Lowering exam thresholds: Be honest about the real world

A COMMON theme running through nearly all evidence given to the banking inquiry is that our light-touch regulation facilitated poor practice. However, it seems we have not learnt the core lesson. We are to replace light-touch regulation with light-touch school examinations.

Later this week, Education Minister Jan O’Sullivan is to bring a proposal to Cabinet which will devalue the Leaving Certificate.

It is proposed that students taking higher-level papers will pass a subject if they get a mark of 30% or above. The current 40% threshold for ordinary-level papers will stand.

The measures are part of reforming the Leaving Certificate which is expected to be agreed this week.

The rationale behind the reform — dumbing down if you prefer — is that many students do not take higher-level papers because they fear losing CAO points if they do not do well.

The primary function of exams is to assess how well a student has assimilated the courses they have taken but if that is all they do then they short-change our children.

It is of course right to encourage students, but the real world is a hard, uncompromising place and moving the goalposts is usually not an option.

It may be cheering to tell a weak honours student they have passed higher-level maths if they answer less than a third of the exam paper correctly but surely it would be better — and more honest — to prepare them for the harsh realities beyond the school walls?

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