Update from Education Minister on State Exams

The Minister for Education and Skills, Joe McHugh TD, has today (Thursday, 19 March 2020) announced the cancellation of oral and practical performance tests of the state examinations which were originally scheduled to take place from Monday 23 March to Friday 3 April 2020. 

All students who were due to take these tests will be awarded full marks for this portion of the exam. 

The decision was taken in light of the closure of schools as a result of the Covid-19 virus and it will be implemented by the State Examinations Commission (SEC). 

Minister McHugh said: “This is a difficult time for all. Students are facing a challenging period out of school and our decision on this element of the exams is being taken with their best interests at heart. 

“It is the fairest response we could take in the circumstances. It guarantees that no student will score less than they would have if schools had been operating as normal. 

“We have seen a new emphasis on remote learning amid the uncertainty about the impact of Covid-19 and the closure of all schools. I hope this decision will ease some of the pressure that students are feeling and allow them to focus more clearly on completing project work and preparing for written exams.” 

The change to the 2020 state examinations means all students who were due to take oral and practical performance tests in the following subjects will be given full marks for this part of the examination: 

• Oral tests in Leaving Certificate Irish and the Modern Languages of French, German, Spanish, Italian, Russian and Japanese.
• Practical performance tests in Leaving Certificate Music.
• Practical performance tests in Junior Certificate Music and Home Economics. 

As outlined this morning by the Minister, at this point all remaining practical and written exams are scheduled to proceed as planned and so students should continue to prepare with this in mind. 

Full details available here on the Department of Education & Skills' website - https://www.education.ie/en/Press-Events/Press-Releases/2020-press-releases/PR20-03-19.html

The State Examinations Commission has also released a press statement which provides further clarification on this morning's announcement - https://www.examinations.ie/misc-doc/EN-PR-99651218.pdf