Shane Cassells (Meath West, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

Ms O'Sullivan deserves praise for corresponding with the committee. I am sure many students leave an examinations hall and have conversations in bike sheds and so forth on aspects of the paper and whether they would have been able to answer question X, Y and Z if they had been given more time. Many of us will have had similar conversations during our junior and leaving certificate days. We should laud Ms O'Sullivan for taking time to correspond with us on the issue. It will be worthwhile to have a further discussion with officials from the Department and show them that someone has taken the time to think about how this issue impacts on students. Examination should not be shoehorned into a specific time, particularly in English where students should be allowed to demonstrate their skills in creative writing and discussing prose and poetry. It is welcome that someone corresponded with the committee on this matter.