Similar text from mock paper ‘coincidental’

A MOCK Leaving Certificate exam paper published earlier this year used text that is all but identical to what turned up in the actual examination yesterday.

In the comprehension section of the Irish Leaving Cert Ordinary Level paper 1, students were asked five questions based on an online article on comedian Des Bishop.

However a mock paper available for sale used almost the same text and carried questions that were remarkably similar to those set down in yesterday’s exam.

Robie Cronin, a member of Association of Secondary Teachers in Ireland, said he was surprised to find the article on Des Bishop used in yesterday’s ordinary level paper was almost identical to what appeared on a mock exam paper issued by the Dublin Examining Board, a commercial enterprise that has been selling mock exam papers for 60 years.

“I was surprised at that and it is the first time I have seen it happen. The texts were not identical but were very similar and it was obvious that the State Examinations Commission and the Dublin Examining Board had used the same source. I understand it comes from the internet and the website www.beo.ie.

“It is clear that the commission and the Dublin Examining Board sourced the same text. There were some changes. For instance, the Leaving Cert question referred to Des Bishop’s illness which the mock paper had not done and the questions were not 100% the same, but they were very close. Obviously, any student who was familiar with the mock paper or who had used it as practice would have had an advantage over those who had never seen it.”

A spokeswoman for the State Examinations Commission yesterday defended the use of the article and said it was the commission’s practice to use “authentic texts” of this nature in state exams.

“These are articles taken from the web and the print media and used as a basis for exam questions. Of course, we have nothing to do with the production of mock exam papers and the fact that the Dublin Examining Board used the same article is entirely coincidental.”

According to the Dublin Examining Board’s website, the company publishes mock exams which “accurately mirror department papers in style, layout and level, providing an authentic exam experience for students”.