Just under 2,000 of the 55,000 students who will receive their Junior Certificate results today failed maths, according to data released by the State Exams Office.
This represents 3.6 per cent of all those who sat the exam, up from the 2.8 per cent who failed the exam last year. The failure rate was particularly high in ordinary level maths where 7 per cent of those who sat the exam failed.
The number of students gaining honours in the subject has also fallen and is down 7 per cent, from 80 per cent last year to 73 per cent.
A number of ordinary-level language subjects also showed high failure rates with 15 per cent of students failing Italian, 8.5 per cent failing German, 10 per cent failing technical graphics and 6 per cent failing Irish.
However the numbers gaining honours in Irish was marginally ahead on last year at 81 per cent. In English some 77 per cent of students achieved an honour.
Some subjects received high honours rates. Some 80 per cent of students sitting religious education received an honour while over 85 per cent gained an honour in civic, social and political education securing.
Students can get their results from the internet from 4 p.m. today at www.examinations.ie. The State Examinations Commission handles appeals over examination results.
An appeal must be made through the candidate's school before October 1 stthis year. An appeal requires a fee of € 30 per subject. In the event that an appeal is upheld this fee is refunded. Last year over 1,650 students appealed with 530 being upheld.