The difficulty level of the Leaving Certificate higher-level mathematics exam has sparked controversy and led to complaints from students and educators. Some students even reported being reduced to tears by the challenging questions. A former maths teacher, who is now a principal, expressed their disappointment by sending a “shame on you” message to the State Examinations Commission (SEC).
This year, there has been a significant decrease in the number of H1 grades awarded in mathematics. This can be attributed to the ongoing impact of COVID-19 on grading norms and the resulting fluctuation in students’ performance.
In response to the criticism, the SEC stated that commenting on and discussing the exams is a regular part of the evaluation process. They acknowledged the media coverage regarding the difficulty of Paper 1 but also highlighted that some perspectives emphasized the reasonable level of challenge for a higher-level mathematics exam.
The SEC reassured the public that they thoroughly analyzed the candidates’ responses during the marking process. They adjusted the marking scheme to accommodate leniency, ensuring fairness in the evaluation. After careful consideration of the evidence, the SEC concluded that there was no systemic issue with the difficulty level of the higher-level mathematics exam this year.
While acknowledging the feedback on the perceived difficulty, the SEC emphasized that their decisions were based on objective evidence, including the quality of engagement and answering in the candidates’ scripts and the expert opinions of the senior examining team.
It’s important to note that due to the adjustments made as a result of the pandemic, the results of all subjects, including mathematics, cannot be compared to previous years.
Denial of responsibility! VigourTimes is an automatic aggregator of Global media. In each content, the hyperlink to the primary source is specified. All trademarks belong to their rightful owners, and all materials to their authors. For any complaint, please reach us at – [email protected]. We will take necessary action within 24 hours.
