I want to make it clear that the remainder of the question goes on the same lines. It is misleading to suggest that the standard required here is too high for pass leaving certificate. Indeed, I dealt with that in my answer to the original question which showed that the teachers of Irish in the secondary schools as a body have conveyed their views to me in regard to this paper and have accepted that the standard does not differ from previous years.
Deputy Jones has suggested that there was a change in the type of question. This is true—there was some change in it—but I am sure the Deputy is also aware that over the past few years there have been some slight changes each time, the object being to get away from purely formal grammar questions, for instance, asking what is the genitive case of so and so, and that kind of question, to get what is called functional grammar. It was on this basis that the changes have been made over a number of years since, I think, 1963.
I want to make it clear to the House that there is no evidence whatsoever that the standard of this paper differs from that of previous years but the complaints I have received have suggested that some students were upset by the wording of the directions in the grammar section and I want to repeat that if the answering shows that this is so, allowance will be made for this in marking the papers.