A group of art teachers in 20 schools in the mid-west has called on the Minister for Education, Mr Martin, to examine the results obtained by their students in the Leaving Certificate higher-level art paper. They claim the results did not reflect the abilities demonstrated by the students in school exams.
According to the group, several pupils who normally obtained A grades received B and C grades in the Leaving Certificate. The teachers met at Crescent College Comprehensive School in Limerick last week to discuss the results.
A spokeswoman, Ms Ursula O'Meara, said many of the students had received maximum points for portfolios submitted to art colleges, but seemed to have been marked down by the Leaving Certificate examiners.
"Many of those who received full marks from the art colleges, received D grades in the Leaving Certificate and are now excluded from entry to these colleges," she said. "A gulf seems to exist between how the subject is taught, as required by the curriculum, and the marking scheme being applied by the Department of Education in recent years."
The teachers have written to Mr Martin outlining their concerns. They believe the examiners who marked the papers from schools in the mid-west may have been excessively harsh.
"While strange results from one or two schools might be expected, a group of schools in one area getting these results is highly unusual and needs an explanation," she said.
A spokesman for the Department of Education said any student who was unhappy with a result had the option to ask for a recheck. In addition, he said, the marking scheme applied by the examiners could be inspected by students, as could their exam papers and artwork.