Norma Foley (Kerry, Fianna Fail)
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Assessment adjustments have been made to examination instruments in recent years, in acknowledgement of the challenges that students faced during COVID-19 and the disruption to teaching and learning.

The state examinations for 2022 saw examinations for all students, Leaving Certificate and Junior Cycle, return for the first time since 2019. The assessment adjustments made in 2022 maintained the overall structure and layout of the examination paper, so that the examination papers remained familiar and involved, in almost all cases, providing further choice to candidates with reduction in the number of questions to be answered in the examination.

Adjustments were also made to exam assessment components in 2023. These are similar to the adjustments announced in August 2021, with appropriate updates. Those adjustments were more limited than the 2022 adjustments, which means that students in 2023 will have had an exam experience that is much closer to pre-pandemic norms as part of a gradual process of returning to normality following the pandemic. These adjustments were made with due regard to principles of equity, fairness and integrity.

In May 2023, I announced that the same adjustments to assessment arrangements that applied in 2023 will apply for 2024 students also. This means that there will be comparability across assessment between 2024 and 2023 for the first time since the pandemic.

For Politics and Society, the adjustments to sections A and B of the Higher Level paper have remained the same since 2022 and will continue to apply for 2024. Adjustments made to section C in 2022 required students to complete one out of the five essay questions available. In 2023, students were asked to complete two out of five essay questions. The same adjustment applies for 2024. Prior to the pandemic, students were required to complete two out of four essay questions.

For the Ordinary Level paper, the adjustments to Section A and B have also remained the same since 2022 and will again apply for 2024. Adjustments made to Section C in 2022 required students to answer two out of six essay questions. In 2023, students were required to answer three of the six essay questions. The same adjustment applied for 2024. All essay questions in section C on the Ordinary Level paper have cues and prompts to scaffold candidates’ responses. Prior to the pandemic, students were required to answer three out of six essay questions, with no cues or prompts provided.