Should Results be earlier?

Ogham

As a parent of 4 children - one who did Junior Cert in 2005 and one will be doing it in 2007 - I was wondering what other parents. teachers or pupils feel about the timing of the results. I think that releasing them during the holidays would be better . If a pupil is not doing Tran Year - then the results might affect subject choices for leaving cert. The first 2 or 3 weeks of school seem to be on a go slow waiting for the JC results. Not to mention the stress and disturbance caused by celebrations or poor results being recieved during term time. Maybe I'm over reacting?
I realise the examinations commission will say that LC takes priority - but they could probably speed things up if they had the will to and possibly the funding.
Does anyone else have any opinion on this?

Thanks

Acid_Violet

I really don't think the question is should the results be released earlier, but could they be released earlier.

spurious

What happens is....

Almost all the SEC resources are committed to processing the corrected LC scripts as they start coming in from the end of July - usually starting about the second or third week. Once the LC results are out, then the attention switches to the JC.

They do a pretty good job to get them out within a month as it is, given the numbers of papers and candidates involved, but of course they could do it quicker, if they hired temporary staff, with all the risks that that implies.

Piste

It's not absolutely necessary and would cost more money which would be much better spent elsewhere if results were to be brought out earlier, so no I don't think the results date should be changed from September.

philologos

no LC results should have priority before the JC as obviously its more crucial to LC'ers to get their points for college and the like

phenomenon

correcting state exams is an absolute nightmare...you wouldn't believe the amount of work involved. Each paper is marked several times to keep it in line with marking schemes and to ensure the quota for the number of A, B,C etc grades is reached. Its actually quite a feat that they are finished by the 2nd week of september imo

Slippin Jimmy

I done my Junior this year and I have to say that I think that it is better getting the results when we go back, on the 13th. My arguement for this would be, that it gives people to look something to look forward or to dread depending on what the case may be. But it also gives students time to settle into 5th year or ty. I think that if we got the results during the Summer everyone would have tended to be more hyper in class. I think that getting it at that time of year is very suitable because it gives you a chance to settle into the new year and eases you into it. It is a nice and easy two weeks.

greg678

Of course they should be, the fact that you have to choose your LC subjects before you get your results is a joke


But then again, is it possible, and the LC should take priority

Slippin Jimmy

greg678 wrote:

the fact that you have to choose your LC subjects before you get your results is a joke

I must admit that is a bit stupid the way that you've to pick your subjects before you know what you got. Maybe a better way to do business would be to let all JC students have the extra two weeks off to make up for doing the exam during the summer. Then when they come back they choose their subjects.

PurpleFistMixer

I don't know how it works in other schools, but in mine, they need us to pick subjects so they can a) find out which classes will even occur that year, and b) timetable them (which I'd guess is a very tricky thing indeed), so.. that would explain why you need to pick your subjects.

But, I dunno, would you not have a fair idea of your ability at a subject before getting your results anyway? I mean, if you've been failing consistently throughout the Junior cycle, you might gather you shouldn't be doing that subject for LC or whatnot.