FOR 61,654 JUNIOR Certificate students the wait is over today.
The 30,349 girls and 31,305 boys will receive 616,000 individual grades across 25 subjects throughout today in their schools and on the State Examinations Commission’s website.
The results will show how students fared in the new English marking system. Students in English will receive grades such as Distinction, Higher Merit and Merit as opposed to A, B, C grades.
Overall, 1.8% of higher-level students achieved distinctions, 20.2% higher merits and 59.7% merits. 15.9% achieved their pass, while 2.3% were partially achieved. 0.1% of papers were not graded.
The number of students who achieved As in Higher-level Irish dropped from 3,500 to around 3,300, but the number of As in higher-level maths rose from 11.7% to 14.1%.
As were down in higher French, German, History and Geography.
The results show that four students received top marks of 12 As. Fifty-four received 11 As and 240 got 10.
Alcohol
With teenagers due to celebrate their results across the country, parents are being encouraged to talk to their children about alcohol use.
A new report commissioned by alcohol industry body Drinkaware found that seven out of 10 parents believe their drinking habits influence their children’s attitudes towards alcohol. The Behaviour and Attitudes research, conducted with 503 parents of children between the ages of 11 and 15 from across Ireland, revealed that only three out of five parents are confident about talking to their children about alcohol, a decrease on a previous survey from 2015.
The HSE, however, says that alcohol shouldn’t be involved in any celebrations.
“Alcohol should play no part in Junior Certificate celebrations, and parents can support young people to enjoy their success by organising a celebration at home or elsewhere, or to go to age-appropriate events where alcohol will not be an option.”
Niamh Gallagher, chief executive officer of Drinkaware said:
“We receive countless phone calls and emails from parents who are unsure of how to approach the subject of alcohol with their teenagers, particularly leading up to exam results time.
“They often worry that friends have more influence on if or when their child will drink alcohol, but this just isn’t the case. Family members, in particular parents, are the single strongest influence on young people’s attitudes towards alcohol. Parents should be empowered by this and get involved in their child’s plans for results night celebrations. Now is the time to have that all-important conversation about alcohol.”
The National Association of Principals and Deputy Principals (NAPD), meanwhile, congratulated the students on their results.
“The Junior Cert is an important milestone in a child’s journey through education. It marks the transition into study for further education at third level, and greater autonomy in their subject choice and knowledge specialisation.
“Today’s new senior cycle pupils are beginning their Leaving Cert study in an exciting time: Ireland’s education system is undergoing much-needed reform. The Leaving Cert’s Class of 2017 were the first to be graded using a new 1-8 scale, which reduced the pressure of the points race and encouraged more to take up higher-level papers.”
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