Ms Amber Sheridan O'Callaghan:

It would be very beneficial to do continuous assessment. I personally would have preferred it, especially if there were two continuous assessments, one in fifth year and one in sixth year, and an end-of-year exam for students who might prefer exams to continuous assessments. They can then all be weighed up to 30% or 40% of the overall mark or something like that. It then gives people a chance to pass the subject on continuous assessments instead of the exam alone.

I did not do very well in my leaving certificate because of the stress and pressures. I continued on to do two post-leaving certificate courses before I started studying psychology. I had to do that because I had no idea what I wanted to do. Everything I learned on the leaving certificate curriculum was just not beneficial for me at all, for example, the oral exams and all that. I do not know about anyone else but I walked out of my first oral exam and refused to do it because it was so stressful trying to talk to a stranger. I am now doing Spanish as a minor subject in college. The lecturer is the one who does the oral exam and is someone I am comfortable with. An external examiner listens back to the recording. I find that way better.