John Perry (Sligo-Leitrim, Fine Gael)
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Question 162: To ask the Minister for Education and Science if she has received correspondence from a person (details supplied) in County Roscommon; if she will address the issues raised; the present position on implementing new changes to the format of the leaving certificate; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [40988/06]

Mary Hanafin (Dún Laoghaire, Fianna Fail)
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I understand that a letter was received in my office from the person referred to by the Deputy regarding the format of the Leaving Certificate Examination.

The State Examinations Commission has statutory responsibility for operational matters relating to the certificate examinations, including organising the holding of examinations and issuing the results of examinations.

The issues raised in the correspondence relate to the need for a spread of assessment points, undue demand on students in the June examinations, and the scope for earlier results and repeat examinations.

A range of components in the Leaving Certificate examinations already take place prior to June. For example, course work in Home Economics Scientific and Social is required to be completed by November. The Engineering project is required to be completed in March. The oral examinations are completed in April, in addition to the LCVP Link Modules portfolio, the practical course work elements of Religion, History and Geography, Agricultural Science, and Agricultural Economics, elective course work in Home Economics, the practical component of Music and the Construction Studies Project. The practical examination in Engineering, Construction, Art and the elective in composing in Music take place in May as well as the written examination for the LCVP Link Modules.

The Leaving Certificate Applied programme also provides for completion of assessment components throughout the cycle.

I am acutely aware of the importance of ensuring a spread of assessment points, and of the need to move away from the heavy demand placed on students in the June terminal examinations. I have asked the State Examinations Commission to discuss this issue with the partners in education to see how it might best be addressed. The issue is also being progressed in the context of the reforms proposed by the National Council for Curriculum and Assessment in regard to subjects in senior cycle. These will provide for the embedding of key skills, a strengthening of ICT, practical project and portfolio work, and the inclusion of a second assessment component in subjects where this does not exist at present, providing for a spread of assessment points.

I have been advised that there is little scope for the earlier issue of results or for repeat examinations given the scale of the Leaving Certificate and the nature of the examinations which are centrally set and externally marked. There were over 54,000 candidates in the 2006 Leaving Certificate examinations. The Junior and Leaving Certificate examinations combined involve over 114,000 candidates, almost 1 million grades and 2 million test items.