Students to sit a traditional Leaving Cert this summer
Students had been calling for the option of accredited grades based on teachersâ estimated marks, given the disruption of Covid which saw them learning from home for a large amount of the past two years.
Students will sit a traditional Leaving Cert with "some elements of choice" this year under plans due to be approved by Cabinet.
The Government is set to dismiss demands from students for a hybrid model and will press ahead with a largely traditional exam in a bid to address grade inflation.
Students had been calling for the option of accredited grades based on teachersâ estimated marks, given the disruption of Covid which saw them learning from home for a large amount of the past two years.
However, concerns over grade inflation, which has pushed points up significantly over the past 24 months, is understood to be a major factor in the decision to press ahead with the traditional exam.
The three Government leaders met on Monday night to discuss the options available, before Education Minister Norma Foley brings a final proposal to Cabinet for approval on Tuesday morning.
It is understood that the plan will involve "more choice and variety" on papers to facilitate students. Marking schemes will be carefully drafted to ensure that the overall grade profile is on a par with last year.
Sinn FĂ©in's education spokesperson Donnchadh Ă Laoghaire said a move back to a traditional examination model would be a "huge mistake".
"Each student has their own personal story to tell of the Leaving Cert experience up to now. The levels of disruption vary hugely from student to student. Additional choice in the papers does not level the playing field for all students."
He said the only way to ensure fairness for all students is to give them a choice between an exam's base model or accredited grades.
Another issue raised was the fact that around one in four of this year's Leaving Certificate students do not have Junior Cert results which could have been used as a metric in awarding accredited grades.
Over the past two years, Junior Cert marks had been used as a benchmark but because the exam was cancelled completely in 2019 it means that the 25% of this year's Leaving Cert students who did not do Transition Year do not have results to use.
There have also been concerns raised within Government around the pressure a hybrid model would have put on third level education.
While there will still be more spaces available in colleges and universities from next autumn, Taoiseach MicheĂĄl Martin has made it clear that creating a large number of additional places as had been done over the pandemic is no longer an option.
The Taoiseach recently said that in the previous two years Minister for Higher Education Simon Harris managed to "squeeze many extra places", but he warned that the "capacity of the third-level sector to provide that equivalent number of places this year may not be as high and that is to put it charitably".
However, a Cabinet source said there will still be some increases in third level places through "targeted interventions in courses where there were particular challenges in previous years".
When questioned on the matter in the DĂĄil recently, Mr Martin said: âWe know hybrid models can create grade inflation. There are, therefore, challenges with the hybrid model that have to be assessed."
Both the Association of Secondary Teachers Ireland (ASTI) and the Teachersâ Union of Ireland (TUI) had said they remain committed to the holding of all State exams this year.
But the ASTI had added that âevery feasible adjustment to the written exams should be considered to give students as much confidence as possible as they continue their preparations".
The TUI had also said there is a need for further modifications to this yearâs exam papers to take account of the disruption to learning experienced by students.
"In 2021, students were expected to answer a reduced number of questions in each exam with the same time allocation. This is again required in 2022."
