More pupils than ever top 450 points in Leaving
But new fears of 'dumbing down' as fewer candidates fail exams
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A RECORD number of pupils got 450 points or higher in this year's Leaving Cert.
Official Central Applications Office figures show the proportion gaining more than 450 points has increased for 13 of the past 15 years.
It stood at just 6.2pc in 1992; but with the class of 2007, it has now trebled to a record 18.3pc.
The significant proportion of high achievers is certain to spark further concerns that the exam is being dumbed down and marked more easily.
And among the 51,000 who sat this year's exam, there is a corresponding reduction in the numbers doing badly.
The proportion of pupils getting fewer than 100 points has been more than halved in the 15 years - down from 23.2pc to only 11.3pc this year.
But last night, Education Minister Mary Hanafin strongly rejected any suggestion of "dumbing down".
She insisted students were much more focused on their exams and were working much harder. They also had a greater range of options, including practicals and projects, she said.
Almost 51,000 students will get the results of this year's Leaving Cert this morning, either in their schools or on-line.
A breakdown shows slightly more A grades in history, physics, applied maths and home economics at higher level. At ordinary level, the number of A grades has gone up from 9,226 last year to 11,329 this year; while the number of B grades rose from 39,513 to 41,722.
But this improvement is offset somewhat by the continuing high failure rates in ordinary-level maths and science and in three of the four big, modern European languages.
This prompted renewed concerns among employers' groups, including the Irish Employers and Business Confederation (IBEC), about the supply of qualified students for courses, particularly in the sciences.
This year, more than 4,000 ordinary-level students failed ordinary-level maths, which effectively rules them out of most college courses.
However, it is the further rise in points that is likely to provoke most controversy. For instance, the percentage gaining 300 and above has gone up steadily from 36pc in 1992 to 54pc last year and risen further to 55.1pc this year.
Above the 450 mark, the percentage has increased nearly every year. In 2000, some 13.6pc of all Leaving Cert students obtained 450 or over; but this year, the figure has gone up to 18.3pc from 17.7pc last year.
Improvement
Grade inflation has become a feature of exam results and points scores in recent years. Different views are offered for the overall improvement, but recent research by Dr Eoghan Mac Aogáin from the Education Research Centre, Drumcondra, throws new light on the phenomenon.
It suggests two contributory factors: the first is the much more generous marking on practicals and projects. The second is the movement in many subjects of students from ordinary- to higher-level papers, which attract more points. There are exceptions, such as maths where only 20pc takes higher level.
This year's results suggest the entry requirements for many CAO courses will remain around the same when the first round is issued next week. Last night, Michael Moriarty, general secretary of the Irish Vocational Education Association, called for round-table talks chaired by the minister to review the present exam arrangements. "At some stage in life, all families are affected by the inordinate pressure imposed by the present compressed examination timetable," he said.
- John Walshe
