Norma Foley (Kerry, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

As I outlined, I have engaged with all the stakeholders, including parents, students, teachers and school management bodies. I have listened to the proposals they put on the table and evaluated each one of them. They were primarily around making additional changes to the written papers - the exams as we know them - and I answered that. Substantial additional changes have been made to the papers. I was also asked to consider grade inflation. I am amazed that the only people the Deputy heard speaking about grade inflation were from the Opposition. In fact, grade inflation was raised by many people around the table, including students. I have addressed the issue of grade inflation.

The matter of accredited grades was also raised. We did look at it. It is important that there be comparability or standardisation as part of the accredited grades process. It is important that the data available are the data belonging to the students, as was the case last year, because that is the fairest. Because of the absence of data, we were not in a position for accredited grades to be as fair as they were last year to the class of 2021.

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