Nine in 10 pupils opting for accredited grades and exams

Secondary school students sitting exams. Photo: David Jones/PA Wire

Katherine Donnelly Email

April 12 2021 02:30 AM

Nine in 10 Leaving Cert candidates have opted both to receive accredited grades and to sit June exams in one or more subjects.

Students have been selective in what papers to sit, with, for instance, only 60pc plumping for the Irish exam, compared with 96pc for Applied Maths.

Despite the variations in take-up, where candidates are entered for a subject, the majority plan both to sit exams and receive accredited grades, generally in the order of 70-90pc. In English and Maths, 81pc and 84pc, respectively, have indicated their intention to turn up in June.

The State Examinations Commission (SEC) has published a provisional breakdown of student exam choices today.

Meanwhile, students who are studying a subject or subjects outside of school, or studying entirely outside of school, and who want to receive accredited grades for those, have until this Thursday, April 15, to return the Initial Information Form.

The option of accredited grades, based on teacher-estimated marks, or exams, or both, was offered to students because of Covid-related disruption to education.

If a student receives an accredited grade in a subject, and also sits an exam, and there is a difference between the grades awarded, he or she will get the benefit of the better result.

The SEC breakdown suggests that individual students appear to have worked out their own odds for how to get the best out of the dual system.

Of 63,127 who initially entered for Leaving Cert 2021, 60,089 (95pc) have submitted assessment choices. Overall, 87pc of the initial entrants plan to take both options in one of more subjects, but there is a disparity between those entered for the traditional Leaving Cert, where dual take up is 88pc, and students taking the alternative Leaving Cert Applied (65pc).

On average, across all subjects, 2pc plan to sit exams only and 6pc to receive accredited grades only. The remaining 5pc did not complete the process. Students will have an opportunity in late April/May to make final selections.