JUNIOR CERT RESULTS:HIGH FAILURE rates in foreign languages are the striking feature of this year's Junior Cert results, published this morning.
More than 11 per cent of students failed both French and Spanish at ordinary level while some 1,400 students (or 6 per cent) failed French at higher level.
Failure rates were also high in Italian, with 7 per cent of students failing the exam at both higher and ordinary level.
Coming after disappointing results in maths and science in this year’s Leaving Cert, these high failure rates will deepen concerns about academic standards.
The Government has been anxious to boost language skills in schools after US multinationals raised concerns about the apparent scarcity of multilingual graduates.
The other striking feature of the results are the high failure rates in a range of practical subjects at ordinary level, including metalwork (15 per cent), technical graphics (9 per cent) and technology (9 per cent).
Environmental and social studies also registered a very high failure rate of 11 per cent at ordinary level. Otherwise, this year’s results for some 56,000 students are broadly in line with those of previous years, including those in higher-level business studies.
The business exam was marred for many students this year by a series of errors on the paper, including one that made it impossible to reconcile a cash flow.
Last night Minister for Education Mary Coughlan said the error was taken into account in the marking scheme.
She said an analysis by the State Exams Commission “has indicated that this did not impact adversely on candidates’ results”.
This year 15 students scored 12 As or more in higher-level subjects, while a further 120 secured 11 As.
Overall, there will be continuing concern about maths, where 7 per cent failed the ordinary-level paper, unchanged from last year.
The honours rate, or the percentage of students gaining an A, B or C grade at higher level, is unchanged at 77 per cent for both English and maths but is slightly up in Irish (82 per cent).
The results tend to undermine the common view that the Junior Cert is much “easier” than the Leaving Cert.
In fact, the honours rates in several Junior Cert subjects – including French and history – is lower than in the Leaving Cert exams.
The honours rate for Irish and maths in the Junior Cert is almost exactly the same as that for both subjects in the Leaving Cert exam.
Last night Association of Secondary Teachers Ireland president Jack Keane said parents in Ireland could rely on high and consistent standards across all types of second-level schools, as studies by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development had acknowledged.
One of the great successes of the Junior Cert, he said, was “its all-encompassing nature as evidenced by the growing numbers of non-traditional students taking the exam, including students with special educational needs and newcomer students”.
He also warned that the ban on middle-management appointments in schools was leading to “the dismantling of pastoral care structures and putting student wellbeing services in jeopardy”.
Students can access their results online at www.examinations.ie from 4pm today, quoting their personal identification and examination numbers.