‘To do the exams would have been unfair at this stage’
WEXFORD STUDENTS REACT TO THE CANCELLATION OF THIS YEAR’S LEAVING CERT
‘INITIALLY, I didn’t believe it. There was so much media speculation lately about whether the Leaving was to go ahead or not so it’s hard to believe anything. We were led to believe our exams could not and would not be cancelled so it was definitely a shock to find out that this wouldn’t be the case.’
Jessica Sludds Byrne was one of the 61,000 students whose world was turned upside down last Thursday night with the announcement that this year’s Leaving Cert would not be going ahead.
A student at the Presentation Secondary School in Wexford town, she had been preparing to sit her exams on July 29, studying and working from home, adhering to the advice handed down by the Department of Education.
And she says this late decision to switch to ‘calculated grades’ has, in many ways, added to the fear and uncertainty being felt by students.
‘Whether you’re a H1 student or find it hard to pass your subjects, this decision will ultimately put you on a path to the rest of your life and it’s scary to be told all of a sudden, it’s not down to us anymore.’
Despite this, Jessica believes the decision to cancel the exams was the right one and has every confidence in the new system of grading.
‘I do believe grades will be predicted fairly. To do the exams would have been unfair at this stage,’ she says.
‘Obviously many students will argue they would’ve worked a lot harder in class time if they knew they were to be judged on their performance over the years, but at the same time, for the people who were terrified at the thought of burning out after working so hard for the duration of secondary school and being asked to work for an extended period of time, this is a huge lifeline.’
Furthermore, Jessica says the lockdown has affected some students more than others.
‘I’ve spent the last few weeks doing schoolwork from my phone which is exhausting. Some students may have been completely cut off from their teachers since the beginning of this pandemic,’ she says.
‘The exams would’ve led to an unfair disadvantage to many students who did not have access to the appropriate resources to carry out their studies.’
With her sights set on studying Human Health and Disease in Trinity College, Dublin, Jessica now faces an anxious wait to discover if she’ll receive the points required to get her number one choice.
But having reflected upon the government’s decision, she feels the new grading system won’t adversely affect her chances.
‘After thinking about it, I’ve realised I was putting myself under immense pressure; sitting at a desk from 9 a.m. until 9 p.m. at night between school work and study and expecting to be able to do this until the end of July.
‘At the moment, I’m unsure whether I will be better or worse off points wise but I known my mental health will greatly improve based on this decision. I’m confident and proud of my performance in class work and I believe my teachers will reflect on this fairly when grading.’
Simun Cakic is a Sixth Year student at Selskar College and although he expressed relief that a decision had finally been made, he has some reservations about the new method of assessment.
‘I’m not sure if it will be fair, reading about the system it raised some questions for me,’ he says. ‘By using the bell curve and adjusted grades, distributing grades rather than letting them take place naturally, I wonder if it might sacrifice individual students results for the national statistics.’
Aiming to study Physics and Mathematics in Maynooth University, Simun is nevertheless ‘relaxed’ about his prospects, a strong performance in the mock exams earlier this year placing him in good stead.
However, he is sympathetic towards those tasked with assigning grades for expectant students.
‘There will be pressure on the teachers. They are known in their communities. Whereas ordinarily if someone does poorly in their exams you can blame a marker who you might never see, now a parent can see a teacher in a shop and ask them why their child didn’t do well. I sympathise with the teachers, and I do think they will mark us fairly,’ Simun says.
Admitting that it does feel like much of the work done over the past weeks has gone to waste, Simun says he will continue to study throughout the summer in preparation for his third-level course. Yet that also comes with a degree of uncertainty.
‘I’ve been looking at on campus accommodation in Maynooth but the site isn’t open at the moment. There’s going to be a massive rush for places to live when it does eventually open.’
Last Friday’s announcement may have eased the pressure on students and brought an end to months of speculation, but Jessica says lessons need to be learned from this, not least by those reporting the news.
‘So many of us are exhausted by the way the media has reacted to this. I personally can’t get away from the posts on social media about the Leaving Cert. The media has given too much attention to rumours and speculations when this country has been wrecked by deaths lately,’ she says.
‘Students may be worried about losing a loved one and the way the media has represented the Leaving Cert gives a lot of disregard to students who may be struggling to face the reality of the current situation.’
And when it came to making the final call, the Presentation student believes one cohort of people should have been spoken to before anyone else.
‘Teachers should have been consulted first as nobody really knows us like our teachers. From the student perspective, we know our teachers want what’s best for us so it’s terrifying when it comes down to politicians who want what’s best for the country as a whole, and not ourselves personally, end up making all the decisions.’
‘THIS DECISION WILL ULTIMATELY PUT YOU ON A PATH TO THE REST OF YOUR LIFE, IT’S SCARY TO BE TOLD IT’S NOT DOWN TO US ANYMORE.’