The State Examination Commission today detailed new procedures designed to avoid any repetition of last year’s security blunder in the Leaving Cert.
Last June, the higher level English paper had to be rescheduled for a Saturday after a superintendent in Drogheda, Co Louth distributed the wrong paper.
The new procedures include:
- Any subject composed of two written examination papers has been scheduled so that one paper is held on a morning session and one on an afternoon session. This will assist superintendents as morning papers are packed in green packets and afternoon papers are packed in orange packets.
- Revised arrangements have been introduced for the validation of the examination paper packets before each examination session. Superintendents are now required to collaborate with each other before each examination to ensure that each has collected the correct packet of examination papers. Both superintendents will be required to complete and sign the “Declaration” panels on each other’s examination paper packets to indicate that have completed the required validation.
- Superintendents have been directed to immediately contact the SEC should anything happen during the examinations which may threaten the integrity of the examinations.
- The examination paper packets have been significantly redesigned to prioritise the key information and instructions. One side of the packet contains the key information in English only and the other in Irish only. The packets have also been amended to facilitate the revised validation arrangements.
- A revised layout has also been applied to the examination paper packet label to display the information more clearly.
- For the 2010 examinations superintendents will be instructed to distribute all examination papers face-up. Candidates can then see immediately whether they have received the correct examination paper for the session and will have the opportunity to immediately alert the superintendent.
Almost 2,000 students will sit the new “user friendly” Project Maths course in the Leaving Cert next week amid growing concern about the “crisis’’ in the subject.
The new maths course, introduced on a pilot basis in 24 schools, will be rolled out nationwide over the next three years. The new course puts a stress on problem solving. It is hoped it will help build student interest in maths which has dropped alarmingly in recent years.
Less than 20 per cent of students take maths at higher level, the lowest percentage for any honours subject.
Building up expertise in maths is seen as critical as the Government moves towards a smart economy. Minister for Education Mary Coughlan also favours bonus CAO points for students taking higher level maths in the Leaving Cert as part of a wider effort to boost take-up.
This year’s State exams begin on Wednesday. Over 54,000 students will sit the Leaving Cert while over 55,500 will take the Junior Cert.
In all, exams will be held in 105 different subjects.
The exams body today gave some details of the huge logistical task involved in the exams. In all, it will produce three million examination papers made up of about 38 million A4 pages. It is also arranging for the recording of over 84,000 oral tests.
The exams commission engages 4,655 superintendents to superintend at 4,607 exam centres. It also provides 17,233 reasonable accommodations to facilitate candidates with special needs. It will employ over 6,000 examiners to mark the examinations.
In total, there are 1.9 million individual test items including written examination scripts, art and craftwork pieces and project work. Over 960,000 grades will be awarded.
The overall cost of running the examinations in 2009 was €66.6 million, of which €9.7 million was collected in fees.
Leaving Cert results will be available on Wednesday, August 18th.