A confidential report has raised serious concerns about how different subjects are treated in the Leaving Certificate marking process. The report by two education experts from the Educational Research Centre at St Patrick's College in Drumcondra, says students are "shopping around" solely on the points available from each subject.
The report finds it is easier to get high grades in some subjects. It says this happens even when the students doing the subjects are of the same academic ability. The report also found that the distribution of grades varies considerably from year to year. The report by Dr Tom Kellaghan and Mr David Millar, says the findings are likely to cause concern.
The report finds that while students of high ability take subjects like chemistry, physics and higher-level maths, there is less chance of students scoring an honours grade in these areas. The report found that in chemistry and physics a large number of low grades were awarded, compared to language subjects such as Irish, French and German.
The report is the latest piece of research to question how marks are allocated in the Leaving Certificate. Previous reports from the National Council for Curriculum and Assessment and the Taskforce on the Physical Sciences have also raised concerns. The taskforce report, published last year, called on the Department of Education to instigate an immediate review of marking, particularly in the science area.
The latest report recommends that the syllabus in all subjects be reviewed to ensure that some subjects do "not make disproportionate demands on students".
It also recommends that each year before results are released a review be carried out into the distribution of grades. It suggests that particular attention be paid to the sometimes harsh marking in the science area.