More Leaving Cert students upgraded

RECORD numbers of Leaving Certificate students have had their marks upgraded, according to figures published by the Department of Education.

This year, 880 students, or 9.1 per cent of those who applied for a recheck, were successful. This compared to 7 per cent last year and 8 per cent in 1994.

There has also been a substantial rise in the number of students applying for a recheck, from 7,580 last year to 9,718 in 1996 - an increase of 28 per cent. This follows the controversy about the marking of last year's Leaving Cert art exam, when art work submitted by 50 students went missing. The results in last year's English exam were also queried by a Dundalk school which claimed its students did not do as well as expected.

The highest success rate in rechecks was in the business subjects - economics (where 13.6 per cent of students received an upgrade), business organisation (11.6 per cent) and accounting (11.3 per cent).

However, high success rates were also recorded in the main subjects. In maths, 44 out of 396 students - or 11 per cent - were upgraded. In English, the proportion was 10.8 per cent and in geography, it was 10.9 per cent.

In contrast, 5.3 per cent of applicants in history were upgradedand just six out of 551 students in Irish - 1.1 per cent - were successful.

In art, which was the subject of so much controversy last year, almost 7 per cent of all students asked for their work to be rechecked, 9 per cent of whom were successful.

The assistant general secretary of the ASTI said the figures should be looked at in the context of the overall numbers taking each subject. Thus, he said, less than 1 per cent of students in English had had their papers upgraded. "It shows the exam system is as reliable as can be."

The results of this year's rechecks were issued to schools yesterday, more than a week earlier than in previous years. Each application costs the student £25 a subject.

The upgrades may mean students have the CAO points for a new third level course.