Education authorities are believed to be considering a plan for a second set of Leaving Cert exams for students affected by Covid-19.
The plan would mean students who test positive for coronavirus, or are unable to attend June exams because they are close contacts, get a chance to sit exams according to The Irish Times.
An advisory group meeting between the State Examinations Commission, the Department of Education and representatives of teachers and students discussed the idea and a number of other issues.
Minister for Education Norma Foley, via a spokesman, said it was her “firm intention” to hold a traditional Leaving Cert next June.
The spokesman added that this will require a return to classroom learning.
Exam questions
Additional choices in exam questions are likely to make up for lost school time while projects and coursework will have extended deadlines.
However, there is growing pressure for students to be offered the option of predicted grades as an alternative to traditional exams.
A number of Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael TDs have joined Opposition parties in calling for clarity on the matter.
The Irish Second Level Students Union has also called for an alternative to Leaving Cert exams.
President of the group Reuban Murray said: “Leaving Certificate students are entering their fourth month of online learning of a two-year senior cycle, and even though we knew that schools were not able to deliver online learning to the same standard last year, these gaps have not been filled or addressed in the intervening months.”
He added: “Now, we are looking at an uneven playing field for students in the home stretch towards exams, and student stress and anxiety is unbelievably high.”
Government sources told The Irish Times that there is a reluctance to sanction calculated grades because there is an ongoing legal challenge against last year's system.
Teachers' unions are also against calculated grades.
