Towards a Better Future

Towards a Better Future: A Review of the Irish School System
Qualifications Ireland (QQI) Level 6 qualifications. In addition, quotas of places are set aside in all
Higher Education Institutions (HEIs), under the Higher Education Access Route (HEAR) and
Disability Access Route to Education (DARE) schemes, for students from disadvantaged
backgrounds and for students with disabilities (HEA, 2016). In the case of these students, contextual
factors such as special educational needs, educational history, home circumstances etc. are taken into
account in selection. This chapter will focus on the transition of students from second-level to higher
education and will not address the selection of mature students, international students, or those
entering the system with QQI further education (formerly FETAC) qualifications.
Irish HEIs focus almost entirely on student performance in the Leaving Certificate when selecting
applicants, unlike HEIs in some other countries, where factors such as performance on Standardised
Aptitude Tests (SATs), school references, applicants’ involvement and success in extra-curricular
activities, personal achievements and motivation, performance at interviews etc., are also taken into
account. In countries which have national assessment and certification at the end of second-level
education, applicants’ results in national examinations are usually taken into account for third-level
selection, but these results are often just one of a number of factors taken into consideration
(Kellaghan, 1995).
There is a heavy emphasis in the (established) Leaving Certificate in Ireland on the terminal or endof-cycle
examination, which is marked and graded by external examiners. Most subjects are
examined by one three-hour examination paper,
with the exception of Irish, English and
“
Mathematics, where students sit two three-hour
papers 1 . In some subjects, other modes of
assessment are used in addition to the terminal
written examination. For example, in languages,
a component of the marks is allocated for an oral
exam; in Geography and History, students may
submit a written project in advance of the
examinations. There are also practical/
performance assessments in subjects such as
Music and Art. However, unlike other countries
where a significant proportion of marks in
There is a heavy emphasis in
the (established) Leaving
Certificate in Ireland on the
terminal or end-of-cycle
examination, which is marked
and graded by external
examiners.
”
national (or state) examinations are allocated for continuous school-based (and teacher-marked)
assessment 2 , the Irish Leaving Certificate is entirely marked by external examiners with no
involvement in marking or grading by the students’ own teachers.
1. In practice, three hours and 20 minutes are allowed for examination papers that have a high linguistic component, e.g. English and History.
2. However, there is an increasing tendency in other countries to reduce the element of internal marking and to increase the proportion
allocated to external marking.
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