There is no good reason not to sit your Leaving

Leaving Cert students have finally received clarity and choice about the assessment arrangements for this year.

Every candidate will be issued with accredited grades. Teachers will award marks for all students in all subjects, which will go through a process of national standardisation leading to accredited grades. Students who also wish to take the exams in June, in one or all subjects, may do so.

I cannot think of any reason why a candidate would choose not to take the exams. There may be some personal or health reason or other particular circumstances why an individual might decide to take the accredited grades only. However, doing the exams gives candidates the best of both worlds. A student cannot not lose — if the exam result in any subject differs from the accredited grade they will automatically be awarded the higher of the two.

If a student chooses not to take the exams they would need to be quite certain that the grade they will receive from the teacher will be the best mark they could possibly achieve. Teachers have argued that they have less assessment data available to them in making this decision than they would have had in previous years. So, while teachers are absolutely capable of assigning grades, and they do know their student’s academic ability intimately, there is always room for error. Teachers’ estimates may also change in the standardisation process.

I think everyone in Ireland is aware of a young person who didn’t really get going in their Leaving Cert preparations until the ‘mocks’, but got stuck into their work at that point and came away with an excellent Leaving Cert in the end. This is not unusual and the advice I give to all my sixth-years is that it is never too late to start. Every time you study a topic for 20 minutes, it could become an extra couple of percentages if it comes up on the paper. Even if you don’t get the course finished, these 20-minute slots and the percentages they might turn into will all add up to a strong result.

There may be students regretting they didn’t settle down to work earlier and fearing that their teacher doesn’t know their potential. It is not too late! Working along with the teacher from now will give those students the chance to prove their full potential and ability as well as prepare for the exam.

There is no risk for a student who takes the exams. They should be seen as the normal Leaving Cert, where each student has every possibility to achieve a high grade. The accredited grade can be viewed as a safety net.

Even if a student did not finish the course due to school closures, if they have a bad day, if they are ill during the exams, they will not receive a lower mark than the teacher has indicated. They may, however, do better than the teacher expected.

A win-win situation for those who choose to hang in there a little longer and give the exams a go.