Exam system has room for improvement

THESE are anxious times for thousands of students who have now received their Leaving Cert results and are currently pondering future career options.

In households nationwide, next Monday’s first round of offers from the Central Applications Office (CAO) is keenly anticipated. Nerves are jangling as parents and teenagers strive to fathom which courses will be on offer and which college will take the prospective undergraduate.

In Ireland’s increasingly competitive society, academic achievements are crucial. Like it or not, lives can literally turn on the outcome of the Leaving Cert.