The Teachers’ Union of Ireland (TUI) believes that the highly trusted, externally-marked Leaving Certificate must take place in 2021. We welcome the stated commitment of the Minister for Education last week in this regard and we will continue to fully engage with the other stakeholders on all arising matters.
Our experience of calculated grades last year has left the union in no doubt that the customary State examinations are more reliable and enjoy significantly greater trust among the public at large and, critically, among students and teachers.
In addition to the written examination, it is also important to highlight the importance of second assessment components (orals, practicals, projects etc) across a significant number of subjects where other types of learning, knowledge and skills are assessed as part of the certification process.
It has already been decided that additional choice will be incorporated into the examination papers due to the disrupted learning environment of the latter part of the last school year and possible disruptions this year. Should it be decided by the stakeholders that other adjustments to the examinations are required, this should of course be given serious consideration.
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