Letters to the Editor: Use aptitude tests in any reform of Leaving Cert

It has long been said that traditional external examination methods don’t suit all students, that over-reliance on end-of-cycle external examinations causes much stress and anxiety and that entry to higher education has become a lottery based on CAO points.

I welcome the decision of the Minister for Education to put proposals for teacher-based assessments on hold because of uncertainty regarding the use of artificial intelligence in exam performance. I believe most teachers know their students well and that project-based assessments linked to end-of-cycle external examinations work well. We already have these in the Junior Certificate examinations and some aspects of the Leaving Certificate’s suite of programmes and subjects.

Simultaneously the Irish education system uses reliable aptitude tests to assist in identifying students’ potential and uses these results to guide decision-making for additional supports for some students, as well as entry into some higher-education programmes, including medicine. I believe there is scope to examine their more widespread use, especially as aids to external assessment in conjunction with existing approaches.