Exam reforms see more Leaving Cert students take higher level
Students have continued to take advantage of Leaving Certificate and college entry reforms by moving to higher level exams in even greater numbers this year.
The results issuing to over 57,000 Leaving Certificate students this morning, including 2,709 who did Leaving Certificate Applied, show rises in the proportion of students taking higher level in nearly all the most popular subjects.
But business organisation Ibec said the Leaving Certificate is unfit for purpose and not in tune with the needs of society or the economy.
“A high-stakes terminal exam, predominantly based on rote learning and information recall, leaves students with little opportunity to think critically, engage analytical skills, and develop greater interpersonal skills,” said Ibec education policy senior executive, Claire McGee.
As work gets under way in schools this month on a major review of senior cycle, she said an education system that encourages a spark for learning is needed to help students transition to future study and the world of work.
Her comments follow findings of a significant study from Dublin City University that Leaving Certificate exams in several subjects are dominated by questions and tasks based mainly around memory and recall.
But reforms already undertaken are behind many of the improved higher level participation rates today, which include a record 31.5% of maths students.
And for the first time, more students of Irish took the higher than the ordinary level exam. Nearly 48% of the 46,750 people doing Irish this year took honours papers, up from 46% a year ago, while 45.9% did ordinary level and 6.2% chose foundation level Irish.
The awarding of college entry Central Applications Office (CAO) points for students with a H7 grade (30% to 40% in a higher level exam) from last year saw a big jump in higher level uptake across a wide range of subjects in 2017.
Although the increases are more moderate this year, the State Examinations Commission data suggests students were encouraged by the gamble paying off for last year’s Leaving Certificate candidates who secured CAO points by sticking at higher level.
The numbers getting 25 bonus points for a H6 or better — more than 40% — in higher maths are up nearly 500 to over 15,500.
But biology is an exception to the trends, as numbers with a H8 (under 30%) are up from 4.2% to 7.1% of the 26,500 students sitting it at higher level. These almost 1,900 students get no CAO points for this grade.
