A chara, – In September 2023, Minister for Education Norma Foley announced that nine new and revised Leaving Cert subjects will be introduced in 2025 and will be examined for the first time in 2027, with other revised subjects rolled out in subsequent years. In order to reduce pressure on students in the written examinations at the end of sixth year, 40 per cent of the overall marks for each subject will be allocated for externally assessed components that are not a traditional written examination.
The revised curriculum for the science subjects (biology, chemistry and physics) has recently been released for consultation by the National Council for Curriculum and Assessment (Carl O’Brien, “Leaving Cert students to complete science ‘research investigations’ worth 40 per cent under new reforms”, Education, December 13, 2023). A total of 40 per cent of the marks will be allocated for an investigative project in each subject, details and results of which will be submitted electronically to the State Examinations Commission on a pre-prepared template by the students toward the end of the second term of sixth year.
Leaving Cert students in Ireland generally study seven (or sometimes eight) subjects. By the end of this decade it is likely that students will have to submit four or five projects at the end of the second term of sixth year. This could include two science subjects, or even three science subjects, if one includes computer science and applied maths.
Will this requirement reduce or increase the pressure on Leaving Cert students? Will all schools be in a position to provide the resources (access to science laboratories, computers, scientific materials and equipment, etc) required by the students for their individual investigative (research) project? Will the 40 per cent allocation widen the gap between students who have their own computer and access to relevant resources and support outside school, and their less advantaged peers? And what about support from ChatGPT or other generative artificial intelligence (AI)? Will it be possible for either the student’s teacher or the external examiner to guarantee that the project has not been assisted by AI?
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Answers (with supporting evidence) to the National Council for Curriculum and Assessment before the close of consultation on February 23rd, 2024. – Yours, etc,
ÁINE HYLAND,
(Emeritus Professor of Education,
University College Cork),
Dalkey,
Co Dublin.