More than half of Leaving Certificate students, mostly from higher-income families, are now availing of grinds to help boost their chances of accessing university.
However, private tuition only appears to pay off for students with lower levels of achievement, with little if any gain for their middle and higher achieving peers.
The findings are contained in research by the ESRI (Economic and Social Research Institute), which examined the contrast in take-up of private tuition in Ireland and Germany.
The rate is significantly higher than countries such as Germany where about one in five final-year students (16-20 per cent) get private support compared to more than half in Ireland (55 per cent).
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The difference, according to ESRI research, reflects the fact that grinds in Germany tend to be used by lower-achieving students from well-off families to avoid having to repeat a year. This is due to rules which require a minimum level of achievement to progress to the next year.
In Ireland, where grades matter for higher education entry, grinds are used – particularly among medium-achieving students – to enhance their chances of doing well and securing the university place they want.
The study found that woman students are more likely to take part in grinds than male students in both countries.
Participation is more socially selective in Ireland, with those whose parents have higher-status jobs and higher income levels more likely to take part.
In Germany, only being in the top fifth of household incomes makes a difference to take-up.
In terms of outcomes of grinds, the study looked at differences in grade point average between those taking grinds and those not, taking account of other factors that might affect performance like social background.
In Germany, the findings show that private tuition can benefit low-achieving students by helping them maintain the grades needed to progress to the next year of school.
In Ireland, there are some positive benefits of shadow education to lower-achieving students, but with “little, if any” gain for their middle- and higher-achieving peers.
Grinds are a lucrative business in Ireland with cost ranging from hundreds of euro for private grinds in individual subjects to about 10,000 for full-time grind schools.
Previous studies indicate that while grinds are common at second level, they are more prevalent in some other jurisdictions.
A 2020 study on the study of maths among second year students at post-primary across 12 countries found that while 16 per cent of Irish students took extra private lessons, the rate was an average of 44 per cent among others.
The rates ranged from 19 per cent in England to 71 per cent in South Korea, according to an Educational Research Centre study.
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