Your education questions answered by Brian Mooney.
My daughter is sitting her Leaving Certificate this June. She is a great worker and should do well. One concern we have is that her writing is TINY. At school, teachers have commented on this and been frustrated when correcting exam papers for her in History (which she loves) and English especially. She is left-handed like her father. Trying to enlarge her writing at this crucial stage would, I think, be damaging. At primary school, teachers were so impressed with her handwriting that she gave classes to other left-handed children and won prizes for her writing. I know the size of her writing should not be a factor when her Leaving Cert papers are been checked but could it and what can be do to address this? Do you know whether there is any possibility of Department of Education allowing students to use keyboards (or computers) for exams or indeed for school work? Are they allowed in any other countries and do university students here use them?
Assistant Examiners in the State examinations have the responsibility of applying the agreed marking scheme objectively, fairly and consistently to all of the material produced by the candidate in the examination. If the assistant examiner is unable to access and therefore objectively evaluate the material presented because of presentation, including legibility, they can refer the relevant script to an Advising Examiner for advice and guidance. All examiners have a duty to the candidate to apply the marking scheme fairly, making every effort to access the material presented even where that proves difficult.
In this case, there appears to be a serious concern with regard to the legibility of this candidate's handwriting and her own teachers seem to have difficulty reading her writing. The State Examinations Commission operates a scheme of Reasonable Accommodations that this candidate may wish to consider. Candidates with permanent or long-term conditions, or specific learning difficulties, which they believe will significantly impair their performance in the examinations, may apply for a reasonable accommodation to be made to facilitate them.
In the appropriate circumstances, the reasonable accommodation granted may include permitting a candidate to use a typewriter or word-processor or to record their answers on tape recorder. Without knowing the full facts it is impossible for me to indicate whether this or any accommodation would be allowed for this candidate. Additional information on the scheme of Reasonable Accommodations may be found in the Candidates section of the commission's website www.examinations.ie. If your daughter decides to make an application for a reasonable accommodation, she should approach her school to make an application on her behalf.
As a practising guidance counsellor, I have dealt personally for a number of years with the Reasonable Accommodation section of the commission. I have always found them to be sympathetic to each student's circumstances and to make every effort to ensure every student is given the opportunity to perform to the maximum of their ability no matter how complex the arrangements that need to be made. Given that the examination is taking place in four months' time I would advise you to deal with this, because if a decision were made for your daughter to use either a word processor or a tape recorder it would be imperative that she becomes familiar with this method of taking examinations over the coming months.
Brian Mooney is president of the Institute of Guidance Counsellors. E-mail questions to bmooney@irish- times.ie
