Latest news with #StateExaminationsCommission
Irish Examiner
2 days ago
- General
- Irish Examiner
Junior Cycle English short story question sparks criticism from teachers
English teachers have criticised the inclusion of an 'unwise and unfair' short story question that appeared on this year's Junior Cycle exam paper this week. Many students reported their surprise at the question on the higher-level paper, which asked students to outline how a setting has a vital influence oin a short story they studied. The Irish National Organisation for Teachers of English (INOTE) said it 'noted with dismay' the question exclusively on short stories. Students will have encountered short stories during their three-year study, and the study of short stories is required by the English specification, it added. 'However, practically in the classroom, short stories are rarely studied in the deep analytical way required of the exam paper.' Short stories are often read for enjoyment or as "stepping stones" to studying longer fiction texts, rather than for detailed narrative analysis, INOTE added. "Additionally, and sensibly, most students would instead have concentrated on their two studied novels, their studied Shakespeare play, their studied film and the array of poems they would have prepared for the exam." It would have been much fairer to pose a question about how the setting was used in a short story or a novel read by students, it added. "Narrowing the focus to short stories exclusively will have disadvantaged a significant number of students, something we absolutely reject as useful in a Junior Cycle exam." INOTE said it has felt disappointed every year with some of the questions asked in the Junior Cycle English exam, which are "either much too narrow in focus or much too ambitious in scope to allow meaningful student engagement." "Our students deserve the time and opportunity to showcase their learning rather than being punished by an exam that sometimes seems, whether intentionally or not, designed to catch them out," it added. A spokesman for the State Examinations Commission (SEC) it has been assured the exam, including the short story question, was "fully within the scope of the specification and in keeping with the aims, objectives and learning outcomes for Junior Cycle English." He added that commentary and correspondence on the examinations from students, parents, teachers, professional bodies, and other interested parties is a normal part of the examination process. "Such observations regarding test instruments are an intrinsic part of the feedback that we would expect to receive in any year. All observations received in relation to a subject are reviewed by the Chief Examiner in the context of preparing the marking scheme for that subject." The marking scheme will be published, as will the marking schemes in all other subjects, after the issue of the Junior Cycle results, he added. Read More 41646145[/readmore[
Irish Times
2 days ago
- General
- Irish Times
State exams body defends ‘curveball' short story question in Junior Cycle English paper
The State Examinations Commission (SEC) has defended the inclusion of a question on short stories that sparked controversy in the Junior Cycle English paper on the basis that it was 'fully within the scope' of the curriculum. In Wednesday's Junior Cycle English exam at higher level, candidates were asked to respond to a question about 'any short story they had studied'. It was worth 15 marks from a total of 180 marks for the exam. [ Classroom to College: our essential newletter on the State exams for parents, guardians and students ] However, many students reported that they had not studied any short stories during their three years of the Junior Cycle and left the question blank, while parents reported that children felt upset and confused in the middle of their first ever State exam. While many teachers have covered short stories, others said they have not on the basis that they struggle to cover the full curriculum of the revised Junior Cycle English specification, which has been examined for all candidates since 2017. A question on short stories has not come up in the exam in recent years. READ MORE A SEC spokesman said it was assured that the questions was 'fully within the scope of the specification and in keeping with the aims, objectives and learning outcomes for Junior Cycle English.' The spokesman said its exam papers and draft marking schemes are developed through a 'rigorous development process' and those involved are 'experts in the subject who are also experienced teachers.' The spokesman also noted that the Junior Cycle English specification includes guidelines for teachers on the choice of texts which should be studied by students in first year, and by those in second and third year. 'The specification includes short stories among the texts which must be studied by students in both first and second/third year,' he said. In addition, he pointed to the Department of Education list of prescribed materials for the second and third year of Junior Cycle English which issued to schools in 2022 for those sitting this year's exam. This circular states that 'second and third year students MUST study texts as described' and includes 'a number of short stories' in the list of texts. In the case of novels, films and dramas to be studied for examination, teachers choose from those on the prescribed lists as set out in the circular. In the case of poetry, short stories, and non-literary texts teachers have the freedom to choose specific examples. The spokesman noted that 'commentary and correspondence on the examinations from students, parents, teachers, professional bodies, and other interested parties' will be reviewed by the subject's chief examiner in the context of preparing the marking scheme, 'The approach taken by the SEC to the development of marking schemes ensures consistency in the marking and fairness to all candidates. The marking scheme will be published, as will the marking schemes in all other subjects, after the issue of the Junior Cycle results. About 60,000 students sat the higher level Junior Cycle English paper. While some teachers described the inclusion of the question as a 'curveball', most overall said they were happy with a 'balanced' and 'fair' exam.
RTÉ News
5 days ago
- General
- RTÉ News
Record number of students to begin Leaving and Junior Cert exams
A record number of candidates will begin the State Leaving and Junior Certificate exams today. 140,457 students will sit the exams, the first time the number has exceeded 140,000. The rise is due to population growth. 61,632 candidates will take the main Leaving Certificate written exams over the next several weeks, an increase of 5% compared to last year. There has been an 11% rise in students opting for the Leaving Certificate Applied programme. 4,512 students have chosen that pathway. 74,313 candidates will begin their Junior Cycle exams this morning. The State exams will take place in examination centres across more than 800 post-primary schools and other centres across the country. The State Examinations Commission has described the process as "a massive logistical exercise involving the secure distribution of circa four million examination papers". The exams begin at 9.30am with English Paper 1 for most Leaving Certificate students. LCA and Junior Cycle candidates will also sit English papers. The last Leaving Certificate exam takes place on 24 June. Leaving Certificate results this year will once again be artificially inflated through a post-marking adjustment which will be applied after all marking of individual papers has been completed. Post-marking adjustments were introduced following the Covid pandemic in an attempt to compensate students who had missed out as a result of school closures and other restrictions arising from the pandemic. Following a request from the Department of Education and in order to facilitate a gradual return to normal pre-Covid outcomes, this year's post-marking adjustment will be reduced to bring results in aggregate on average to a point broadly midway between 2020 and 2021 levels. Leaving Certificate results will be issued to candidates on Friday 22 August. The State Examinations Commission said this date took account of the time needed to apply the post-marking adjustment. It said the timeline for results also had to allow sufficient time for an extensive range of quality assurance checks to be undertaken. Minister for Education Helen McEntee is among many public figures and organisations who have wished the Class of 2025 good luck. Sending her best wishes, Ms McEntee said: "I know the amount of work and effort you have put in to reach this point. It is the culmination of many years of effort. "This can be a very stressful time so I would remind everyone that when it comes to examinations, all we can do is our best. "We are all very much behind you over the next few weeks, and I know that regardless of the outcome of these examinations, there will be many great opportunities ahead for you all," she said.
Irish Independent
5 days ago
- General
- Irish Independent
Record 140,457 sit Leaving, Junior and other state exams starting today
The State Examinations Commission (SEC) said the record number of candidates was 'linked to demographic increases, with the numbers entered passing 140,000 for the first time'. The number entered to take the 2025 certificate examinations has increased by 3pc (up 4,297) compared with last year's entry figure of 136,160 candidates, with the most significant increases in the numbers entered for the Leaving Cert programme (5pc) and Leaving Cert Applied programme (up 11pc). Of those sitting state exams, 61,632 are Leaving Cert candidates, 4,512 are final-year Leaving Cert Applied (LCA) candidates and 74,313 are Junior Cycle candidates. Education Minister Helen McEntee said: 'I want to send the very best wishes to all the students around the country who are starting their Leaving Certificate, Leaving Certificate Applied and Junior Cycle examinations today. 'I know the amount of work and effort you have put in to reach this point. It is the culmination of many years of effort. 'This can be a very stressful time, so I would remind everyone that when it comes to examinations, all we can do is our best. An extensive logistical exercise involving the secure distribution of about four million exam papers to the examination superintendents 'We are all very much behind you over the next few weeks and I know that, regardless of the outcome of these examinations, there will be many great opportunities ahead for you all.' Students are set to sit exams in more than 800 centres nationwide, including post-primary schools and other locations. Delivery of the state examinations is an extensive logistical exercise involving the secure distribution of about four million exam papers to the examination superintendents responsible for overseeing written exams. The exams will run from today until June 24 for Leaving Cert (Established and Vocational); June 12 for Leaving Cert Applied; and June 16 for Junior Cycle exams. The SEC will apply a post-marking adjustment for the 2025 Leaving Cert examinations, once tests are completed, 'in order to bring the overall Leaving Certificate results in the aggregate on average to a point broadly midway between the 2020 and 2021 levels'. The SEC said it aimed to issue the 2025 Leaving Cert and Leaving Cert Applied examination results to candidates on August 22.
Irish Examiner
5 days ago
- General
- Irish Examiner
Leaving Cert: The mix ups, leaks, and cancellations
A rite of passage for thousands of students across the country each year, the smooth execution of State exams is taken for granted, more often than not. It involves the delivery and distribution of thousands of scripts to exam halls across the country, as well as their collection and the redistribution for corrections. We've taken a look back on some of the years where the State exams stood out more than others due to mistakes, leaks, and cancellations. The English paper mix up and rescheduled exam In 2009, a major probe was launched by the State Examinations Commission (SEC) after it emerged that an exam official had handed out the wrong exam paper to Leaving Cert students. Students at a school in Drogheda had the wrong English paper placed on their desks for just 25 seconds. Instead of paper one, the students had been given paper 2. However brief, it was just long enough for them to identify the exam's key topics, like which three poets would appear on the paper the next day. With the internet in its infancy, the potential was there for its content to spread to thousands of students via online exam message boards. The SEC was forced to revert to its backup papers and to reschedule English Paper 2 for a Saturday morning. It was later reported that the blunder cost approximately €1.7m. Human error to blame for mistakes on papers In August 2013, the SEC confirmed a series of embarrassing mistakes that appeared on the year's Leaving Cert papers due to human error. A review found as many as 13 mistakes across 2013's Leaving and Junior Cert papers, the most serious of which related to a question on the Leaving Certificate Higher Level math paper. This trigonometry question, worth 10% of the paper's overall marks, gave the wrong value for an angle. Approximately 4% of the students sitting the exam were adversely affected due to the mistake, according to the SEC. The SEC blamed the errors on the loss of experienced senior staff. "We are embarrassed, but not just embarrassed, we certainly apologise first and regret what has happened and the impact it may have had on candidates," former SEC chief executive Dick Landford told RTÉ's Morning Ireland at the time. "Each of the undetected mistakes was in fact a human error,' he said, adding that somebody 'just made a mistake'. "People make mistakes, it's as simple as that." High Court case overhauls appeal system In 2018, 18-year-old Rebecca Carter from Co Wexford sued the State Examinations Commission for its decision not to re-check her points score in time to allow her to obtain a place at UCD. Justice Richard Humphreys ruled in her favour, saying that had Ms Carter's points been correctly added up, she would have achieved an extremely high mark that would easily have qualified her for a place on the vet medicine course. The Judge said the situation faced by Ms Carter was highly unfair, describing the appeals process as 'unfit for purpose'. The outcome of her case led to significant changes with appeals, shortening the process by three weeks and allowing successful students to take up their college course that academic year rather than deferring. Covid cancellations and algorithm woes After public health restrictions forced the postponement and eventual cancellation of the State exams during the summer of 2020, 'calculated grades' were instead introduced for thousands of anxious students. While the decision was taken at the time to allow students to move on to college and further education, the introduction of 'calculated grades' was far from straightforward. Right around the time students were logging into lectures and attending virtual orientation weeks in late September, then Minister for Education Norma Foley announced that errors had been discovered in the calculated grades system. The mistakes affected approximately 7,200 students who received incorrect grades. Random selection post-pandemic The CAO process can be cruel, with sometimes a margin as narrow as a single point determining a student's entry to their dream college course. As grade inflation increased due to several years of adjustments to the Leaving Cert exams post pandemic, so too have instances of 'random selection' determining course selection amongst the students who achieved the maximum CAO marks available - 625. In 2024, 23 courses nationwide allocated places through a lottery, many of which required exceptionally high points. 'Cruel' Maths paper leaves students in tears The Maths paper 1 exam in 2023 prompted a barrage of complaints from students, teachers and principals who felt the paper was unfair. Held on a Friday afternoon, many students took to social media to voice their upset over the paper, and worries that paper 2 would put them through a similar situation come Monday. The SEC later confirmed that the feedback would be brought to the attention of the Chief Examiner. Commentary and correspondence on the exams from students, parents, teachers, professional bodies, and other interested parties is a normal part of the examinations process, a spokesman for the SEC said at the time.
