HIGHER-LEVEL students have achieved record grades in the Leaving Cert in a trend which will stoke renewed fears about grade inflation.
The high grades come only months after the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) reported literacy and numeracy among Irish teens had slumped dramatically. The continuing increase in higher-level grades is sure to raise further questions about the reliability of Leaving Cert results as a measure of academic performance.
An Irish Timesanalysis shows that:
- Since 1992, the first year for which accurate figures are available, the number of As awarded at higher level has increased from 5 to 13 per cent;
- The honours rate, that is the number of A, B and C grades, has increased from 64 to 77 per cent overall;
- The failure rate at higher level has almost halved in that time;
- The proportion of students achieving an honours grade in English has increased from 62 per cent in 1992 to 77 per cent this year;
- The Irish honours rate has gone up by 9 per cent to 84 per cent in 2011;
- Of higher-level maths students, 81 per cent achieved an A, B or C grade this year – up from 68 per cent in 1992;
- The honours rate for French has increased by 11 per cent from 63 to 74 per cent;
- History and geography honours grades have increased by 18 and 16 per cent to 76 and 78 per cent respectively;
- Biology is the only one of the most popular subjects to have remained reasonably static at 70 per cent since 1992.
Grade inflation came to prominence two years ago after US multinationals raised concerns about Leaving Cert standards with former education minister Batt O’Keeffe. Two academics from IT Tralee also noted the problem via their website – the Network for Irish Educational Standards.
Research compiled by the network shows the rate of A grades in the 10 most popular Leaving Cert subjects has increased by 144 per cent since 1994. It also shows the rate of B grades has surged by 52 per cent over the same period.
During the controversy, the State Exams Commission acknowledged sharp grade inflation in the Leaving Cert results in briefing documents prepared for the Department of Education.
The commission said the numbers gaining the highest grades (A1, A2 and B1) has almost doubled at higher level since 1992.
The OECD report was described by Minister for Education Ruairí Quinn as a “wake-up call” for Irish education. On reading levels, Ireland has slipped from fifth place in 2000 to 17th, the sharpest decline among 39 countries surveyed.
The trends in maths also give little cause for optimism. Ireland has fallen from 16th to 26th place, the second steepest decline among participating countries. Ireland is ranked as below average in maths.