Leaving Cert 2022: No 'cliff edge' for grades, promises minister

Education minister Norma Foley speaking to media in the courtyard of Government Buildings yesterday as she outlined the arrangements for this year's Leaving Certificate. Picture: Gareth Chaney/Collins

Leaving Certificate students will be saved from any “cliff edge” in grades, Norma Foley, the education minister, has promised as she announced the return of traditional exams. Defending the much-criticised decision to ignore students’ call for a hybrid model, Ms Foley said there would be “considerable” choice on the papers and less content to be studied.

She also said students would not penalised and their results would not go down compared to last year.

The changes will see the content of most papers cut by one-third, with the number of sections on the English paper reducing from three to two.

Concerns around further grade inflation, which has significantly pushed college points up over the past two years, have been cited as a reason for reverting to the pre-pandemic exam model.

“I think one of the concerns of students was that the class of 2022 will not be in a position to compete with the class of 2021,” Ms Foley said. “To compensate for that, I have given the commitment that the grade profile for the students of 2022 will be on a par with 2021: 

I think that’s important for the students because I don’t think it would have been fair or right if there had been a cliff edge, if you like, in terms of that grade inflation. 

She hopes there will be a gradual decrease in grades down to pre-pandemic levels in the coming years.

Under this year’s system, exams will be marked according to a set marking scheme and students will be assessed based on their performance on the day. However, an analysis of grades across all subjects and levels will then be carried out. If, on average, grades are lower than last year, a “post-marking intervention” will be carried out to bring marks up.

In the Dáil, Micheál Martin, who faced criticism for the decision to hold traditional exams, outlined the significant changes that will be made to the State exams.

“In maths, for example, students will have six topics, rather than 10. In English, higher-level paper two will be reduced from three sections to two,” the Taoiseach said:

Changes to practical and oral exams will also be implemented, tailor-made to the circumstances students faced over the last two years. 

The full changes to exam papers will be issued to schools in the coming week and a timetable for the summer exams will also be published shortly.

Sinn Féin leader Mary Lou McDonald said it was a “massive mistake” not to accept the hybrid model that students had been calling for. 

Labour education spokesperson Aodhán Ó Ríordáin said the decision to revert to the traditional Leaving Cert was a “missed opportunity” for an overhaul of education delivery in this country.

Former education minister Richard Bruton said it was unfortunate that the old format would return this year, instead suggesting the introduction of continuous assessment to allow for hybrid exams from next year.