The official response
1. "I would ask that the matter be fully investigated in order to establish the facts and that you would take steps to ensure that such a situation will not recur again in any subject or programme offered by the school."
Eamonn Stack, chief inspector at the Department of Education, to Pat Gilmore, former principal of Dunmore Community School - September 2007.
2. "A fundamental principle underpinning the operation of the State examinations is that the commission must apply marking schemes uniformly to the work of all candidates . . . Accordingly, I regret that the commission cannot implement a different marking scheme for Emily or the other ordinary level English candidates in question in her school."
Letter from director of operations of the State Exams Commission (SEC) Aidan Farrell to the Straeter family - October 2007.
3. "While it is regrettable in the extreme that this incident occurred, it must be acknowledged that human error is part of the human condition and when it happens, it must be dealt with while not condoning it."
Dunmore Community School report on the matter presented to the board of management - November 2007.
4. "The position is that complaints about matters relating to any school should be directed in the first instance to the chairperson of the board of management of that school.
Letter from the chief inspector at the Department of Education and Science, Eamonn Stack, to Catherine Straeter - December 2007.