From ‘wonderful’ to ‘disappointing’, readers respond to Leaving Cert changes

Upcoming changes to the Leaving Cert are "probably the most student centred reform we have had in generations", Minister for Education Norma Foley said on Wednesday.

“We know that it is not acceptable that 100 per cent of the exam is on one given day in June,” she said .

Changes to the Leaving Cert will include spreading exams out in a bid to reduce student stress levels around the traditional final written exams.

Over time, it is planned that 60 per cent of marks for all Leaving Cert subjects will be based on written exams and 40 per cent on assessment components such as project work, orals or practicals.

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Ms Foley is keen to press ahead with reforms as soon as possible, which would see students entering senior cycle in September 2023 sitting paper one in English and Irish at the end of fifth year.

The aim of senior cycle reform was to empower students and enrich their learning but also to “finally embed wellbeing and reduce stress”, she said. Ms Foley said she anticipates mixed feedback following the announcement.

Fiona Gleeson from Co Dublin told The Irish Times the reforms were "a wonderful idea".

“Too many students do not succeed well with written examinations. This seems to be a fairer way,” she said, in response to a call-out for opinions on the subject on The Irish Times website.

Robert Chaney described the changes as "underwhelming".

There was “no attempt to look at the quantity of content required or subjects studied”, he said.

“Presumably, Maths, English and Irish will remain compulsory? This is not reform. This is tinkering. And, meanwhile, the real problem – the CAO – remains untouched. Disappointing,” Mr Chaney said.

Elaine Ní Shealbhaig, from Dublin, said while many teachers supported continuous assessment, the grades “must be awarded externally if the integrity of the grade is to be preserved”.

External grading is currently the case with many Leaving Cert projects.

"Reform is needed and I doubt you would find anyone in educational circles who would argue otherwise," Michael Browne said. "But there are echoes of Junior Cycle here – all style and no substance."

“It seems that no one in the department has neither the desire nor the gumption to point out the elephant in the room – the CAO. Teacher-based assessments, projects, reduced-weight exams will be nothing but cosmetic unless the negative impact of the CAO is tackled,” he said.

Dominic Murray from Dublin was concerned about "destroying the one thing that puts our education system near the top of global rankings".

Instead, a system that “runs alongside the Leaving Cert and allows students who are not academic to learn and be assessed in a way that is more appropriate” should be developed, he said.

Mr Murray added that Ireland’s “obsession with the Leaving Cert is probably unhealthy”.

“Not everyone is academic, so we shouldn’t assess everyone as if they are.”