Norma Foley (Kerry, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

To the Deputy's suggestion that we are just ploughing on I would say, far from it. He should take time to study what has been put in place in terms of these exams in June. It is very clear the exams in June are very different from what has been offered previously. For example, students studying maths would traditionally have had ten questions to answer but there is such significant choice now that they only have to answer six on paper one and paper two. On the higher level English paper two there are three very significant bodies of study. Rather than answering three questions, students will only answer two. Those changes are across all sections, including the oral exams. In the Spanish oral exam, for example, students would have had to prepare for five role plays but this year they will only have to prepare for three. Likewise, with Irish where they would have had 20 sraith pictiúr, they now have ten. These significant changes are across the system and are an acknowledgement of what the students actually asked for. They asked that additional changes would be made to the papers and that has been achieved. They also raised the question of grade inflation and a commitment has been given that the grade inflation for 2022 will be on a par with 2021. In terms of the accredited grades, I have not heard Deputy Murphy propose any alternative. We have said there is an absence of data so it cannot be as fair as the system we were in a position to operate last year.

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