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»»Junior Cert stars earn 12 a1s in Higher papers »»More than 60,000 students get results today

FOUR brainy Junior Cert students scored an amazing 12 A1s in Higher Level papers.

And 54 pupils received an incredible 11 As or 10 As in tougher papers. More than 60,000 Junior cycle students nationwide will receive their eagerlyawaited results today, nearly three months after they finished their exams. The pupils will gather at schools, colleges and other centres to pick up the fateful envelope and find out how they performed. Teachers Union of Ireland president Joanne Irwin has congratulated the pupils on a job well done. She said: “All students receiving their results should be proud of their achievements today, and teachers should take credit for delivering a quality education at a time of funding cuts and the curtailment of supports for students. “We would also like to pay particular tribute to parents and guardians for their unwavering support in what can be a stressful time. “Junior Cert students fared far better in higher level maths this year with 4,909 (14.1%) getting an A compared to 3,841 (11.7%) last year. Despite the improved performance at the upper-level, ordinary level maths pupils did slightly worse than their contemporaries last year with just 1,461 achieving an A compared to 1,807 in 2016. Meanwhile, there was a slight drop-off in the overall results attained in higher level Irish, while the marking system for English has been changed, Ms Irwin explained. She said: “The results for Junior Cycle English are based on a new subject specification and assessment and grading system and we commend students and teachers on their dedication throughout the transition process. “In this regard, the high number of students taking the higher level option is encouraging. Along with other education partners, TUI representatives will continue to analyse English and other subject areas to see what – if any – adjustments may need to be made in the future.” Meanwhile, Ms Irwin encouraged every student to complete their Leaving Cert. She said: “For a variety of educational, economic, social and even health reasons, every student should continue to senior cycle to complete one of the options. “In this regard, no two learners are the same and access to alternative options such as Leaving Certificate Vocational and the Leaving Certificate Applied programmes should continue to be provided and, where possible, expanded.” Ms Irwin also said it is regrettable guidance counselling provision in schools has not been fully restored to its pre-cut levels and issued some advice on the inevitable celebrations tonight. She said: “They should do so responsibly and not put the wellbeing of themselves or others at risk.”