Leaving Certificate appeals have fallen by nearly 50 per cent this year after candidates were allowed, for the first time, to see their marked papers. The appeal results will arrive in schools this morning.
There were around 6,000 appeals this year - out of around 425,000 grades and more than 64,000 candidates - compared to 11,750 last year. Students were able to see their marked papers in 20 out of 31 subjects. There were 1,087 upgrades and two downgrades.
The low figure is not completely surprising given that only around 10 per cent asked to see their papers. There had been fears, particularly in the teacher unions, that in the first year of operation the plan to allow students to see marked scripts might lead to the system being swamped. In New Zealand, the only other country in the English-speaking world which operates such a system, there was a significant increase in appeals in the first year of its operation.
A Department of Education spokesman said yesterday: "The opportunity to view exam scripts gave a very strong vote of confidence in the exam procedures."The appeals period was also extended by nearly two weeks. Separate from the appeal process, the work of three examiners was totally remarked, and as a result there were 348 upgrades in German and Geography.