Assessment tests for entry to second- level schools should be abolished once the proposed system of assessment tests at primary level is introduced, according to Ms Fionnuala Kilfeather, chief executive of the National Parents' Council (primary).
Recently, the Minister for Education, Mr Dempsey, announced that tests in literacy and mathematics would be introduced for pupils in first and sixth class in primary schools, and at one other point.
"With the development of assessment over a broader range of criteria, it should provide a broader range of information. So there should be no need for second level schools to test pupils," Ms Kilfeather said.
Although second-level schools are not allowed to set entrance exams, Ms Kilfeather said the feedback the council has received from parents is that tests are still common. She believed the abolition of such exams could remove the stress some children experience.
Mr John White, acting general secretary of the Association of Secondary Teachers of Ireland (ASTI), said there remained a lot of confusion about the exact format the primary assessment tests would take. Until this was clarified, the implications for second-level schools remained unclear, he said.
Leaving Certificate students will be able to access their results online from 12 p.m. next Wednesday, the State Examinations Commission has confirmed.
Last year, 24,000 candidates in 40 countries worldwide used the online service to access their examination results.
Access to the service, which requires the use of an examination number and a unique candidate Personal Identification Number, is through www.examinations.ie. Candidates can get results by telephone, on 1530 719 290, and from outside the Republic on 00 353 1 2588588.