Ms Elaine Sheridan:

What I was describing was in terms of the standard-setting process in general. When they reported on the standard-setting process for T1 and T2 Gaeilge in the summer, the examining teams and the chief examiner reported back very positively. That was in the circumstances mentioned by members where we were getting feedback that people were disgruntled or upset and students were disappointed with the examination.

We saw very good material in the review process and the reviewing of candidate responses. One of the things that was reported back at the time was that students engaged intensively with and had a deep understanding and knowledge of the literary texts. Students expressed their own personal views in respect of the stimulus material provided. There was very positive feedback with respect to the students' engagement with these things. Often - we have all done this - students go into to an exam and come out thinking they have performed very poorly. Actually, in fact, they have not and it may not have been quite as challenging as initially thought. The reporting back of the review of candidate responses was positive.

On the literature section, this is something which is coming up and is in the specification. There is a prescribed set of literature material of poetry, dramas, and short stories. There is a certain amount which has to be studied depending on whether one is doing the higher or ordinary, T1 nó T2, exam. Again, the purpose of the literature is not knowledge-based or on the content base. We are not assessing their knowledge of the literature. We are trying to assess what they are supposed to be engaging with in the classroom. This is the idea that they are demonstrating their language skills when engaging with the literature in the classroom. It is not that we want them to be able to review or critique a piece of literature. One of the questions on last year's paper asked what was the theme of a short story they had studied, and whether it made the student feel happy or sad. There is no right answer to that. It could make one student feel sad and another feel happy. In fact, we will not know whether they are telling us the truth and we do not mind about that. It is not a content or knowledge-based test but is an opportunity for them to show their language development through their engagement with literature. Literature is the springboard. How much literature there is varies, depending on which of the two specifications the student is doing. That is something else which is part of the enactment review which will be considered. It is a good practice to review and evaluate something new which has come in. It was probably one of the areas which An Gréasán and some of the other Irish-language groups have raised and will be something which would be considered in the enactment review. It is a springboard and stimulus material, is not a test of how well one knows the literature, but is the literature providing the student with an opportunity to demonstrate their development of language skills and not necessarily their knowledge of the literary piece itself.