Madam, - It was encouraging to see Sean Flynn highlighting the number of students taking higher level history for this year's Leaving Certificate examination - even if he catagorised the figure as "only about 8,500 students" ("Number of students sitting Leaving at 20-year low", The Irish Times, May 29th).
With the recent introduction of a revised Leaving Certificate history syllabus, first examined in June 2006, the number taking higher level has increased from 6,377 in 2005 to 8,533 in 2007, an increase of 34 per cent in two years.
In 2005, only 18 per cent of Leaving Certificate students took history at higher and ordinary levels; this has risen in two years to almost 23 per cent. This increase is due to a number of factors, including a revised syllabus that allows students to pre-submit a research report, a structured focus on the study of documents, as well as a consistently high level of professional engagement by teachers throughout the country.
Students are studying the contemporary US for documents-based assessment for examination in 2008 and 2009, while Northern Ireland will provide the documents focus in this area for examination in 2010 and 2011.
History is a very relevant subject for Leaving Certificate students. At Junior Certificate level, the NCCA is completing a revision of the history syllabus, and this should further contribute to an invigoration of history on the curriculum.
At this stage, I would like to wish history students all the best in their exams. - Yours, etc,
PAT CALLAN, National Co-ordinator, Leaving Certificate History, Monaghan Education Centre, Co Monaghan.