asked the Minister for Education, in view of recently published statistics which indicate that (a) only 3 per cent of Irish students get As in the Leaving Certificate as most western democracies give As to the top 10 per cent (b) five times as many As are awarded in the North as in the South of Ireland (c) in music only 0.3 and 2.7 per cent of students got As and Bs respectively in 1987-88 in the South of Ireland compared to 12.9 per cent and 17.4 per cent in the North of Ireland and (d) in mathematics 5 per cent got As in the South of Ireland compared to 13.2 per cent in the North of Ireland, if Irish marking policies are being reviewed in order to standardise examination grading with European countries.
Written Answers. - Standardisation of Examination Grading.
123.
In deciding on what would be the most suitable grading system in our circumstances a variety of factors must be taken into account and the choice of system is not as simple a matter as some commentators would suggest. As the present grading system has now been in use for some 20 years, however, it is considered opportune with the advent of computerisation to review the system in consultation with interested parties.