Moves towards reform of the Leaving Cert timetable gained fresh momentum yesterday as the Labour Party joined criticism about what it called the "wanton cruelty" of the exam schedule.

Minister for Education Mary Hanafin has already signalled her determination to press ahead with plans for a new two-stage Leaving. This would see the initial exam in Irish and English taken in May. Yesterday, higher-level candidates spent six hours and 10 minutes in the exam hall.

Last night, the Labour Party spokeswoman on education, Jan O'Sullivan, said students were being asked to cope with "a virtually impossible" examination timetable.

Ms Hanafin's plans for reform of the timetable has met resistance from the Joint Managerial Board - which manages most second-level schools in the State - and other school management groups, who say this would present logistical difficulties for schools.

Ms O'Sullivan criticised the failure of Ms Hanafin to make progress on the issue.

"In her various radio interviews, the Minister sounded more like a concerned parent than the politician who has actually had political responsibility for this area for three years with her 'someone, somewhere, should do something' approach.

"She has talked about fundamental restructuring of the Leaving Certificate in particular, but has failed to deliver."

Ms O'Sullivan added: "It is simply unacceptable that pupils doing the Leaving Cert should, for instance, be asked to spend six hours and 10 minutes handwriting answers to questions on the English paper.

"A pupil taking English, maths, Irish and geography will be asked to spend 19 hours and 10 minutes spread over the first four days responding to very challenging exam papers. This sort of timetable is at best placing pupils under extreme pressure and at worst subjecting them to wanton cruelty."

She added that the exam timetable was "still being organised to suit the needs of the schools and the State Examinations Commission, rather than being designed to enable the pupils to bring the best out of themselves".

Labour has also backed proposals from the Teachers' Union of Ireland, which would see the main subjects like Irish, English and maths spread more evenly across the 13-day timetable.

The leading youth organisation, Youth Work Ireland, has welcomed Ms Hanafin's plan for reform.

The organisation, whose members run educational initiatives around the country, has long called for radical overhaul of the exam, particularly to combat early school leaving.

The group warned, however, that the process needs to look at the exam and syllabus in the broadest possible way and focus on the interests of young people by involving all of them in any changes.

Michael McLoughlin of Youth Work said: "The Minister is right to keep this issue on the agenda, but a reform only to the timing of certain papers is not enough. There is a need for a much wider debate involving continuous assessment, credit systems, team working, critical thinking and industry linkage."