Hard work pays off for
STUDENTS WERE FIRST TO BE MARKED ON THE NEW SYSTEM AND THE RESULTS WERE VERY GOOD, WRITES DAVID LOOBY
SEVERAL HUNDRED students collected their Junior Certificate results on Wednesday and the results were, by and large, very good with one pupil achieving ten As.
The students were the first to be marked on the new system, which came into effect for the English paper only this year. The marking system broadens the bands and is comprised of a Distinction, Higher merit, Merit, Achieved, Partially achieved and Not graded.
Mercy Secondary School Principal John Michael Porter said the vast majority of the 114 students who sat the exams were thrilled with their results.
Mr Porter said some students and teachers were thrown initially by the new way the English paper was marked. ‘Even though it’s explained at the bottom of the paper they are used to the A and B grade descriptors.
He said as the top mark in the English exam (a Distinction) is between 90 and 100 per cent, some students who previously got As having achieved a mark of 85 no longer do. ‘Under the new system we don’t know if a student got 75 or 89 per cent. It’s initially confusing but it does link in with the rest of the results that the students got.’
He said there were some extraordinarily good results this year with students getting ten A’s or 9 A’s. ‘ There will also always be a hard working cohort who worked every bit as hard as the students getting Higher Level A’s and their results are equivalent to winning the lottery. Then there are others whose capacity may have been greater and the Junior Cert is a step forward for them as well. They may have expected to do better but may not have prepared themselves enough so the results give them a chance to re-focus for their Leaving Cert.’
He said Transition Year adds another layer of maturity to students. The school carries out a contextual analysis of the results every year. Good Counsel College Deputy Principal Aidan O’Brien said 140 students sat their Junior Cert exams in June and eight achieved six or more A’s in Higher Level papers, with some achieving eight A’s. The students sat eleven exams on average. He said there was a little confusion with how the English paper was marked. ‘It’s part of the Junior Cert reform and English students have gone right through the three year cycle.’
Mr O’Brien said the achievements of the students is down to their dedication and the hard work of their teachers over three years. ‘ The boys who worked hard did very well. It’s a question of guys realising their potential. They obviously have the talent to achieve the results and they have applied themselves accordingly. Many others got lesser grades but for them these grades are just as meritorious as the higer grades some of their classmates achieved.’
The best results were in DCG and Technology, subjects which the school’s students have gone on to claim best overall Leaving Cert in during recent years.
Over 60 students at Our Lady of Lourdes secondary school collected their results on Wednesday. Principal Toni Ormond said: ‘ The results were fantastic. They were delighted this year. There was a change with the English marking system, but they did very well.’
Ms Ormond said a lot of hard work went into the exams, with most students sitting ten subjects. For the first time ever there will be three Transition Year classes at the school this year. Ms Ormonde said the Junior Cert is a good basis ahead of the Leaving Cert.
‘It spurs them on to work harder. This year there were exceptional results. They were a very good group and they worked very hard so there were plenty of happy faces when the results were collected.’
CBS Principal Pat Rossiter said 58 students sat their exams and the results were very good. ‘ They were good kids and they worked very hard.’
He queried how the English paper was marked, describing the new system as ‘nonsense’. ‘ The high merit is from 55 to 75. That’s nonsense. It’s utter rubbish as a kid doesn’t know how well he or she has done. It’s an old fashioned way of marking. I’m unhappy about it and it will take a long time for people to adjust to it.’
Deputy Principal of Kennedy College Dominic Hearne said 35 students sat the exams and the vast majority were very happy with their results. ‘ There were a lot of A’s in the practical subjects in Higher Level papers and in English,’ he said.
74 students picked up their results at Ramsgrange Community School. Acting Principal Tracey Edwards said: ‘ The results, overall, were excellent. We were very happy with our first cohort of students going through the English exam and Junior Cert cycle.’
Ms Edwards said all students will receive their complete junior certificates in December having only received their results on Wednesday.