English teachers fear planned Leaving Cert changes will 'cut the heart' out of subject

The changes were announced as part of plans to reform the Leaving Cert.

English teachers have voiced concerns that changes to the Leaving Cert, which will see one paper examined at the end of 5th year, will "cut the heart" out of the subject.

The move was announced last month by Education Minister Norma Foley, as part of the reform of the Leaving Cert, and will be effective from 2024 onwards.

In addition to sitting Irish and English paper 1 at the end of fifth year, students will now see more marks awarded for continuous assessment. But some teachers say the move poses new stresses.

“It undermines the core elements of English itself,” said Connor Murphy, a Cork teacher and the chairman of the Irish National Organisation of English Teachers (INOTE).

From junior infants all the way up, one of the main reasons students study English is to encourage students’ voices, to encourage their own way of looking at things, and their creativity.

"This is done through short stories, opinion pieces, or speeches which form the basis of English paper 1.

"There is a 'big maturity' students go through between fifth and sixth year, and this is often reflected in their language and their ability to express and articulate themselves," said Mr Murphy.

“If you move that [exam] to the end of fifth year, you are kind of cutting the heart out of English. We are really concerned that it’s rushed and unnecessary and misses the core element of English.” 

INOTE members are also concerned that the move of paper 1 to fifth year moves “pressure from one point to the next”. There are also practical issues concerning students who want to go up or down a level between fifth and sixth year.

The organisation is writing to Norma Foley on Monday to highlight its concerns.

Spread of assessment

A spokesperson for the Department of Education said the review of the Leaving Cert included opinions of students, as well as other stakeholders, who "called for the spread of assessment". 

"The Senior Cycle redevelopment programme will take full cognisance of the potential assessment load for students and ensure that any developments have due regard to the impact on the wellbeing of students, impact on teaching and learning, and manageability of more regular assessment events," the spokesperson said.

"With that in mind, the intention is that ultimately subjects which currently have two final written examination papers (Irish, English and mathematics) would move to a single paper with a substantial additional examination component to be developed or adjusted, as appropriate.

"As an interim measure, the State Examinations Commission (SEC) will be asked to alter the timing of paper 1 in both Irish and English so that paper 1 would take place at the end of fifth year, commencing for fifth years entering fifth year in September 2023."