16-05-2025
Leaving Cert maths: Bonus points linked to decline in standards and should be reassessed, researchers say
The bonus points initiative that enables
Leaving Cert
students to gain extra points for achieving a pass grade in hgher-level mathematics appears to have led to a decline in standards in the subject, and the system should be reassessed, a major new report has found.
The report by researchers at
Mary Immaculate College
,
University College Cork
and
University of Limerick
spans 2010-2024 and is the culmination of six years' work on the effectiveness of the system and the challenges brought by increased participation.
The initiative enables those studying Leaving Cert maths at higher level to gain an extra 25 points should they achieve a passing grade of 40 per cent or better.
'This has been signposted as the most important factor by the majority of students in their decision to opt for higher level,' the report said.
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It also found the system has proven to be a 'significant factor' in increasing the proportion of students opting to take Leaving Cert maths at higher level from 15.6 per cent in 2011 to 36.3 per cent in 2024 – an increase of 129.7 per cent.
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However, this has had 'negative impacts' on teacher experiences in the classroom, student motivation to engage meaningfully with maths, and standards for achievement in maths at
Leaving Cert
, the report said.
The profile of students in taking the subject has 'changed significantly', with 'many more' students that would typically have opted for ordinary-level maths now opting to take on the challenge of higher level.
Teachers of
Leaving Cert
maths at higher level are experiencing 'significant challenges' in relation to catering for widening ranges of achievement in their classrooms.
An 'increasing number' of their students require extra support, which is leading to a reduction in the pace of learning and greater demands on teachers' time and energy.
'Teachers have also expressed concerns that opportunities to engage in more challenging material are limited and, as a result, worry that their higher attaining students may not be challenged sufficiently,' the report said.
The standards linked to grades awarded upon completion of the course 'appear to have declined' in the past 15 years.
'Like many of their international counterparts, the education system in Ireland adopts a policy of attainment referencing which typically maintains the proportion of students achieving the given grade levels in a subject from year to year.
With the 'significant growth and transformation' in a typical higher-level Leaving Cert maths cohort, maintaining relatively similar grade attainment levels led to 'a greater number' of students achieving grades at the upper end when compared to previous cohorts.
'Therefore, it has become less of a challenge to achieve these higher grades and, thus, standards in mathematics appear to have declined as a result,' the report added.
It said policymakers should 'reassess the nature of bonus points' to reduce the incentive to aim for a low passing grade.
'They should link the number of bonus points awarded to the grade achieved, [and] reward higher grades with a greater number of bonus points,' it said.
