Professor Michael O'Leary:

For the sake of brevity, I will deal with the issue of fairness and, in order that I do not ramble on, I will just read out something I have written. The leaving certificate is fair insofar as everyone takes the same test under the same conditions. That includes anonymous marking. That is a fact. The public has confidence in the system, and that is important. However, students do not arrive at the testing centres with nothing but ability and a track record of diligent study separating them. Some had better teachers than others and some were able to avail of the benefits that economic advantage bestows - for example, grinds. Therefore, many of the problems students faced in 2020 and 2021, such as not having access to technology, not having a quiet space at home to study and so on, have been relevant to leaving certificate fairness long before the arrival of Covid-19.