Thousands of Leaving Certificate students who have disabilities could be entitled to compensation by the Education Department following a Equality Authority decision.
The watchdog found that an exam results slip issued to two dyslexic students in August contained
Education Minister Mary Hanafin
footnotes which labelled them as dyslexic and undermined their right to privacy.
The Authority ordered the Department to pay €6,000 euro compensation to the schoolgirls and called for a new system to fairly assess the ability of all students.
It also demanded that the students be issued with new results slips. The footnotes stated that the students were not assessed in spelling, punctuation or grammar in some subjects.
The Department today said it would be appealing the decision to the Circuit Court under the Equal Status Act.
One of the complainants said during the hearing that her classmates had only discovered she was dyslexic when she showed them her results slip.
The Department said more than 10,000 exam students with disabilities were provided with educational tools in 2005 and may have received annotated results slips.
These included enlarged print, Braille translation, modified questions and use of a scribe, a reader, a personal assistant, a tape recorder and a word processor.
A spokesman added: "An annotation only applies where a core element of assessment in a particular subject is not assessed. This is used to ensure fairness and integrity vis a vis other students who have been assessed in these components, and in order not to mislead the end user of the certificate."
Education Minister Mary Hanafin has asked the State Examinations Commission to re-examine policy and practice in the area.
"It is important that our system continues to evolve in line with best practice and promote high standards of quality and integrity while ensuring access, participation and benefit for all students."