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Ireland launches new points scale for entry into universities

Xinhua, September 4, 2015 Adjust font size:

Ireland on Thursday launched a new points scale, which will be used for entry into higher education from 2017.

The reform measures include a new grading scheme for the university entrance examination, reducing the number of grades from the current 14 to eight.

Under the new scale, the grades ranging from A1/A2 to F/NG are removed, and replaced with a numerical table for higher and ordinary level. It continues to award bonus points for higher level maths.

Ireland's Education Minister Jan O' Sullivan said these reforms will help to reduce the pressure on students at exam time and enable them to have a broader and more-rounded learning experience in their high school level.

"The new scale has been designed to minimize random selection for third level entry, which can be a source of huge frustration for students and their families," she said.

"It will also reward students who aim higher, both where they take the risk of sitting a higher level paper and for succeeding in those papers to a high standard," she added. Endit