Norma Foley (Kerry, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I reiterate that the reason the exams did not take place at the traditional time, which would have been June, or the deferred time, which would have been July, was because of the prevailing circumstances at that time. It was not possible at the time, under public health advice, for exams to take place. For that reason, the calculated grades process and the opportunity to take the written exams in November were introduced. I am not clear on the Deputy's point. Is she asserting that the exams in November should not take place? I think it is right and proper that the opportunity is afforded to students, should they wish to avail of it, and they can then choose between the calculated grades process and written exams process, whichever benefits them most.

The marking of the November exams will rely principally on the expert judgment of the SEC chief examiner and members of the senior examining team, based on the content of the exam papers and demands of the marking scheme. This expert judgment approach will ensure that the standards applied in the marking of these examinations will be fair and valid for these candidates, who form a small subset of the overall candidature for leaving certificate 2020.

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