1.1% of Leaving Cert examiners were not qualified teachers

Just over 1 per cent of examiners who corrected Leaving Certificate papers this year were either not teachers or were student teachers, according to provisional data released by the State Examinations Commission (SEC).

Of the 1,652 examiners who corrected papers, 1 per cent of those were student teachers completing post-graduate masters in education while 0.1 per cent were “eligible non-teachers”.

The State Examinations Commission said examiners in this category have a qualification in the relevant subject but do not have a teaching qualification.

Prioritise

The commission said it prioritises qualified teachers to correct exams but every year there are a “small proportion” of examiners who are not qualified teachers.

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Between 2014 and 2017, student teachers and “non-teachers” made up less than 1 per cent of Leaving Cert examiners.

The commission said a range of measures are in place to assure “rigorous standard-setting and high quality” in the marking of examinations. This includes detailed training, with all work monitored by experienced and senior members of the examining team.

“The SEC takes corrective action in any case where an examiner’s work falls below the required standard,” it said.