Seventy per cent of Leaving Certificate students are dissatisfied with the current points system for gaining entry to third-level colleges, according to a study carried out for a Government commission investigating the system.
Nearly 79 per cent of the students favour continuous assessment to complement the school-leaving examination.
The study's central element was an attitude survey of 3,244 Leaving Certificate students in 64 schools around the State carried out by transition year students. The report was compiled by Ms Eilis Humphreys and Mr Gerry Jeffers of the Department of Education's Transition Year Support Team.
Some of the causes of the students' dissatisfaction were a perception that the system does not reward all students equally, rewarding some skills and knowledge while ignoring others; measures only a narrow range of educational achievement; does not select the most suitable students for particular third-level courses; and causes unnecessary stress and tension.
Many students criticised the almost total emphasis on a high-pressure, once-off terminal exam, expressing concern about "the lack of recognition for consistent hard work throughout the five or six years and a total lack of recognition for any sort of involvement in extra-curricular activities, e.g. games, music."
They said the system did not cater for weaker students, and criticised the size of the points gap between higher and lower papers. Over 64 per cent disagreed with the statement that it "rewards all students equally", with only 24 per cent agreeing.
When asked for ways to improve the system, over 89 per cent said that "certain personal qualities needed for some jobs" should be recognised.
Nearly 85 per cent thought extra points should be awarded for subjects relevant to the third-level courses being applied for. Over 84 per cent felt that "talents such as sports, music, debating and acting should be rewarded".
The report notes that one of the survey's "most disturbing findings" was that only 20.9 per cent of students believed the system developed good teaching.
More than half those surveyed (56.4 per cent) had done "grinds" within the last two years, with mathematics, languages and the sciences the most frequent subjects.
The report commented that many of the survey's findings "highlight the tensions and real clash of values between what Transition Year promotes, and what the points system seems to value. For example, Transition Year promotes maturity, independent research and learning, exploration of ideas, initiative, teamwork, skills development, the ability to make judgments about their own work and the extension of the learning environment beyond the classroom.
"It is not always clear how the Leaving Certificate and the points system build on these educational experiences. The emphasis seems to be on individual competitiveness, knowledge retention and recall."