Ms Adrianne Ward:

I take issue with the exam philosophy and the shortening of the exam duration because, as mentioned, it widens the gap between the junior certificate and the leaving certificate. However, at the time of submitting the petition we felt that the State Examinations Commission was unlikely to change the entire paper because we compiled the petition in March and the exam was due to take place in June. We felt that extending the exam time might provide a solution through making the effects of such an exam less severe. Adding time would make it less difficult to deal with not having structure or a marking scheme. If 30 minutes were added, I am unsure we would be totally satisfied but it would greatly improve the situation.