Leaving Cert students will have to answer fewer questions on written papers
LEAVING Cert students will have to answer fewer questions in this year’s written exams.
More adjustments are being made to papers to reduce the load on candidates, who have suffered extended disruption to their education.
Students were previously advised there would be greater choice between and within questions. But new guidance on the exams and accredited grades process announces further changes.
The overall structure of the papers will remain intact, and adjustments will involve reducing the number of questions that students will be required to answer.
Duration of the exams will remain the same as set out in the timetable, allowing students more time to read the paper and answer questions.
The State Examinations Commission (SEC) will issue further subject-by-subject guidance in relation to the adjustments in the week of March 22.
The changes are announced in the ‘Guide to State Examinations and Accredited Grades for Leaving Certificate 2021’.
A new survey by iReach Insights showed 53pc students are likely to choose a mix of receiving calculated grades and sitting some exams. Only 14pc plan to sit all Leaving Cert exams.
The orals will take place in schools between March 26 and April 15. They will be held either before or after school days, during the Easter holidays, or at weekends.
They will be conducted under exam conditions by a teacher/teachers in the school or a neighbouring school or another suitably qualified teacher. They will be paid by the SEC.
Orals will be recorded electronically and recordings sent to the SEC for marking.
Due to Covid-related restrictions, practicals in construction studies and engineering are not taking place and nor is performance assessment in physical education. The marks normally allocated to these components will be reallocated to the project.
However, revised arrangements are being made for the music practical performance, which is expected to take place over Easter.
The exams start on June 9, and there will be no second opportunity to sit them for those who, for reason of illness or bereavement, are unable to take them in June.
The 63,000 Leaving Cert candidates return to school next Monday and they will have about a week, from Monday, March 8 to register their exam choices on an SEC candidate portal.
This is where they will opt in for the exams and/or to receive accredited grades and will be asked to confirm their subjects and the level at which they want to be assessed.
Accredited grades will be based on a teacher’s estimated mark for a student in respect of their likely performance in each subject, signed off by the school.
The schools’ marks will go through a process of standardisation, which will include the use of national data on performance in Junior Cert and Leaving Cert exams, but not including last year’s calculated grades results. Leaving Cert data will not include the use of the historical performance of school-by-school data, the issue which caused major controversy in 2020.
The document sets out guidance for teachers in how to arrive at a fair, estimated mark and how to separate students who have very similar attainment levels by the tiniest of fractions.
In order to avoid awarding the same percentage mark to two students, teachers may include up to two decimal places – i.e. 83.22pc, 83.33pc.
Teachers are asked to draw on a variety of evidence of student attainment – including limited assessment up to May 14. It prohibits the use of statistical or algorithmic models, such as those offered by commercial companies, and often associated with “mocks”.