Ms Tara O'Sullivan:

A graph was presented to us relating to the new curriculum. I cannot remember all the specifics steps listed but it started with planning and then a first and second draft. There were approximately seven steps in total, ending with publication. One was to rewrite. It was all about taking time, redoing and fixing work but one does not have time to redraft anything during the two-hour exam. I am a relatively fast writer and did not stop writing during my English exam. If I did not have an idea right there and then, I moved on because there was not enough time for reflection. Two hours is insufficient for an exam on a subject such as English that fundamentally takes a large amount of time. We have been given several months to prepare for our presentation to the committee because we understand that in the real world it is important to come across in a certain way and have control over that but during the English exam students have to rush to get all of their answers written down. That contradicts not only what we are taught about the junior cycle, but also life in the real world at work and in college.