The Irish Second-Level Students’ Union (ISSU) welcomes and supports today’s announcement by Minister for Education Norma Foley that Leaving Certificate 2021 students will have a choice between SEC accredited grades, written exams, or both. We also welcome the clarity that has been provided to Junior Cycle students.

Since the beginning of the state exams negotiations, the ISSU has consistently called for Clarity, Choice and Compassion for students. We believe that these elements have now  been taken into account by the Department and education stakeholders in the provisions for the 2021 Leaving Certificate. 

ISSU Education Officer, Alicia O’Sullivan, today said: “We are delighted that students have finally received clarity about their state exams. We are also proud that we have delivered choice for students. As a stakeholder, we at the ISSU have brought pragmatic and realistic proposals to the table, many of which are evident in today’s announcement. The student voice has been heard in these negotiations, and we will continue to work to ensure that is always the case”.

The ISSU does, however, regret that students who opt-in to receive calculated grades will not receive them before the written examinations. Speaking about this, ISSU President, Reuban Murray stated: “We have repeatedly presented proposals and timelines to the Advisory Group and the State Exams Commission in an effort to provide these results to students before the written exams, however, it became apparent that this would be an impossible task. The ISSU will never advocate for unrealistic solutions that would give our members false hope.” 

The ISSU will continue to engage with the Department of Education and education stakeholders through the Advisory Group on State Examinations to ensure that this process is as fair as possible for students. This will include pushing for fairer solutions with regard to the appeals system and further choice on written exam papers, as well as ensuring that the algorithm for calculated grades stands up to scrutiny.