Teachers and parties call for review of maths exam

Leaving Cert Maths reactionExaminers are being urged to mark maths with consideration after a deluge of complaints, writes Áine Kerr

The State Exams Commission was yesterday urged by Opposition parties and unions to review the higher Leaving Certificate maths paper and mark the exam with consideration following a deluge of complaints from teachers and students.

Labour's education spokeswoman Jan O'Sullivan said the extent of the criticism surrounding the paper was "extremely significant" as the paper was not only difficult but unfair in having set questions which dealt with matters outside the standard syllabus.

"It is unacceptable for students to be examined on matters they would not have been expected to cover in the course of their education. The Leaving Certificate should be an opportunity to display what students have learned, not an occasion to expose gaps in their knowledge," said Ms O'Sullivan.

She added she was asking the State Exams Commission to review the paper and state whether or not it dealt with matters outside of the set syllabus.

The Labour TD made her remarks following complaints by teachers and students that the maths paper two was designed to put rote learners and those who had learned off grind school notes at a disadvantage over those who can employ independent mathematical reasoning.

Teachers complained that a trigonometry question, usually considered a "banker", was outrageously difficult and that the paper was in general one of the most difficult papers in some years. The exams commission has indicated that following the receipt of complaints from teachers and students regarding the paper, it is to bring all reported criticisms to the chief examiner.

Sinn Féin education spokesman Seán Crowe said the paper was "outrageously difficult and full of tricks", adding that the whole Leaving Certificate system was an "academic pressure cooker". He noted that maths has been declining in popularity in recent years with only 11,000 students taking the higher option on Monday.

"Making the exam more difficult and actually attempting to trick students will inevitably result in a further decline in the take up of the subject. However with our knowledge economy, mathematics as a subject must not be undermined," he said.

The Association of Secondary Teachers of Ireland (ASTI) yesterday repeated its criticisms of the exam and urged exam markers to give consideration to the stress caused to the students on Monday. It welcomed, however, the commitment by the exams commission to bring concerns to the chief examiner, who is ultimately responsible for overseeing the marking scheme for the maths exam.

The union's subject representative for maths, Eileen Scanlon, said while she accepted the argument made by universities that students should be able to think independently and laterally, the maths paper confronted by students on Monday was not the way to remedy such concerns.

Ms Scanlon was referring to a recent report compiled largely by maths teachers at third level which complained that many higher level maths students had little basic understanding of the subject.

However, Ms Scanlon maintained it was unfair to test "independent thinking" when the questions failed to incorporate the day to day maths syllabus.