Ms Andrea Feeney:

I will have to get information for the Deputy on the median number of examinations being taken per candidate. Having looked at the data recently, I am aware that most students are taking examinations in two or three subjects. Those who could not get calculated grades in the summer are more likely to be doing their full suite of examination subjects.

On resourcing and planning in schools, the State Examinations Commission has been engaging with schools since the summer to plan for these November examinations. We have put resources in place for pre-planning, an examinations aid for pre-planning and a logistics person to be there and engage in the school over the course of each day the examinations are on. The examinations will run from Monday, 16 November to Friday, 11 December, inclusive, and will run on evenings and weekends. It is a question of ensuring supports are available in schools for each of the times and dates on which examinations will be sat. Examinations will not be sat in all schools. Some 600 venues out of 740 will run examinations. In most, the number of candidates taking examinations will be very small. The protracted nature of the timetable means that there will not be a huge load, but it will be more likely to be at the earlier part of the timetable. The school can appoint a local superintendent and the State Examinations Commission can assign a superintendent to each venue to be the commission's eyes and ears, to be the custodian of the examination papers, to mind candidate entries, to look after the scripts and to return them to the State Examinations Commission. We have also made provision for additional costs arising in the school in respect of heat and light, PPE, cleaning equipment and additional sanitation which is required over the course of the examination. I believe the supports have been made available and we are engaging with schools on that.