Leaving Cert 2022 and whingeing students

Everyone is not equal entering the LC - but the LC treats everyone equally.

I thought History Queen explained it very well. I'd love to hear what airy means by the "reality"

(Not being snide, just curious)

I have a daughter in 6th and she really hopes exams proceed as normal.

Assessment of some sort has to take place, and standardized exams are the only way to ensure uniformity across the 60,000 plus lc students.

Of course that happened. No teacher knows what grades a pupil will achieve before the exam. I could not predict what each pupil in my class will get in an exam.

Might have a rough expectation but that can be way off on results day. In either direction.

So why would I underestimate.

What factors and what board? What you are saying is false.

What you said is not true.

Edit:I also didn't ask for evidence or you to prove anything, just to clarify what you were talking about.

How does making tye LC easier or less stressful make it more relevant to the challenges of university? Avoidance of exam stress is not a virtue in an education system.

Also, the proposed changes are being confused with a proper continuous assessment model. The obvious grade inflation seen last year is evidence of that.

Same here.

The hybrid model has produced massive grade inflation - leading to massive points inflation - and a whole lot of uncertainty for students.

The LC isn't the ideal system but at least it's a somewhat level playing field.

I Completely agree with everything you have said, my son is in LC and feels exactly the same regarding the possibility of predicted grades, it will be the worse possible outcome if they go ahead.

In other words completely different benefits depending on how relatively well off your parents are but you all do the same test. That's not the definition of equality of opportunity.

I agree with your points,

I also have a son in LC and he does not want predicted grades for exactly the reasons you've stated. It will be near impossible to get the course they want if predicted grades go ahead .A lot of places last year went to random selection, this will happen again, I know this is not something some students want to hear, but alas it's true, ...predicted grades are an easy option for Higher points without having to work and sit the exam 🙃

Post of the thread.

The memory test is simply outdated and not fit for purpose. But the continuous assessment model is the same, its just more drawn out. Eventually you will see everyone figuring out the system and gaining 400-600 points and point inflation makes the whole thing pointless anyway. We could never do the whole "interview for college places" here in Ireland as we are a wholly corrupt nation where it will be who you know etc.. The one thing about the one off exam is that it wouldn't allow this. The leaving cert as it stands though has been completely dumbed down from the one is sat in the early 2000s (even in the same exam format).

Would completely disagree with another poster who claimed multinationals are huge advocates for how great our educations system is. I've worked in finance and tech (fin-tech) and I can tell you now that i've seen first hand the frustration managers have had with graduate programme starters (the companines are usually US snobs who ask for an impressive degree/big L.C points) and they simply cannot understand how some of the new starters achieved such results based on their "on the job" performance. When left to figure things out, they usually struggle unless its completely black and white. Employer groups have highlighted this numerous times but its not sexy news.

Its easy for us old fogees (late 30s in my case) to pan the new generation, but things had been chipping away even in my days in school, people starting to lack resilience etc.. I find the younger generation are superb with utilising technology but the theory behind it is a mystery to them. The communication skill are generally very poor, the average college leaver has demands way above their actual abilities. And the lack of resilience is absolutely frightening, and when you couple that with their perpetually unlikely hopes of ever having a home to call their own, a pension, a family they can afford at a relative age, then it really is a bleak future, i'd hate to be a young person today.

I was lucky to go to university myself, but the most impressive work colleagues I have ever had were Irish nationals with no third level (1.they simply had to be good to get their foot in the door in the age where everyone has a degree and 2. stay there) and foreign nationals who may have done a masters here, but other than that they never encroached of our "world class" education system.

The points are inflated for predicted grades. The number who got 625 in 2021 was 6 times higher than in 2019. There were students who got 625 points who were refused entry to their preferred course because of the high number who got 625.

I agree that the leaving cert is not fit for purpose. I laugh when I see the league tables published. They make it look like it is a great achievement for that school. It's not in the slightest. It's to do with how much parents are willing to pay for grinds. I have friends who went to the top 10 schools in the league tables and they were getting grinds in at least 6 subjects for leaving cert. You can buy a good leaving cert if you are willing to pay enough to the top grinds people. That system is not fit for purpose.

The leaving cert needs to be overhauled but predicted grades are not the solution to that either. We should look more at open book exams similar to they do in colleges than a memory game.

The leaving cert should go ahead as normal this year. If we can be at school as normal then they can do exams as normal. They have greater choice in the questions they can answer in the exams and that is sufficient.

Is the Leaving Certificate a perfect system? Of course it is not. Are there any perfect systems out there in the world? Of course not. It is important to remember that one of the reasons so many multinationals moved to Ireland was its highly educated workforce. Of course, tax was also a big motivator but we should not underestimate the role that our education system played. I’d be very hesitant to go tampering with it. Some countries have ruined their education systems by trying to “modernise” them.