday’s Irish Examiner.
The grades will also indicate the impact of a redesigned Leaving Cert Irish course, in which the marks for spoken Irish increased from 25% to 40%.
About 3,300 students getting results today completed the Leaving Certificate Applied, an alternative to the traditional examination system, and the Leaving Certificate Vocational Programme was taken by more than 16,000 students.
Institute of Guidance Counsellors members will staff the National Parents’ Council Post Primary (NPCPP) Leaving Cert helpline (1800 265 165) from 8am to 7pm tomorrow and Thursday, until 2pm on Friday, and again next Monday to Wednesday to coincide with the CAO first round offers.
* See tomorrow’s Irish Examiner for a breakdown of the grades awarded in all the main subjects, information on exam appeals, next week’s CAO offers, and other advice on Leaving Cert 2012.
