Video: Doubling of higher-level Leaving Cert maths failure rates ‘not a cause for concern’, says minister

The doubling of failure rates in higher level Leaving Certificate maths is not a cause for concern, says Education Minister Jan O’Sullivan.

The number of students who failed honours maths has more than trebled in three years to 764 of the 58,000 students who got results yesterday. And the proportion of those doing the subject who sat the higher level exams but failed has more than doubled to 5.2% since 2012, when colleges started giving anyone passing the tougher papers an extra 25 CAO college entry points.

The minister highlighted the rise in the same time in numbers sitting higher level maths, increasing each year since 2011 from 16% to over 27% this year. She said the 5.2% who did not pass higher level maths is around average for maths and science subjects generally.