Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 15 July 2014
285. Deputy Richard Boyd Barrett asked the Minister for Education and Skills the level an honours leaving certificate in Irish is equivalent to on the European Common Framework of Reference for Languages; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [30998/14]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFR) is a tool for describing levels of language competence and is based on the understanding that the language learning pedagogy, including assessment takes a communicative approach. While there are communicative aspects to the teaching and assessment of languages in post-primary schools, including oral/aural examinations, there is also a significant written aspect, including essay writing, poetry and prose. For that, and other, reasons it is difficult to directly relate achievement in Leaving Certificate Irish with the CEFR.
The National Qualifications Authority of Ireland (NQAI), now Quality and Qualifications Ireland (QQI), produced a document in 2007 exploring the issues involved in establishing a relationship between the CEFR and the National Framework of Qualifications, NFQ, in which the Leaving Certificate itself is placed across Levels 4 and 5. The document also set out some tentative equivalences between CEFR levels and NFQ levels.
This informal process found that there could be considered to be a relatively strong correspondence between NFQ Level 3 (i.e. Junior Certificate level) and CEFR level A1, and between NFQ Level 5 and CEFR level B1. Therefore varying levels of achievement in Leaving Certificate Irish, across Levels 4 and 5 of the NFQ, might be considered to be broadly comparable to levels A2 and B1 of the CEFR.
However, it must be stressed that the comparisons above are the result of an informal, exploratory process conducted by the NQAI to assess the feasibility of relating the NFQ to the CEFR. Establishing a direct relationship between the language competence demonstrated by achievement in the Leaving Certificate and the CEFR would require a more formal, detailed process to be undertaken.
