Nearly 57,000 anxious teenagers opened their Junior Certificate results this morning.
More than half a million individual grades in 26 different subjects were delivered to secondary schools nationwide.
High failure rates in foreign languages and maths are the main features of the results. Close to 12 per cent of students failed ordinary level French, while failure rates were also high for ordinary level Spanish (8 per cent) and German (7.5 per cent).
Failure rates were much lower at higher level, although close to 6 per cent failed higher level French and close to 8 per cent failed history.
In maths, 7.5 per cent, or close to 2,000 students, failed ordinary level maths; close to 4 per cent failed the subject at higher level. These results – which come after high failure rates in the Leaving Cert in June – will again raise questions about maths standards in schools.
In science – compulsory at Junior Cert – 4 per cent failed the ordinary level, while just 1.5 per cent failed the higher level paper.
This year 24 schools also completed the Junior Cert course in Project Maths, the more “user friendly” maths course which will be rolled out in all schools by 2015. In an encouraging trend, the percentage taking higher level maths in Project Maths (52 per cent) was higher than in the main higher level course (45 per cent).
Over half a million individual grades in 26 subjects are being delivered to the 27,678 female and 29,252 male candidates who took this year’s examination. Students can also access their results online through examinations.ie
Broadly, the 2011 results are in line with last year’s trends. While the honours or ABC rate is marginally up in maths, it is marginally down in Irish and unchanged in English.
The results also tend to contradict the view that the Junior Cert is “easier” than the Leaving Cert. In fact the honours or ABC rate in the Junior Cert is lower for many key subjects, including Irish, maths, French and history.
Students have until 5pm on Friday, September 30th, to review their results. The fee for this service is €32 per subject, which will be refunded in the event a result is upgraded.
Minister for Education Ruairí Quinn welcomed the increase in students taking higher level maths and science.
“Today’s results are the culmination of many hours of hard work by all the students, their parents and teachers and they all should be very proud of what has been achieved,” he said.
Carla Celada (16) from Bray in Co Wicklow said she was "thrilled" with the 12 As she achieved in the Junior Cert.
Carla, who attends Loreto Abbey in Dalkey, told The Irish Times she was shocked and happy to have done so well.
"I really didn't expect to achieve such great results," she said. "I found Maths in particular to be very hard and didn't get to finish the second paper so was surprised to get that. Irish and English were also tough but I found history relatively easy."
School principal Robert Dunne said he was delighted with Carla's results and those of his other students, all of whom had put in an "exceptional" performance.
Elsewhere, Jasmin Huysmans (15) from Ranelagh, said she was very excited after getting 11As.
The student, who attends Muckross Park College in Donnybrook, said she was still in shock after opening her results.
"I thought Irish would be quite hard so was surprised to get an A in that. None of the papers were easy for me except perhaps Spanish. My mum is half-Spanish and so I've spoken it at home since I was young and am fluent in it.
Her mother was "very happy" by her daughter's success, according to Jasmin. Her father meanwhile "couldn't believe I'd done so well."
Jasmin said her fellow students were also happy with their results with most having achieved better-than expected-results.
While Jasmin is hoping to go on to study medicine when she finishes school, her immediate focus was on celebrating tonight with friends at the Wesley disco.
Last night, the Teachers’ Union of Ireland advised all students who receive their Junior Cert results today to stay on and complete a Leaving Cert programme.
