Mock exam paper supplier cancels orders 'to comply' with Government restrictions

One of the country's biggest suppliers of mock exam papers has said it will not supply papers this year. Students sitting the Leaving Cert exam. File picture: Mark Stedman/Photocall Ireland

One of Ireland’s largest suppliers of mock exam papers for Junior and Leaving Certificate students will not provide sample papers in 2021.

Dublin-based DEB Exams said it had taken the decision not to produce any papers this year in order “to fully comply with the latest Government announcements regarding Covid-19 and tighter level 5 restrictions”.

The company’s managing director Senan Kelly said the decision meant it would not be in a position to fulfil orders already placed for the 2021 round of State exams.

“We would like to sincerely apologise to you, your colleagues, your students and their families for this grave decision,” Mr Kelly said, adding that the decision had been “beyond our control”.

Mock exams by DEB @debexams have been withdrawn?! "Pause all operations" - what does this mean? "Comply with govt restrictions"? There are many twists and turns to play out before #LC2021. pic.twitter.com/WRuqlBs20y

— Robert Chaney (@RobertChaney) January 11, 2021

Commenting on the decision, director of the National Association of Principals and Deputy Principals (NAPD) Clive Byrne said that while DEB are “among the bigger ones” in terms of groups supplying sample questions, they are not the only such company.

He cited the example of ExamCraft, another Dublin-based company specialising in mock exam papers, which intends to operate as normal for the remainder of the academic year.

The pre-Leaving and pre-Junior Certificate examinations are normally held in February or March to give students experience of a State exam sitting ahead of the real thing three months later.

Mr Kelly said his company would continue to allow teachers access to its archive of past papers and marking schemes.

Mr Byrne, meanwhile, suggested that given the ongoing Covid health emergency countrywide, mock exams are not likely to be at the forefront of most students’ minds.

“It’s been the first day back of remote teaching, I doubt it will be particularly on peoples’ minds,” he said, adding he had “no clue” why DEB had taken its decision.

“I’m not sure what effect it’ll have on the State exams,” he said of that decision, adding that “people are committed to holding a conventional exam in as near to a traditional a manner as possible in June”.

Last year’s Leaving Certificate sittings were eventually cancelled in May, leading to a system of calculated grades for students. However, that system itself became the subject of much scrutiny last October after it emerged that some 6,000 students had received incorrect markings due to a flaw in the calculating algorithm.

Meanwhile, a number of disability and family carer groups have welcomed a commitment by Education Minister Norma Foley to the prioritisation of students with special educational needs in terms of the eventual return to school.

It had initially been planned by Government for both those with special needs and Leaving Cert students to continue to attend school in a scaled-down capacity, a decision which was eventually reversed last week.

A complete withdrawal of educational services would be intolerable for children with additional learning needs.

To view our press release and letters please see below.https://t.co/WSPDEQNbuf

— AsIAm (@AsIAmIreland) January 5, 2021

Ms Foley made the commitment during a meeting with groups including Down Syndrome Ireland, Inclusion Ireland, and autism advocacy group AsIAm.

“We sought a firm commitment that students with SEN [special educational needs] would be back in the classroom as soon as possible, and the minister has undertaken to do all she can to deliver on that,” a spokesperson for the groupings said.

They added that Ms Foley’s further commitment to “examine” a range of interim measures for children requiring SEN was also welcome.

“However, what we need to see now is delivery and follow-through on these commitments,” they said. “The Government must not let our vulnerable students and their families down again,” the spokesperson added.