TALK BACK ... :The Higher Level Leaving Certificate represents the highest level of achievement in the Irish second-level system. Its quality and standards are of strategic national importance. Its subjects, curriculum, teaching and examinations should fully develop and challenge the intellectual and creative abilities of young people. It prepares for higher education. Its comparative quality, relevance and effectiveness should be reviewed, writes Sean McDonagh

Leaving Certificate students, who typically take seven subjects, have the flexibility of choosing these at Higher or Ordinary Level. English was by far the most popular Higher subject in 2008, with almost 32,000 entries of whom 25,000 achieved Honours.

The next two Higher subjects in popularity – biology and geography – attracted over 18,000 entries each and form, with English, more than a third of all Higher Level entries. Higher Level Biology, the most popular science subject, exceeded the combined entries for physics, chemistry and physics and chemistry by about 7,000.

Three subjects – French, Irish and business – had, in 2008, between 12,000 and 14,500 Higher Level entries. German, the largest EU language, attracts less than one-third of the French numbers. Spanish, a global language, had about 1,600 candidates at Higher level. Business had twice the entries of accounting and over three times those of economics.

The recent statement on Raising National Mathematical Achievement from the Expert Group for Future Skills underlined again the strategic importance of mathematics to Ireland’s competitive future. In 2008 Higher mathematics attracted 8,500 entries which was 17 per cent of all those taking mathematics. This was below the 18.9 per cent who took Higher Level in 2005 and considerably below the 25 per cent national strategic target.

Mathematics was one of six subjects – home economics, mathematics, art, history, construction, and chemistry – attracting between 5,000 and 9,000 entries. The top 12 Higher subjects account for 80 per cent of all Higher Level entries.

Under the points system subjects are treated as “equal” and interchangeable. A superficial look at grades might lead to the conclusion that some subjects are “easier” than others. For example in 2008 students doing higher art, English and mathematics achieved 4.9 per cent, 10.1 per cent and 14.3 per cent A grades respectively.

There are certainly wide perceptions that some Higher Level subjects are more demanding than others. Mathematics and physics are said to lose numbers because of this perception and other subjects attract students because of an opposite perception. Research into the comparative difficulty and advantages of Higher Level Leaving Certificate subjects would inform parents and students through facts rather than speculation.

In 2008 Higher Leaving Certificate entries were 53.5 per cent female and 46.5 per cent male. There were also major differences in subject choices and performance.

In languages males formed minorities of Higher Level entrants. In French and German three out of every five were female. In Higher Level Irish males were close to one in three of the candidates.

Higher Level mathematics was 54.4 per cent male and 45.6 per cent female. Biology was two-thirds female, who also formed a majority for Higher chemistry. Males dominated physics (70.9 per cent).

One measure of performance is the proportion of students who achieve high A or B grades. By this measure females outperformed males at Higher level in 2008 in all major languages, in mathematics, all sciences, humanities and arts, all business subjects. Male comparative under-participation and attainment is a major national issue.

A review of the Higher Leaving Certificate needs to address many issues:

Is the pattern of subject uptake supportive of national future skill strategies and future career opportunities

Is the Higher Level programme sufficiently challenging for our highest ability students?

Is there an imbalance in sciences, languages, and business subjects through the dominance of biology, French and business?

How can mathematics entries be increased while maintaining or raising standards?

Should the comparative difficulty and advantages of Higher Level subjects be studied systematically? Should the effect on Higher Level attainment of students who do paid work be researched?

Should generic skills be more strongly embedded in Higher Leaving Certificate subjects?

Dr Seán McDonagh is a former director of an IT and a former member of the Expert Group for Future Skill Needs