Dr. Harold Hislop:

That is one of the key lessons from this. We attempted to make the examinations work because we thought that would be the fairest way to operate for students, but it just did not prove possible. We probably spent longer than we might have needed to trying to run the exams instead of spending that time developing the calculated grades model.

The second lesson is the point I made about having a range of assessments for leaving certificate students across their two years of study. That is a big learning for us. This situation has highlighted the vulnerability of relying on one exam at one point in time. As a long-term piece of learning that is very important. Within the calculated grades process itself, we were very good and successful. I pay tribute to the teachers, school managers and union leaders who worked and collaborated with us as stakeholders. We tried to keep them and the school system informed but we found it challenging, particularly as secondary schools shut and we had to make them work into June. Keeping those lines of communication open and running with them was challenging and we probably learned how to do that better. Within the grades model itself, it is obviously a matter of regret to us that we did not find the error before we issued the results. That was undoubtedly a failing in the system and of course we have learned from that.