English Leaving Certificate exam may be held on earlier Saturday date

THE first English paper in next year’s Leaving Certificate could be held on a Saturday to avoid disruption to other students, Education Minister Mary Hanafin has revealed.

Although she faces opposition from some second-level school managers to her plans to bring forward some written exams to ease pressure on students in June, Ms Hanafin is likely to announce changes early in the next school year for Leaving Certificate 2008.

The minister invited students who had just finished the Leaving Certificate to air their views this month at a consultation attended by State Examinations Commission officials. She indicated last weekend that rather than bringing the first written papers in English and Irish forward, as she had suggested, she might just move up the English exam.

“The students we spoke to said that, because they had already done their orals at Easter, they felt they had parked a big element of the Irish, whereas they had not yet done any part of their English,” Ms Hanafin said.

“We have the views of the interested parties and we can overcome some of the problems they came up with, which were understandable concerns,” she said.

Ms Hanafin said that bringing forward English Paper I would free up a considerable gap in the first week of the June exam timetable, making it possible to move up other subjects.

She said she does not plan to bring it forward as early as April, which would be close to oral exams in language subjects and other elements of practical subjects.

Ms Hanafin also indicated her preference for examining students on a Saturday, which would help overcome some of the obstacles flagged by school managers, such as disruption to non- exam classes or potential disturbance to Leaving Cert students from other activities in the school.