Quinn confirms bonus maths points to be reviewed in three years

A bonus points system to encourage more students to take higher-level maths in the Leaving Certificate is likely to be reviewed in three years time, Education Minister Ruairi Quinn has confirmed.

More than one-in-four maths candidates sat the higher level paper, up from one-in-six two years ago and any student who got a D or higher in their result got an extra 25 points.

Mr Quinn said 94% of students who took the higher-level maths paper got the 25 bonus points, so the initiative to encourage more students take the exam had worked very well.

He said his predecessor, Mary Coughlan, persuaded the Central Applications Office to award the 25 bonus points in response to calls from industry and many institutions.

Mr Quinn said the bonus points for taking higher level maths was a “temporary measure”. It was the second full year that the bonus had been awarded and the results were very positive.

However, Mr Quinn believed it would take around five years before it would be possible to see a pattern emerging from the points’ initiative.

The minister was also reminded of a significant error in a question on the higher level maths paper in June.

The State Examinations Commission gave a lengthy account of the efforts it made to address the error which, it said, affected 4% of candidates.

The minister, who visited Ringsend College in Dublin yesterday to meet Leaving Certificate students, said the commission took great care that no student would be disadvantaged because of the mistake.

He said the commission had apologised for the mistake and intended taking a number of steps to ensure a similar error would not be repeated in the future.

Ringsend College principal Donnchadh Clancy said they had a small group of sixth-years — 24 — plus around 50 who were repeating the Leaving Certificate examination.

“Overall, the results were good and the students were happy,” he said.

Mr Clancy said there were so many learning opportunities beyond the Leaving Certificate now.

“Although there is pressure for certain courses, there is a lot less pressure because of the possibilities that are out there. It is a day of optimism and hope,” he said.

Among the Leaving Certificate students collecting their results were Helena Lawless, 17, from Ringsend, Dublin.

She was awarded seven honours and one pass and is hoping to study travel and tourism at Liberties College in Dublin and become an air hostess.

“It’s what I always wanted to do,” said Helen, who said she could not sleep the previous night because she was so nervous.