Cian O'Callaghan
Ceist:731. Deputy Cian O'Callaghan asked the Minister for Education if students sitting the leaving certificate examinations will be awarded 100% in their oral examinations as promised in March 2020. [32694/20]
Amharc ar fhreagraTuesday, 3 November 2020
Ceisteanna (731)
Freagraí scríofa
The Leaving Certificate, including the Leaving Certificate Vocational Programme and Applied, written examinations will commence on 16 November 2020 and will take place over a 4-week period to 11 December 2020. The State Examinations Commission (SEC) will operate the examinations in line with public health guidelines at the time.
To ensure comparability with the Calculated Grades system, the examinations will be based on the normal question paper format, content and structure, and duration as in previous years. Candidates will be graded on the basis of their written papers only. It would not be feasible or practical at this stage to conduct examinations in oral or practical components, or to try to complete unfinished course work. The oral and practical components are school-based, requiring significant levels of support at school level, including the requirement to take serving teachers out of their schools to undertake state examinations work.
Candidates will be graded on the basis of their written papers only, except for five subjects, where project work had been completed prior to school closure last March and these marks will be included in the grading of these subjects.
These marks will be included in the grading of these subjects, which are:
- Home Economics (already marked by the SEC)
- LCVP Portfolio
- Design and Communication Graphics
- Physical Education (PE) Physical Activity Project
- Engineering
In all other subjects, candidates will be awarded grades based solely on their written papers.
The March announcement, that full marks would be awarded in respect of oral language and music performance tests for Leaving Certificate, was intended to support the running of all other examination components in the normal fashion as part of a response to the emergency situation relating to Covid-19 at the time. However, due to the introduction of the Calculated Grades system this no longer applies.