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Wed 08 Aug 2007Failure rate still high in Leaving Cert maths, scienceHigh failure rates in ordinary-level maths and science are again the most striking feature of the Leaving Cert results published this morning. Close to 5,000 students have failed maths at either ordinary, higher or foundation level, making many ineligible for third-level courses.In all, 12 per cent or close to 4,000 students failed the biggest single exam in the Leaving Cert, maths at ordinary level, now taken by over 35,000 candidates. Failure rates were also high at ordinary level in chemistry (17 per cent), biology (15 per cent) and physics (10 per cent).