Female students outperform males in majority of Leaving Cert subjects

Female students continue to outperform males in the majority of Leaving Certificate subjects — but are still behind them in maths.

Latest figures from the State Examinations Commission also reveal that boys are more likely than girls to benefit from the bonus college entry points offered for passing higher level maths. For the third successive year, overall numbers doing the honours papers in June rose, as the 25 extra points going for Central Applications Office ranking of course applicants continues to encourage more students to attempt the harder exams.

Analysis of the SEC’s gender statistics by the Irish Examiner show that the proportion of males doing maths who sat the higher level papers still exceeds that of females — 28.7% of boys, compared to 26% of girls.

While girls may not be as likely as boys to pick up the 25 bonus points for maths, the performance of male Leaving Certificate students in the subject could also compensate for their otherwise weaker performance in most other subjects.

Among the 13 other Leaving Certificate subjects taken by most students at higher level, for example, the proportion of girls who got an honours (A, B, or C) grade was higher. And, with the exception of chemistry and maths, girls are also more likely than boys to get an A.

There continue to be wide gender gaps in participation at a range of subjects, notably in engineering (95% male); construction studies (93% male); design & communications graphics (89% male); home economics (89% female); and music (67% female).

Some of the figures may be of particular interest to the soon to be appointed council to oversee a major overhaul of apprenticeships, whose tasks will include seeking a more balanced mix of gender participation on training for crafts and trades.

Close to 46,000 of the 59,000 students who got Leaving Certificate results on Wednesday applied for college courses through the Central Applications Office, which is processing Round 1 offers on behalf of 44 third-level institutions.

lThe 16-page Choices for College supplement in Monday’s Irish Examiner will show the cut-off entry CAO points for all 1,300-plus Level 6, 7, and 8 courses, including comparisons with last year’s Round 1 and final points.

The supplement also features advice on starting college, budgeting, grants, accommodation, alternatives to higher education, and other helpful information for students and their families.

Rule breaches

Up to 40 students have not received their result in one or more subjects because of breaches of Leaving Cert exam rules.

The cheating offences were detected during exams themselves or in the correcting of students’ work over the summer.

A further 21 results have been provisionally withheld from students by the State Examinations Commission pending further communication with them and their schools, but suspected cheating may be ruled out and the grades subsequently awarded.

The subjects in which students have not got a result include English, history, construction studies, French, business, home economics, chemistry,geography, biology, Leaving Certificate Vocational Programme link modules, and the personal reflection in the Leaving Certificate Applied.

The rule breaches may relate to written exams, or to practical and project work completed earlier in the year. Among the cheating that can be detected are the use of notes, books, phones, or other prohibited items in written exams; the discovery by an examiner of notes or other items when marking a student’s exam script; or similarities in the work of students who sat papers in the same exam centre.

The levels of detected breaches are slightly down from last year, when the commission reported that 50 students had a result withheld and it was in communication with another 25 about suspicious exam content.

The decisions to withhold results are open to appeal.