A-level results: Northern Ireland pass rate rises as more girls take STEM subjects

Students in Northern Ireland received their A-level results on Thursday

Northern Ireland's A-level students have achieved a lower percentage of A to A* grades this year compared to 2014, but the overall pass rate has risen.

More than 25,000 received their A-level and AS-level results on Thursday.

Students in Northern Ireland have again outperformed their counterparts in England and Wales.

In the full A-level, 29.3% of students achieved A or A* grades, a drop on last year's 29.9%.

The overall pass rate in Northern Ireland this year is up by 0.1%, with 98.2% of students achieving grades A* to E.

Notable

Girls have continued to outperform boys in gaining A* grades, but the gap is closing.

The number of girls taking so-called STEM subjects - science, technology, engineering and mathematics - at A-level has seen a notable increase.

Girls continue to outperform boys in gaining A* grades, but the gap is closing

There was a significant rise of 8.6% in the number of students taking A-levels in mathematics, with 10.6% more entries from girls.

It is now the most popular subject, accounting for one in 10 A-level entries.

Biology, religious studies, history and English complete the list of the top five most popular subjects.

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Justin Edwards, the chief executive of the Council for the Curriculum, Examinations and Assessment (CCEA), the Northern Ireland awarding body, said the growth in students choosing to study mathematics was encouraging.

"Mathematics provides access to a wide range of educational pathways and careers," he said.

The number of students taking A-levels in mathematics rose by 8.6%

"While entries in this subject have grown across all three countries, in Northern Ireland that growth has been notably strong."

Options

There are many options available for students, according to Christine Kelly of the Careers Advice Service.

"Some young people may decide university is not for them and they might want to take a gap year or defer for a year," she said.

"There are also lots of other options in further education colleges; HNCs, HNDs, foundation degrees, BTEC Nationals and apprenticeships.

"Some employers offer school leavers' programmes, so there is a multitude of options out there."

Education Minister John O'Dowd said STEM subjects were in demand by employers and he welcomed their increased uptake by female students.

"Seeing the relevance of course choices for the future is vital in keeping young people engaged and motivated to achieve," he said.

Employment and Learning Minister Stephen Farry said his department's careers service was available to offer guidance at "this milestone (that) often presents a crossroads in a young person's career development".

CCEA has set up an examinations helpline that offers advice and guidance for students who have received results.

Fergal McFerran, the president of the National Union of Students and Union of Students in Ireland, called on university tuition fees to be scrapped so more students could access higher education.

"Tuition fees can be a barrier to participation in higher education in Northern Ireland," he said.

"I believe that it is to the benefit of our society as a whole as well as to the economy here if we were to move to a fairer system, away from tuition fees."