Maths and science suffer in Leaving Cert results

Maths and science subjects suffered most in the Leaving Certificate this year, with high failure rates revealed in the results published today.

Some 12 per cent of students sitting the ordinary maths paper failed the exam, while a total of 4,600 failed maths overall.

In the science subjects,16 per cent failed ordinary level chemistry, 13 per cent failed biology and 9 per cent of students failed physics.

Failure in the higher level papers in the three science subjects averaged 7 per cent.

The results will not please business and government leaders who have been trying to encourage greater participation - and higher pass rates - in maths and science subjects to meet demand in the hi-tech sector.

Some have even called for the return of bonus CAO points for maths and science subjects to act as an incentive for pupils.

One professional body, Engineers Ireland, said however that "misleading interpretations" had caused some students to be fearful of taking the higher level maths paper.

The body urged "balance" in the debate on maths and called for the introduction of bonus points for students taking the higher paper.

Business and employer body Ibec's pharmaceutical sector urged State investment in education and particularly the life sciences to help Ireland build a "knowledge-based society".

Just under 51,000 students received their results this morning.

This number is low in comparison to other years and has led experts to suggest that the future looks bright for the class of 2006.

One student in the State secured nine A1 grades and six received eight A1 grades.

The Union of Secondary Students (USS) said this year's exams were seen by students as fair on the day of the exams, but the increasingly stressful race for points means that "too many students are being put under unyielding pressure during the weeks and months leading up to the exams".

The body recommended a move away from the current exam structure towards a "less stressful" format, in which exams are spread throughout the senior cycle.

A report by the USS published today suggests oral examinations be held in Fifth Year and that the more demanding subjects, such as maths and English, be broken into two-phase exams, with papers taken months apart.

"Overall, the USS believes the Leaving Certificate structure must be fundamentally changed so as to lessen stress among students and end the ten weeks of late-night studying, panic and coffee that most students face," the report said..

"As the sole representative body for Ireland's secondary students, the USS is dedicated to being at the centre of change in the structure of the Leaving and Junior Certificate exams, and the way we can best achieve this aim is for the USS to be allocated a seat on the 25-member National Council for Curriculum and Assesment (NCCA).

"Among those represented on the NCCA Council are teachers, school principals, parents, business interests, trade unions and other educational interests. Students however, are not given a say in how their exams are formulated, on how their education is decided on."

Throughout the State, pupils, parents and teachers gathered at secondary schools early this morning as the results were distributed.

Students will also be able to access their results online, but some principals encouraged them to come to the schools to avail of support structures, including career guidance counselling.

Kevin O'Dwyer, principal of St Patrick's College, Tuam Road, Galway, said the 35 boys who sat the Leaving Certificate had done very well.

"We are very happy with the results," he said.

He said he had initially been concerned at reports of bad results in maths and science subjects but that he had not seen evidence of this in his own students' results.

"We didn't have any problems," Mr O'Dwyer said.

He said most of the boys had come to the school this morning to collect the results - there were only about eight left to come by midday.

"I think it's nice for the students to be able to come back to say thank you to the staff and they like to do that," he said.

Catherine Donagh, principal of Loreto Secondary School, Bray, Co Wicklow, said she was "delighted" with the results overall.

Around 140 girls sat the Leaving Certificate at the school in June.

"We have not done the detailed analysis yet that we intend to do, but it seems the hard work paid off very well for the students," she told ireland.com.

"Our weak students have done well also."

The CAO date next Monday is the one we now look to anxiously," Ms Donagh added.

She said a significant number of students had achieved over 500 points. Most of the students had come to the school early this morning to collect their results, Ms Donagh added.

"There were celebrations and tears of joy and hugs."

But she said students who had not fared as well as they hoped or who had not gained the points they required to take a particular college course should not be discouraged and should look at "other routes" open to them.

Áine O'Sullivan, principal of Ashbourne Community School, Co Meath, said her students were "on the whole, very pleased" with the results today.

"We had around 125 students taking the exam and our top result was seven A1s," Ms O'Sullivan said.

With regard to science and maths results, Ms O'Sullivan said about four students had failed maths, which was "not bad".

There were a number of A1 results in the science subjects, including physics, chemistry and biology, she said.

There were just a few fails in these subjects, Ms O'Sullivan said.

Most of the students had arrived at the school this morning to collect their results and to discuss them with teachers, the guidance counsellor and the school chaplain.