Every year thousands of Leaving Cert students and their parents ask the same question: stay at Higher Level maths, or drop to Ordinary? Here are the numbers that matter.
The 25 bonus points
Higher Level maths carries 25 bonus CAO points, awarded for a H6 or better, which means 40% or more. A H6 is worth 46 points, or 71 with the bonus. A H1 is worth 125 with the bonus. A H7 gets no bonus at all.
That is why a H6 at Higher Level beats the top grade at Ordinary.
Far more students sit Higher Level now
In 2011, before the bonus points came in, about one in six maths candidates sat Higher Level (15.8%). By 2026 it was almost 41%, around two in five. More than 64,000 students sat Leaving Cert maths in 2026 across all three levels.
The 2026 results
8.1% of Higher Level students got a H1 in 2026, down from 11% in 2025. A tougher year at the top end is one more reason to aim for a solid grade rather than gamble on a high one.
About 2,000 a year drop down
Roughly 2,000 students a year register for Higher Level maths and sit Ordinary instead. In 2015, 33.7% of maths candidates registered for Higher but only about 31.7% sat it. Most of those decisions come in the last few months before the exam.
Dropping is sometimes the right call: if Higher Level is costing marks in other subjects, a strong Ordinary result can be worth more overall. But it is usually a problem that can be fixed earlier, with time to spare.
The full figures and the grade table: https://www.mathz.ie/leaving-cert-maths-grinds
Common questions about grinds and levels: https://www.mathz.ie/faq