Leaving Cert students sitting the English exam in future are likely to face oral tests at the end of fifth year where they will be quizzed on plays or books they have studied.
Students will be expected to “engage in two-way communication” and to “make connections, gain insights, synthesise and evaluate ideas” in an assessment worth 20 per cent.
There are also plans for a separate creative writing task, also worth 20 per cent, where candidates will be asked to produce an original piece in response to a brief during class time.
Under the proposals, the traditional written exam will go from two papers to one and will be worth 60 per cent.
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While there will be a higher and lower written exam, the oral exam and creative writing tasks will be a “common level” assessment.
Plans for the revised English exam are set out in a document produced by the National Council for Curriculum and Assessment (NCCA). A public consultation on the changes will run until early May.
A new syllabus is expected to roll out for students starting fifth year in 2027.
It forms part of sweeping reforms to the Leaving Cert aimed at reducing stress on students by awarding more marks for project work and less on final written exams in June.
Teaching unions, however, want to pause the reforms amid “grave concern” that aspects of the plans pose a threat to education standards, fairness and quality.
They also have voiced concerns over the potential use of artificial intelligence (AI) by students and difficulties authenticating students’ work.
The Association of Secondary Teachers in Ireland (ASTI) wants teachers to be indemnified from any legal actions that may arise over students’ misuse of AI.
Minister for Education Helen McEntee has pledged to work with teachers to address their concerns and said supports and resources will be put in place to provide in-service training as well as access to sample exam papers.
She has said there is time to address teachers' concerns between now and September.
The issues are set to dominate the annual conferences of the ASTI and Teachers’ Union of Ireland at Easter.
The planned Leaving Cert oral exam, meanwhile, is intended to allow students to compare texts from a prescribed list. This may include novels, plays, films or documentaries.
The assessment – to be conducted by an external examiner – will focus on the student’s ability to engage in “meaningful, two-way communication, using English appropriately and effectively to negotiate meaning”. Comparisons and insights developed by the student will be the focus of discussion with the examiner.
In the creative writing task, students will be expected to document the various stages of the creative process.
