Fall in number of students with over 500 points

The number of Leaving Certificate students earning more than 500 points has fallen since last year, according to figures from the Central Applications Office.

As it prepares to send out offers of third-level places to around 50,000 applicants on Monday, focus will be placed on whether a second year of 25 bonus points for higher level Leaving Certificate maths will impact entry requirements.

The 12,571 who passed it this week is almost 1,700 more than last year, when the first widespread awarding of the bonus was seen as the major factor in a marked increase in points in many fields of study.