Entry system puts students ‘constantly under strain’

PRESSURE to do well in the Leaving Certificate is putting constant stress on teenagers focused on the points race for college, say researchers who have tracked students from first year to the end of school.

The Economic and Social Research Institute (ESRI) said many young people are critical of the almost complete reliance on the final exams as the only assessment of their performance.

Its report will take centre stage in the debate on how to change college entry systems and reduce emphasis on the exams to measure students’ abilities after 14 years at school.