Madam, - I see that Adrian Boland (September 14th) thinks that girls do better than boys in secondary school because girls' brains reach their adult weight earlier than boys' brains.
There is also another explanation. The report "Young people's views about opportunities, barriers and supports to recreation and leisure", which was carried out for the National Children's Office in 2005, surveyed 2,260 young people aged 12 to 18. The report found that 43 per cent of the girls spent most of their free time doing homework and studying, compared with 29 per cent of boys. In Leaving Certificate year, 60 per cent of girls spent most of their free time studying, compared with only 28 per cent of boys. The greater amount of time which girls spend studying provides a more plausible reason as to why girls are doing better than boys in the Junior and Leaving Certificate exams.
The report also shows that at age 12, 98 per cent of girls are involved in at least one sport, but only 68 per cent are at age 18. The decline is much less marked for boys.
It might be more useful to have a debate about the best balance for young people between study and recreation, than about the weight of their brains. - Yours, etc,
ANNE-MARIE McGAURAN,
Norseman Place,
Stoneybatter,
Dublin 7.