Norma Foley (Kerry, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

It is important to point out that, as a matter of policy, the provision of estimated marks is grounded fundamentally in the professional judgment of teachers and an in-school alignment before submission to the SEC. The definition of "estimated mark" in the Bill provides clarity on what professional judgment is understood to encompass. The process through which professional judgment is exercised would make it impossible that another person unknown to the student could be expected to review the evidence as a candidate's teacher had done, acknowledging that some of it will have been based on observation over the course of the entire senior cycle, and then be asked to provide an estimated mark that could be compared with the one initially provided. This would make the design of such an appeal system, even if it were desired, difficult and potentially impossible. The appeal process would also be highly likely to last several weeks, if not longer, and impede the candidate's progression to further study, or at least not facilitate it in terms of later rounds of offers. Accordingly, I cannot accept the amendment.