“The release of Leaving Cert results, CAO offers and the outcomes of appeals are being brought forward next year. A major overhaul of the timetable comes in the wake of the recent High Court case …” (more)
[Katherine Donnelly, Independent, 1 November]
“Minister for Education and Skills, Joe McHugh TD, and Minister of State for Higher Education, Mary Mitchell O’Connor TD, have today (1st November 2018) announced significant changes to the Leaving Certificate examination appeals process from 2019. The changes will mean that, in future, students who appeal the results of the Leaving Certificate will be informed by the State Examinations Commission (SEC) of the outcome of their appeals much earlier than has previously been possible …” (more)
[Department of Education and Skills, 1 November]
“It may be time to sever the link between the Leaving Cert and entry to university due to the ‘huge’ rate of anxiety among students, school leaders have warned. Mary Keane, president of the National Association of Principals and Deputy Principals, said the extent of stress-related illnesses among students was a source of major concern …” (more)
[Carl O’Brien, Irish Times, 19 October]
“College places have been offered today to 349 students who received an upgrade of one or more Leaving Certificate results this week. It is unclear how many of them will be able to start those courses as many colleges will instead ask them to defer their studies until next year as programmes have already been running for up to six weeks …” (more)
[Niall Murray, Irish Examiner, 12 October]
“Several hundred CAO applicants can expect a late college offer as a result of Leaving Cert re-checks. The State Examinations Commission (SEC) process led to upgrades in 1,453 papers and many students will receive a new offer or their first offer …” (more)
[Katherine Donnelly, Independent, 10 October]
“CAO applicants to University College Dublin (UCD) who get a late offer after the results of Leaving Certificate appeals are released tomorrow will get their place this year – but only if space is available. UCD’s Academic Council Executive Committee has agreed to extend the September 30 offers deadline introduced this year, in order to offer places to upgraded students if there is spare capacity on the course in question …” (more)
[Katherine Donnelly, Independent, 8 October]
“Many more Leaving Cert students who secure upgrades to their exams will be accepted onto degree courses in UCD this year on an ‘exceptional’ basis following the Rebecca Carter ruling. It is estimated up to 60 students will secure upgrades in their appeals this week which would make them eligible for courses at UCD …” (more)
[Carl O’Brien, Irish Times, 8 October]
“Last year more than 1,000 pupils from abroad were able to secure exemptions from studying Irish in the run-up to the Leaving Cert. Significantly, the proportion of students availing of this opt-out peaked dramatically in fifth year, when the Leaving Cert curriculum begins …” (more)
[Carl O’Brien, Irish Times, 1 October]
“The Minister for Education has said he will not have to pay more teachers to correct Leaving Cert exam papers to speed up the correction process. Richard Bruton made the comments following a court case by an 18-year-old student who wanted to get a marking mistake in her Leaving Cert exam fixed in time for her to go to university …” (more)
[RTÉ News, 30 September]
“The High Court judgment in the Rebecca Carter case has brought into sharp relief a number of fundamental flaws in how we now administer the Leaving Cert. The exam itself is still, after 92 years, a fair system in which each student can anonymously demonstrate their ability in their chosen subjects …” (more)
[Irish Times, 29 September]
“Hundreds of students every year are being forced to wait a year before taking up their course due to delays in correcting Leaving Cert appeals. This week’s High Court ruling in favour of Wexford student Rebecca Carter is likely to result in a faster appeals process which is likely to allow these students to take up their courses in future …” (more)
[Carl O’Brien, Irish Times, 29 September]
“The State Examinations Commission is to carry out an ‘urgent assessment’ of the current timelines involved in the Leaving Certificate appeals process. The SEC board met this evening to consider the implications of this week’s High Court ruling. In a statement issued after its meeting …” (more)
[Emma O Kelly, RTÉ News, 28 September]
“Leaving Cert student Rebecca Carter, who won her High Court case aimed at getting a marking mistake fixed in time for her to go to university, has been told that her appeal has been successful and her marks have have been upgraded …” (more)
[RTÉ News, 28 September]
“Minister for Education Richard Bruton has pledged to help speed up the appeals process for Leaving Cert exam students to ensure students do not lose out on potential college places …” (more)
[Carl O’Brien, Irish Times, 27 September]
“Wednesday’s High Court ruling, in a case involving a student who appealed her Leaving Certificate results, has far reaching ramifications. Mr Justice Humphreys described the appeals system as ‘manifestly unfit for purpose’, and he directed that the Minister for Education and his department ensure that by next year, appeals are completed before the start of the academic year …” (more)
[Emma O Kelly, RTÉ News, 27 September]
“Why are the State exams being reviewed? On Thursday, the High Court ruled in favour of an 18-year-old student, Rebecca Carter, who argued that she was being denied a place in her veterinary medicine course at UCD because her Leaving Cert exam marks had been totted up incorrectly …” (more)
[Carl O’Brien, Irish Times, 27 September]
“Fianna Fáil Spokesperson on Education Thomas Byrne TD has called for an overhaul of the Leaving Certificate appeals process. Deputy Byrne made the comments following yesterday’s High Court judgement which found that the current appeals process is highly unfair and causes untold stress for students …” (more)
[Fianna Fáil, 27 September]
“There are calls for third-level institutions to extend their course registration cut-off dates. It comes after a 19-year-old won her case against the State Examinations Commission over its appeals process …” (more)
[Irish Examiner, 27 September]
“The State exams have been thrown into ‘chaos’ following a High Court ruling in favour of a student whose points were wrongly totted up. Wexford student Rebecca Carter has been allowed take up a place in veterinary medicine at UCD after the court directed the State Examinations Commission to correct her points tally by the end of this week …” (more)
[Carl O’Brien, Irish Times, 27 September]
“Student Rebecca Carter has won her High Court case over incorrectly totted up marks in her Leaving Certificate examination. The court has ordered the State Examinations Commission to decide her appeal by tomorrow evening …” (more)
[Orla O’Donnell, RTÉ News, 26 September]
