‘Are Junior Cert results of significance any more?’

My eldest son sat the Junior Cert in June and is now well into transition year. He is due to receive his results this week. Not only has he lost interest in receiving them, but his younger sister who is now in second year is asking whether the Junior Cert is of any significance.

I can fully understand the frustration of both students and parents at the inordinate delay in the issuing of this year’s Junior Cert results following on from the non-sitting of the exam in 2020 and 2021.

From coverage in the media, you are probably aware that the State Exams Commission has been experiencing extreme difficulty in attracting applications from teachers for many years to correct both the Junior and Leaving Cert scripts.

The two years of Covid during which the need for correctors dropped dramatically, due to the introduction of estimated grades at Leaving Cert and the abandonment of the Junior Cert, resulted in many former correctors abandoning the process altogether.

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This led in 2022 to a real crisis in getting the Leaving Cert corrected in time for the opening of the new third-level academic year. With huge difficulty the results were ready by early September, but there is no certainty that things will get any better next year. The Minister has initiated a review of the entire system as it is no longer working.

Teachers entering the profession are not attracted by the prospect of committing a month of their summer holidays to correcting exam scripts. As it is voluntary, there is no requirement on them to do so.

As your son is currently in transition year, he has had no need for his Junior Cert results. In February/March next he will be required to select his levels for Irish, English, maths and a continental language for his Leaving Cert, along with choosing three additional subjects of his choice. At that stage he will find the results of his Junior Cert informative in making those choices.

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Probably of equal, if not more importance, in making his Leaving Cert choices will be the results of the aptitude and interest tests his school will administer to him over the coming months. You may remember them from your own school days as “DATs” tests, although today most schools have moved on to more comprehensive tests such as myfuturechoice.com or rightcareers4me.com.

I can see the difficulty for both parents and teachers of children undertaking the Junior Cert of any publicity questioning its importance. Exams and their results should not be the driver of a student’s endeavours, but human nature being what it is, they always will be. Reassure your daughter that the quality of her schoolwork matters greatly to you.

Do you have an education query? Email: askbrian@irishtimes.com