Ms Elaine Sheridan:

With regard to the new examination in T1 and T2 for junior cycle Gaeilge, the first examination paper was the sample paper which was published in 2019. There was a delay, because of Covid, with regard to rolling out the specification. The first examination for the full cohort was 2022. There was considerable collaboration, in the development of the sample paper, between the National Council for Curriculum and Assessment, NCCA, the Department inspectors and us, at various stages, to build on the collaborative process that was there for the formation and development of the specification in the first place.

Before the sample paper was completed, what I would call the tripartite meetings happened and the material and the development of the paper were shared. On the actual live examination paper in 2022, there would not have been sharing with the NCCA and the Department because it was a live examination and was confidential. However, with the lessons learned, the collaboration and the toing and froing the Deputy referred to with regard to consultation on the sample paper were reflected in the development of the paper for 2022. In the development of both examination papers, experts in the subject were brought in to review the papers. Subject teachers worked on the papers in the setting process and a subject expert teaching in a school using the T2 specification reviewed and scrutinised the papers with regard to demand, time, level of difficulty and standard. It is quite a robust process from beginning to end in terms of setting the sample paper and leading into the first live examination paper.