Conor McGuinness (Waterford, Sinn Fein)
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447. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills if her Department has considered the risks that could be posed to the integrity of the State examinations by allowing students to work on their additional assessment components outside of the supervised school environment with access to third parties and artificial intelligence; and the steps her Department is planning to take to counter such risks. [34341/25]

Helen McEntee (Meath East, Fine Gael)
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The Leaving Certificate is highly regarded and trusted as a system of assessment and maintaining confidence in the qualification is critically important to me as MinisterCurrently, almost three-quarters of all Leaving Certificate subjects include components other the final written examination which vary by subject, and include oral and aural examinations, practical performances, coursework and project work. They are designed to assess students’ skills and competencies, in a way that a terminal written examination cannot. Under the programme of Senior Cycle Redevelopment all Leaving Certificate subjects will have Additional Assessment Components

AACs which take the form of coursework are designed so that the associated teaching and learning takes place across the whole of the two years of a leaving certificate course. As is the case now in relation to Leaving Certificate coursework, regular, comprehensive engagement with each students work over the period they are completing on their coursework enable teachers to authenticate any work being submitted.

As the Deputy will be aware, there are detailed rules for the acceptance and authentication of coursework for the state examinations. The arrangements for the acceptance and authentication of coursework for the State examinations are outlined in relevant circulars issued annually by the State Examinations Commission (SEC). All examinations coursework must be the candidate’s unaided, individual work, verified by the candidate, the class teacher, and the school management representatives. The existing authentication arrangements include oversight of the process of producing coursework in the school by the class teacher, and confirmation of the integrity of the process by the school principal.

Candidates must also act with integrity in line with the rules so that the process is fair for all.

The subject specific information issued by the SEC reinforces the message that all examinations coursework must be the candidate’s unaided, individual work, verified by the candidate, the class teacher and the school principal or their management representative. These rules apply regardless of the form (e.g. digital booklet; portfolio; physical artefact).

Since the 2023 examinations, the SEC has updated its general and subject specific documentation to include an instruction in relation to material generated by AI software. The instruction makes clear that any material generated by AI software will be treated in the same way as any other material that the candidate has not generated themselves.

I understand from the SEC that any incidence of suspected copying, improper assistance from another party, plagiarism or procurement of pieces prepared by another party (which includes the use of AI software), or any other suspected infraction, are thoroughly investigated by the SEC. The candidate is liable to have penalties imposed including the lose marks or the full result in a subject. There may also be serious consequences for any person who provides candidates with inappropriate assistance under Section 52 (Offences) of the Education Act 1998.

For the revised Leaving Certificate subject specifications, beginning with Tranche One of subjects in September 2025, the National Council for Curriculum and Assessment (NCCA) have worked closely with the SEC to publish specific guidelines for the completion of Additional Assessment Components.

The AAC guidelines explain the steps students follow during the two-year course, with teachers closely monitoring and authenticating their work across several distinct stages of activity. These activities contribute to the generation of student evidence of learning and achievement. Depending on the subject, students will keep a log, portfolio, or folder documenting their processes. These are shared with the teacher to facilitate regular check-ins with the students’ work, supporting teachers in the ongoing process of authentication.

A robust authentication process is central to ensuring the integrity of any assessment process. School-based authentication by teachers of students’ work is essential to the fair and equitable assessment of that work. While it is neither practicable nor necessary for teachers to witness all aspects of students’ work, teachers need to be satisfied that students have carried out the work themselves. Regular, comprehensive engagement with each student’s work on their AAC will enable teachers to confidently and legitimately authenticate any work being submitted for assessment.