Leaving Cert Reform: The Student Perspective
By Laura Addie | Nov 25 2016
With Leaving Certificate students set to receive CAO points for an “E” grade, Laura Addie questions UCD students on the impact the new system may have on standards of education.[br]STUDENTS sitting the leaving certificate examinations next summer are to be awarded 37 CAO points for an E grade in a new move by the Department of Education.The changes will also see students who received a D1 grade eligible for entry into Level 8 courses, compared to previous minimum entry requirements of two higher level C3s. The new system aims to reduce pressure on students and decrease the race for points.The changes are to be implemented by the Department of Education who have been working in partnership with universities and institutes of technology to improve the transition from second to third-level.Their solution was to reduce the number of grading bands from 14 to 8. This means that a C3 and D1 will now both fall under the grade H5 and be awarded the same points, eliminating the struggle for marginal gains in exams. Those who received an E grade in the leaving certificate prior to 2017 are also permitted to avail of these points.UCD students have shared the positive and negative aspects these changes may have on education. Law undergraduate Ause Abdelhaq believes “the recognition of an E grade would probably motivate students to stay in honours subjects, where they might otherwise have dropped down”.Abdelhaq also raises an alarming issue with the new minimum entry requirements for level 8 courses, “if your highest grade in the Leaving Certificate is an honours D1, you may have difficulty with the standard of university study”.“If your highest grade in the Leaving Certificate is an honours D1, you may have difficulty with the standard of university study”.
In general, students of UCD viewed the changes as a progressive move towards eliminating the pressure faced by students. English undergraduate Thalia O’Neill mentions how “awarding points for an E grade would provide great relief for students. It's heart breaking to work hard towards something only to receive no points for it because you were only a couple of marks away from a D3".Alternatively, history undergraduate David Gordon emphasises how the department of education needs to further these kind of improvements, arguing that “the Leaving Certificate is a redundant examination... Ireland is in need of a new system.” However, he approves the recent changes acknowledging how “anything to alleviate the stress on students is a good thing."The new system will undoubtedly bring about many changes to second and third-level education and hopefully be successful in its primary aim to reduce the demanding points race associated with the Leaving Certificate.