Students will no longer be asked to write for over six hours on any Leaving Cert day under a major review of the exam timetable planned by Minister for Education Mary Hanafin.
Ms Hanafin told The Irish Times the current situation, where higher-level students are often required to spend six hours and 40 minutes writing in one day, is unacceptable.
"No one in the course of their work is asked to write for this length of time," she said.
The Minister hopes to move to introduce the reform swiftly, but pointed out that all types of reform of the exam need a twoyear lead-in to facilitate fifth-year students. She said the timetable changes would move in parallel with the other reforms she is planning.
These involve a two-stage Leaving Cert, where students will take part of their exam before June to reduce the level of stress.
Yesterday, Ms Hanafin said the second component will probably be taken after Easter in the exam year, as orals and practicals have also to be completed. At present, students taking higher-level subjects like Irish, English and history can find themselves writing solidly for nearly seven hours.
But the Minister wants to move to a situation where there is a "proper balance" between writing-intensive courses and other subjects.
Speaking about maths, she said she did not favour the abolition of foundation maths, but agreed with proposals that the subject needed to be modernised.
She envisages a new maths course which would be more practical and would relate to real-life issues like mortgage payments. She also said the whole issue of in-service training for teachers needed to be examined.
The National Association of Principals and Deputy Principals (NAPD) last night called on Ms Hanafin to convene a national forum within the next six months.
This should address the "worrying" fact that two-thirds of post-primary students are taking grinds, as well as issues such as the lack of fairness in first-time students competing for places on high-point courses against repeat students. The NAPD said no student should feel a sense of failure as a person because of the results released today.
Meanwhile, the State Examinations Commission yesterday said 52 results of individual Leaving Cert examination subjects had been withheld in subjects such as Irish, English and maths. A further 100 results were not being released pending further communication with the schools and candidates concerned.
Withholding of results occurs if a candidate attempts to gain advantage in the examination in a manner which contravenes exam regulations.