By Niamh O’Meara, Associate Professor, School of Education.  

Summary points 

• The Bonus Point Initiative (BPI) significantly increased higher-level maths participation, but most students are motivated by external rewards rather than genuine interest or deep learning. 

• Teachers report major challenges, including a wider range of abilities in higher-level classes, students persisting at an unsuitable level, and concerns about declining standards. 

• The research highlights unintended consequences, calling for policy reform, better teacher support, and further investigation into barriers and grade inflation. 

Focus and Motivation 

A new report looking at the bonus point initiative for mathematics at Leaving Certificate was recently launched. The report was written by EPISTEM’s and School of Education’s Associate Professor Niamh O’Meara, along with Dr Páraic Treacy (MIC) and Dr Mark Prendergast (UCC). The report examines the Bonus Point Initiative [BPI] from the perspective of both students and teachers as well as discussing the impact that it has had on the uptake of higher level mathematics and students’ mathematical ability. 

Increasing participation in higher level mathematics at Senior Cycle has been a key aim for Irish policymakers over the past 15 years. In 2012, the BPI was introduced with the aim of increasing the uptake of higher level mathematics among Senior Cycle students and with the long term goal of improving students’ mathematical capabilities. The BPI means that students who opt to study higher level mathematics and who obtain a score greater than or equal to 40% in their Leaving Certificate mathematics examination are awarded an additional 25 ‘bonus’ points. Mathematics is the only subject for which bonus points are currently available, thus giving the subject a special status in our education system. The initiative has led to a 130% increase in the number of Irish students studying higher level mathematics since it was first introduced. Despite assurances that the BPI would initially be rolled out on a four-year trial basis, it has now been in place for fourteen years with no formal evaluation of the initiative conducted. This was what motivated us to undertake this research project which ran from 2018 to 2024 and involved three related studies.  

The first of these studies investigated teachers’ perceptions of the BPI and its impact on the profile of student in higher level mathematics classrooms. A stratified sample of 400 schools was selected and a survey was sent to the Head of Mathematics in each of the 400 schools and they were asked to distribute them to Senior Cycle higher level mathematics teachers in April 2018.In total 266 Senior Cycle higher level mathematics teachers, across 176 schools responded. The second study investigated the impact of the BPI on students’ motivations to pursue higher level mathematics. A survey designed and validated for use in Queensland, Australia (where bonus points for mathematics are also available) was adapted for use in this study. In total, two surveys were designed, one for those studying higher level mathematics and one for those studying ordinary level mathematics, with both surveys being identical in structure and the only difference across the two being in relation to the wording and phrasing of questions. The survey was distributed to students in 10 schools between October and December 2019 with 1,702 students  participating (911 higher level students and 791 ordinary level students). Finally, the third study investigated the impact of the BPI on students’ performance in the subject. For this study, we analysed data sourced from the State Examination Commission website (www.examinations.ie). The final mathematics grades of all higher and ordinary level students in the years 2008 to 2024 were analysed . In this period, there were 667,687 students who completed their mathematics Leaving Certificate examination at either higher or ordinary level. The time period (2008-2024) was chosen in order to observe trends before and after the introduction of the revised Senior Cycle mathematics curriculum and the BPI – both of which came into effect for those completing their Leaving Certificate examinations in 2012. 

Main Findings and/or Contribution 

The report discussed a number of key findings from this research study and these were categorised into four main themes.  

1. Students’ motivations for studying higher level mathematics  

When the student data was considered we found that the availability of 25 bonus points appears to have been a key reason for the 130% increase in the proportion of students completing higher level mathematics at Senior Cycle between 2011 and 2024. In our study, 68.4% of higher level students indicated that the BPI was the most influential factor in their decision to opt for higher level mathematics. This indicates that the key motivating factors for most students to study mathematics are extrinsic in nature. An external reward such as bonus points may lead more students to engage in higher level mathematics, however, this may not provide sufficient or lasting motivation to engage effectively in deep learning of the subject and may lead many to focus on just doing enough to achieve a passing grade to gain the reward of bonus points. 

2. Student Profile 

The bonus points initiative has resulted in the profile of students in a typical higher level Senior Cycle mathematics cohort changing significantly. Only 3% of teachers surveyed reported that the BPI had no impact on the student profile in their classroom. Instead, the most common change to profile reported by teachers was that the BPI resulted in some students not suited to higher level mathematics now persevering with it, often to their own detriment.  This led many teachers to conclude that “Students are hanging on at higher level to gain bonus points. A lot of students now have the attitude ‘40% will do’” (Teacher 383) and this is presenting additional challenges to teachers. 

3. Additional challenges for mathematics teachers 

The BPI has led to teachers of higher level Senior Cycle mathematics experiencing significant challenges in relation to catering for widening ranges of achievement in their classrooms. An increasing number of their students require extra support leading to a reduction in the pace of learning and greater demands on teachers’ time and energy. Teachers have also expressed concerns that opportunities to engage in more challenging material are limited and, as a result, worry that their higher attaining students may not be challenged sufficiently. Such concerns were also reflected in the fact that only 18.9% of teachers believed that the BPI has raised the standard of mathematics and only 20.9% of teachers stated a desire for the BPI to be maintained in its current format.  

4. Impact of BPI on student attainment  

The standards linked to grades awarded upon completion of Senior Cycle Higher Level mathematics appear to have declined in the past 15 years. Like many of their international counterparts, the education system in Ireland adopts a policy of ‘attainment referencing’ which typically maintains the proportion of students achieving the given grade levels in subject from year to year. With the significant growth and transformation in a typical higher level Senior Cycle mathematics cohort as a result of the BPI, maintaining relatively similar grade attainment levels has led to a greater number of students achieving grades at the upper end when compared to previous cohorts. Therefore, it has become less of a challenge to achieve these higher grades and, thus, standards in mathematics appear to have declined as a result. 

These findings indicate that while measures such as the BPI appear to work well on the surface, they need to be adopted with care and consideration for the broad range of consequences, both intended and unintended, that they may have on a variety of stakeholders. 

Implications and Future Directions 

This research project is of interest to policy makers and all other stakeholders in Irish education. The findings outlined in the report offer evidence and insights confirming the success of the BPI, and in addition, address issues that have arisen because of this important far-reaching initiative. This is an important contribution to the ongoing debate concerning incentivising participation in higher level across a range of subject disciplines. Based on the findings of this project the following  set of recommendations were devised: 

1. Policy makers should re-assess the nature of bonus points to reduce the incentive to aim for a low passing grade. Many teachers in the study suggested that going forward bonus points should be awarded on a scale which is dependent on the grade achieved and this is something we fully endorse.  

2. In light of the changing profile of higher level mathematics classes, professional development providers, supported by the Department of Education and Youth, should provide continuous professional development for post-primary mathematics teachers to enhance their skills in differentiated instruction and supporting struggling students. 

3. The State Examinations Commission (SEC) should review the grades awarded in Higher Level Senior Cycle mathematics to establish the level of grade inflation and the impact this has on Higher Education as well as the overall standards of post-primary mathematics. 

Finally, going forward we believe that further research is required to establish the breadth and impact of barriers to studying mathematics at higher level in post-primary schools, including gender differences and mathematics anxiety. Only when such barriers are identified and analysed will we be in a position to address them effectively and to establish ways to intrinsically motivate students to seek out the challenge associated with higher level mathematics. Furthermore, research on the impact of grade inflation, which was identified in this study, on stakeholders in Higher Education should be conducted in order to gauge the downstream and long-term impacts. 

Improving the overall achievement of upper post-primary level students in mathematics in any education system is a significant task which has no easy solution. It is a multifaceted challenge which is fraught with a range of barriers. Exploring methods for incentivising the study of advanced mathematics such as the BPI is understandable but warrants a cautious approach. The findings of this research study provide insights into the potential pitfalls inherent in such an endeavour and the lessons which can be learned in this context. 

Want to know more?  

For further information on this research project please see the following publications:  

Treacy, P., Prendergast, M., & O’Meara, N. (2025). Bonus Territory: The shifting landscape of higher level Senior Cycle mathematics (2010-2024). Limerick: EPISTEM. https://epistem.ie/wp-content/uploads/2025/06/BPI-National-Report-Final-PDF.pdf  

O’Meara, N., Jennings, M., Prendergast, M., & Treacy, P. (2025). Incentivising the study of advanced mathematics: A comparative analysis of Ireland and Queensland. Issues in Educational Research, 35(3), 1054-1077. https://hdl.handle.net/10344/31356  

Treacy, P., O’Meara, N., & Prendergast, M. (2024). The role of expectancy-value theory in upper-secondary level students’ decisions to avoid the study of advanced mathematics. Irish Educational Studies, 43(4), 1175-1188. https://doi.org/10.1080/03323315.2023.2200420  

O’Meara, N., Prendergast, M., & Treacy, P. (2020). What’s the point?: Impact of Ireland’s bonus points initiative on student profile in mathematics classrooms. Issues in Educational Research, 30(4), 1418-1441. https://hdl.handle.net/10468/11319  

Prendergast, M., O’Meara, N., & Treacy, P. (2020). Is there a point? Teachers’ perceptions of a policy incentivizing the study of advanced mathematics. Journal of Curriculum Studies, 52(6), 752-769. https://doi.org/10.1080/00220272.2020.1790666  

Treacy, P., Prendergast, M., & O’Meara, N. (2020). A “new normal”: Teachers’ experiences of the day-to-day impact of incentivising the study of advanced mathematics. Research in Mathematics Education, 22(3), 233-248. https://doi.org/10.1080/14794802.2019.1668832  

Media reports on the research project: 

RTE: https://www.rte.ie/news/2025/0516/1513272-bonus-points-maths/ 

Irish Times: https://www.irishtimes.com/ireland/education/2025/05/16/bonus-points-for-leaving-cert-higher-level-maths-appear-to-be-causing-decline-in-standards/  

Irish Examiner: https://www.irishexaminer.com/news/arid-41633530.html