Junior Cert now proving tougher than the Leaving

The Junior Cert is no longer an "easier" exam than the Leaving Cert, when this year's results in both exams are compared.

Surprisingly, it is now "easier" to get a Leaving Cert honour than one in the Junior Cert in several of the most popular subjects.

Another main feature of this year's results is the disappointing performance by some students in geography. The percentage of higher level students securing an honour has dropped from 75 to 67 per cent. The failure rate at higher level has almost doubled to 7 per cent.

An honour is a Grade C or higher in a higher level subject. Comparing the results, it is easier to secure an honour in Irish, maths, history, geography and French in the Leaving Cert than in the Junior Cert.

Among the most popular subjects, virtually all have a poorer honours rate at Junior Cert compared with the Leaving Cert. The sole exception is English where there is no difference between the honours rates.

With the exception of a very small number of subjects including business and science, higher-level students in the Leaving Cert obtained a higher percentage of honours than their counterparts at Junior Cert level.

Typically, students will only tend to opt for Leaving Cert subjects at higher level after gaining an honour at Junior Cert level.

Overall, the number taking the Junior Cert exam (just over 57,000) was down almost 1 per cent on last year.

But educationalists predict that the numbers taking both the Junior and Leaving Cert will increase dramatically from about 2012 because of demographic changes and immigration.

The most popular subjects in the Junior Cert are English, maths and Civic Social and Political Education (CSPE). Surprisingly, Irish is only the seventh most popular subject.

In all, 88 per cent of students take the subject, compared with 99 per cent taking English.

This low figure may be explained by the higher number of exemptions obtained by students with special needs and by newcomer children.