Third-level education - Soft options may be the wrong choices

Tomorrow the 53,700 young people — and some not so young — who sat the leaving certificate at the start of the summer will get their exam results and know if they have realised their immediate ambitions.

Over 40,000 hope to get a college place but it is expected that many will face higher points requirements than they had anticipated. It is expected that, for a combination of reasons, entry requirements for some courses, especially the sciences, will be the highest for some decades.

Ironically, this points inflation has been spurred by the decision to award an extra 25 points to students who succeed at higher-level maths. Unfortunately, an entirely laudable measure designed to encourage students to be more ambitious may deny some their first-choice college course. The lack of employment opportunities and a dramatic fall in the number of Irish students attending British colleges because of significant fee increases also adds to the pressure on places.