Bonus points for higher-level mathematics

Chapter 3 highlighted both the steady increase in the take-up of higher-level mathematics over time and a more dramatic increase in 2017, following the introduction of the new grading scheme. The STEM Education Review Group (2016) highlighted the particularly strong rise in higher-level mathematics take-up following the introduction in 2012 of 25 bonus points for achieving at least 40 per cent in this subject. While 16 per cent of students took higher-level mathematics in 2011, this increased to 28 per cent in 2016. The review group attributed much of this increase to the incentive of additional points, alongside the introduction of project mathematics.

The issue of bonus points proved to be a strong priority in the student focus groups, and many students automatically connected the changes in the grading bands with the bonus points topic. The awarding of points for achieving 30 to 40 per cent at higher level was often linked with the particular incentives that arose in the case of mathematics, in the event that were successful in achieving over 40 per cent. Some students expressed the opinion that it is unfair to solely incentivise mathematics:

Like, if you’re not gifted in maths, like, that’s it’s not fair. It’s not really

your fault if you’re not good at maths (Bandon, FG).

Why is it only maths? Like, why is the emphasis on that? I just don’t, I

was really disgusted by that to be honest (Bandon, FG).

Some students felt that solely incentivising mathematics immediately places a large cohort of students at a disadvantage:

I’m not too sure about the 25 points for the maths, because like surely there’d be a better way to influence people to do it, because like it obviously is like influencing people to do it but it’s just kind of giving

people that aren’t doing it disadvantage (Corrib, FG).

I don’t think it's fair on people who physically can’t do higher level and are working really hard to do ordinary level and yet we come out with

In contrast, some students felt that incentivising higher-level mathematics is fair, as mathematics involves a lot of work, compared to other subjects:

I think it’s fair because there is a lot of work in higher … it is so much

work (Tolka, FG).

If you want to do higher-level maths you have to really work at it. Even if you are naturally logically minded and even if you’re really good at that sort of stuff, you could still fail higher-level maths. You have to really work at it.

Staff members also reported conflicting opinions around incentivising higher-level mathematics. Some staff members were of the opinion that allocating extra points for mathematics is fair with regard to the workload associated with the subject:

The amount of work that’s in it … If they didn’t have the bonus points you’d have to really kind of think is it worth my while putting so much effort into one subject … I think the bonus points are a good idea, yeah

(Finn, Teacher).

It’s an option to take now, whereas I don’t think it was an option before. You were, you know, the honours or the ordinary candidate

and that was it … I’m a bit of a fan of it really (Bann, Teacher).

Some staff felt that incentivising mathematics alone is unfair to those students who have difficulties with the subject:

Why should maths be held above anything else? ... It’s unfair then as well on students who just naturally aren’t mathematical, they have no

opportunity to get bonus points for something they’re good at

(Corrib, Teacher).

The shift towards higher-level mathematics has also seen an increase in the proportions achieving less than 40 per cent – the numbers failing higher-level mathematics each year more than doubled from 2.3 per cent in 2012 to 5.2 per cent in 2015 (SEC). In this context, the STEM Education Review Group (2016) raise concerns about the mathematical under-preparedness of students entering HE and about the lack of basic skills of some students sitting the higher-level paper (p. 8). They suggest that the mathematics qualifications of second-level teachers play a role in this. Concerns about the mathematics competencies of HE entrants have also led to the development of Mathematics Learner Support (MLS) provisions and the establishment of Mathematics Learning Centres that help students to make the transition to HE (O’Sullivan et al., 2014).

Chapter 4| 43 Both staff members and students reported a pressure among students to remain in

higher level, especially mathematics, as a result of the bonus points. Staff reported a concern for those students remaining in higher level who struggle with the work:

It’s difficult to persuade a student that they might not be able to do the higher level because they see the 30 per cent as a pass. They’ll make the 30 per cent but actually are they higher-level standard? Are they putting so much time into the maths to get that 30 that their

other subjects are losing out? (Bann, Principal).

Because of the extra 25 points you have a lot of students who are in the class who are not able, perhaps, for the level that they’re at. Because that’s the carrot for them, gaining the extra 25 points despite

the fact that they mightn’t be able (Slaney, Teacher).

Many students identified the bonus points for mathematics as the only incentive to remain in higher level:

It’s all down to the points race at the end of the day. Twenty-five

points, it’s the difference between course or no course (Lee, FG).

If it wasn’t for them [the points], I wouldn’t be doing higher maths

(Finn, FG).

Like maths, if you do really badly, you still get extra 25 points, so you end up getting, let’s say, the C-level in another subject if you even get that. So, you get like whatever 40 per cent in maths and you’re still

getting the equivalent of an H4 (Bann, FG).