asked the Minister for Education whether his attention has been drawn to the confusion created for students doing the second honours paper in Irish in the Leaving Certificate Examination by the form in which question No. 2 was framed; what exactly the question was intended to require; and what percentage of the pupils gave a wrong answer through misunderstanding the question.
Ceisteanna—Questions. Oral Answers. - Leaving Certificate Examination.
20.
The question concerned reads: "Tabhair cuntas ar na heach- trai go dtarla diobh Fionn agus cuid den bhFéinn d'imeacht ar thóir an Ghiolla Dheacair is a chapaill."
Translated into English this would read: "Give an account of the adventures that resulted in Fionn and some of the Fianna setting out in pursuit of the Giolla Deacair and his horse."
My Department has received representations from which it would appear that some candidates, through not reading the question with full care, took it to mean, "Give an account of the adventures that befell Fionn and some of the Fianna while in pursuit of the Giolla Deacair and his horse.”
I am not in a position to say what percentage of the candidates took the question to mean this, except that the number who genuinely misread it appears to have been comparatively small. I wish, however, to assure the Deputy that where, as far as can be judged, a genuine misreading occurred, the matter will be taken into account sympathetically in the marking.