The Minister for Education has pulled back on his radical proposal to let every Leaving Certificate student see their marked papers by excluding subjects with an oral or practical element for this year only.
The original plan, outlined by Mr Martin last month, was for all marked examination papers to be returned to the schools after the results are announced on August 19th so candidates can see them before the appeals deadline on September 10th.
Now papers in 11 of the 30 subjects will not be available to students in this way. These are Irish, French, German, Spanish, Italian, agricultural science, agricultural economics, art, construction studies, music and engineering.
A Department of Education circular, sent out yesterday, said there would be no pre-appeal viewing of papers in these subjects; nor would the marks for their oral or practical components be provided separately.
Mr Martin said yesterday he was responding to concerns expressed by the teacher unions that some oral and practical examiners might be known to the students they have examined. The ASTI was particularly concerned that this year the examiners had conducted such exams without knowing the marks would be made available to students.
However, he emphasised that 70 per cent of all papers would be available for viewing by the students, and the exclusion of the 11 stated subjects was for this year only. He said he had talked to teacher unions and parent and management bodies and "all have accepted the arrangements we have put in place".
The Department's circular says that at the same time as the results are released, every student will be given an application form.
Students will be required to return this before August 29th requesting the papers they want to see.
The papers will be available for viewing in schools during one of three three-hourly sessions on Friday evening, September 4th, and on Saturday, September 5th. As far as possible, they will be viewed in examination centre conditions. Each school will have at least two superintendents overseeing the viewing.
Mr Martin said there would be "minimal disruption to schools" since the viewing sessions would be outside school hours. Teachers will be invited to act as organising superintendent in each school, but not all the superintendents will be teachers.