Junior Cert results delay blamed on almost 20% drop in exam markers 

'This year, fewer than 3,000 examiners marked the work of 130,000 candidates,' SEC chief executive Andrea said. File picture: Denis Minihane

Fewer than 3,000 teachers signed up to mark this year’s State exams, almost 19% less than the numbers signing up 10 years ago.

Officials from the State Examinations Commission (SEC) appeared before the Oireachtas education committee on Tuesday to discuss delays with the issuing of results this year. Junior Cert results will not be given to students until late November. 

Marking is still ongoing, and the SEC has made "further contingency arrangements" to ensure it will be completed in the coming weeks, SEC chief executive Andrea Feeney told the committee. 

Unlike in the summer marking period, most of the teachers now marking are in schools during the day and only available at evenings and weekends."

She pointed to an extreme shortage of examiners this year coupled with increasing student demographics and additional challenges. 

"This year, fewer than 3,000 examiners marked the work of 130,000 candidates," Ms Feeney said, adding that candidate numbers are 12% more than what they were 10 years ago. 

"The number of examiners involved in marking the examinations is almost 19% fewer than it was 10 years ago." 

Junior Cycle candidate numbers are up by 5% since 2019, while the number of examiners has decreased by 38%, she added. 

Pay rates increased

In a bid to recruit examiners, pay rates were increased and the SEC made "thousands of direct" telephone calls and emails to teachers who had examined previously. 

Despite this, numbers fell short and in order to complete the work, marking went well beyond the normal window, and examiners were asked to take on additional scripts, she added. 

"These measures, while necessary, put pressure on the examining teams, contribute to a poor examiner experience, and impact on retention." 

There was also a “pent-up demand” during the summer, where teachers could go on holidays for the first time since 2019, and “took that choice”. 

“I think that context needs to be borne in mind.” 

Funding has been granted as part of Budget 2023 which will allow the SEC to advertise pay from the beginning of the recruitment process. 

“The other side of the equation is the experience and what it brings to a teacher."

Recruitment for examiners this summer started at the beginning of the year, Ms Feeney confirmed, adding recruitment for 2023 was already under way. 

Digital marking

Fine Gael senator Aisling Dolan asked if the SEC has looked at automating some of its processes in terms of students’ exams.

"What is the future, if we're dealing with more and more students, and we're getting less and less examiners?"

Ms Feeney replied: “There are 410,000 results issued this year at Leaving Certificate, and of those, 389,000 of them were either fully or partially marked using our online marking system. 

“There is no doubt in my mind that the online marking system and that transition to online marking has greatly assisted us in managing that challenge of a decreased examiner's supply.”

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Senior Cycle reform will look at more opportunities for digital assessment, she added.