Post by Admin on Sept 2, 2017 11:31:56 GMT
This is a full guide to everything you, the candidate, need to know for the Leaving Cert exams whether be it Appeals, Reasonable Accommodation etc.
Introduction
When do the examinations start?
The written examinations for the Leaving Certificate start normally on the first Wednesday in June and end on the fourth Friday of the month. 2018's LC exams for example will be from Wednesday, June 6th to Friday, June 22nd. As the time gets closer to the examinations, an official LC timetable will be issued to your school showing the dates and times your exams take place.
Entering for the Examinations
How does the SEC obtain details of candidates and their chosen subjects?
In the case of candidates attending post-primary schools the necessary details are provided to the SEC by candidates themselves through the schools. The SEC verifies this information with the school and the candidates prior to the examinations. A copy of the entry details is provided to the Central Applications Office (CAO) to assist it in processing applications by candidates for college places.
Similarly, examination candidates not attending Post-Primary schools (i.e. external candidates) provide their details to the SEC through an on-line service available on www.examinations.ie.
The Examination
What do the colours of the examination papers mean?
Leaving Certificate Higher Level examination papers are Pink, Leaving Certificate Ordinary Level examination papers are Blue and Leaving Certificate Foundation Level examination papers are Peach. All subjects for the Leaving Certificate Applied examination are common level and the colour of the examination paper for these subjects is Cream. A notice displaying the colours of all examination papers will be displayed in the examination hall and is re-produced at the back of this booklet. Candidates should familiarise themselves with the colours of the examination papers.
How are the examinations supervised?
A Superintendent supervises each examination centre and oversees the running of the examinations. This includes distributing examination papers and answer books, ensuring that the examinations start and finish at the correct times and that you have a suitable environment in which to sit your examinations.
Are there detailed rules regarding the conduct of candidates?
Yes. These deal with matters such as the times of attendance, leaving the centre before the end of the examination, copying, etc. The rules are set out at the end of this booklet and you should ensure that you are fully familiar with these rules before the examinations begin. Your responsibility is to ensure that you comply with these rules at all times.
Are there rules governing completion of practical coursework?
Yes. All practical coursework must be your own individual work. You must complete practical coursework under the supervision of the subject teacher so that the teacher can monitor progress on a regular basis and be in a position to verify that the work is your own individual work.
What happens if someone helps me with my examination?
There may be serious consequences for anyone involved in improperly assisting you as the Education Act 1998 provides for certain offences in relation to the conduct of the examinations. Any cases of suspected copying, improper assistance, plagiarism or procurement of pieces prepared by someone else will be thoroughly investigated and you are liable to have penalties imposed.
What are the penalties if I break the rules?
It depends. In general, if you violate the rules in respect of a component completed in a non-invigilated examination (i.e. work completed over a period of time such as project work, coursework, etc.) you are likely to lose all of the marks for that component. If you violate the rules in an invigilated examination (such as a written examination, an oral test or a practical test) you are likely to lose the result for the entire subject. Note though that more serious penalties can apply, depending on the gravity of the offence and these include withholding all of the results of the examination (the entire Leaving Certificate) and/or debarment from entering for future state examinations. Penalties are applied in line with Rule 76 of the Rules and Programmes for Secondary Schools. The SEC will also consider whether the incident represents an offence under Section 52 of the Education Act. If it is considered that an offence has been committed then the incident will be pursued under the legislation.
Is it possible to get the work I submitted for the examinations returned to me?
Rule 28 of the Rules and Programmes for Secondary Schools, issued by the Department of Education & Skills provides that: “All materials (answer-books, drawing paper, maps, diagrams, pictures, question papers, tapes etc.) issued by the Commission for the purpose of recording candidates answers to the questions set in the examinations held by the Commission are and remain the property of the Commission. Materials not issued by the Commission but forwarded to the Commission for marking, become the property of the Commission”. All examination scripts and materials held by the SEC are the property of the SEC and are not returned to candidates but may be available to view during the viewing of scripts. Further information on the viewing of scripts is available at Page 9 of this booklet. The SEC marks almost 1 million Leaving Certificate components each year and it would not be feasible to return this material to candidates. In relation to work that is originally marked in the schools e.g. Construction studies projects, Craftwork for Art etc., this can be returned upon request once the Appeals Process is finished.
Are there ever mistakes on the examination paper? If so, what does the SEC do?
The SEC has extensive measures in place during the paper setting process to prevent errors from happening in the first place or to detect them before the examination happens. Unfortunately, in all examination systems, and no matter how extensive these measures are, there will be rare occasions when an error in an examination paper is not detected in advance. We follow the core principle that candidates should not be disadvantaged as a result of any error on a question paper. In the case of any error, we will put measures in place to ensure, as far as possible, that this principle is upheld. These measures will vary, because they will result from a detailed analysis of the likely and observed impact of the error on candidates’ work. Further details on how errors in examination papers are dealt with are available on our website at www.examinations.ie.
Will this year’s examination be of the same standard as other years?
The SEC has a responsibility to maintain consistent examining standards from one year to the next. It lays down detailed procedures that the people involved in setting the examination papers must follow to ensure that, as far as can be predicted in advance, each examination will be similar in demand to those that went before. If any unevenness in the level of difficulty of the examination remains despite these procedures, this is dealt with through the marking scheme and its application. The draft marking scheme, which is prepared before the examination, is considered carefully after the examination by subject experts. As well as their own knowledge and experience, they take account of observations from teacher groups and others. They trial a version of the marking scheme on a random sample of candidate work, to check whether it is fair and to determine whether the paper and marking scheme combine to reflect the same examining standards as in previous years. They adjust it if necessary and then all the candidate work is marked using this final version of the marking scheme. Further details on how the standard setting and marking processes are conducted, including quality assurance measures, are available on the SEC website at www.examinations.ie.
How long does the SEC keep my examination material?
The SEC policy on holding of examination material (scripts, artefacts, projects, recording of tests etc.) is based on our obligations under the Data Protection Acts to hold data only for so long as is required for the purpose of running the examinations. Therefore for the majority of candidates the SEC holds examination material until the appeal process is complete. If you do not appeal an examination result we will arrange to confidentially dispose of your examination material by the end of the year. If you appeal your examination result we will retain your examination material until the appeal process is complete. The SEC arranges for the confidential disposal of appeal examination material which is no longer required.
Reasonable Accommodations
How are candidates with physical and learning difficulties accommodated?
If you have a permanent or long-term condition, including visual and hearing difficulties, or a learning difficulty, which significantly impairs your performance in the examinations you or your school will have already applied to the SEC for a reasonable accommodation. In some cases, the accommodation involves being exempted from being tested on something that other candidates are tested on, such as having accurate spelling.
The reasonable accommodations are intended to:
(a) remove, as far as possible, the impact of the disability on the candidate’s performance and thus enable the candidate to demonstrate his or her level of attainment, and
(b) ensure that, whilst giving candidates every opportunity to demonstrate their level of attainment, the special arrangements will not give the candidate an unfair advantage over other candidates in the same examination.
Examples of reasonable accommodations include: access to reading assistance, modified papers, Braille translations or examination papers in large print. It can also include allowing you record your answers on a recording device or word processor or to dictate your answers to a scribe. If you have been granted a reasonable accommodation you will have received a copy of the SEC letter regarding same and will be aware of the exact nature of the accommodation which is to be provided. If you have any queries on reasonable accommodations please refer to this letter and the booklets on Reasonable Accommodations at the 2017 Certificate Examinations: ‘Guide for Students’ and ‘Instructions for Schools’
How are candidates who suffer illness or accidents immediately prior to or during the examinations accommodated?
Where possible, reasonable accommodations are also made for a candidate who has an accident immediately prior to or during the examinations. If this happens to you please contact your school immediately. An example of this type of accommodation is making provision for a candidate to sit the examinations in hospital. It is not possible to make arrangements for the sitting of examinations other than on the day they are due to be held.
Use of Bilingual Dictionaries in the Certificate Examinations
The State Examinations Commission (SEC) permits the use of bilingual translation dictionaries in the certificate examinations by candidates whose first language is not English or Irish.
• Candidates may use a bilingual dictionary between the candidate’s mother tongue and English or Irish (e.g. Russian-English-English-Russian) but not a monolingual one (e.g. a Russian dictionary where words are explained in Russian).
• The candidate may use such a bilingual dictionary in all examinations except:
o an examination in the candidate’s mother tongue
o an examination in Irish
o an examination in English
o an examination in a language closely related to the candidate’s mother tongue.
• The bilingual dictionary used must not contain same-language explanations or definitions.
• The use of an electronic dictionary, glossary, wordlist or translator is not permitted.
• The dictionary used must not contain any additional annotation.
• Bilingual Dictionaries should conform to Circular S93/16 Use of Bilingual Dictionaries in the Certificate Examinations
The Marking Process
Who marks my work?
Examiners, typically experienced teachers in the particular subject are appointed by the SEC to carry out the marking. They are trained and monitored by staff from the SEC’s Examination and Assessment Division.
How is my work marked?
In order to ensure that the work of each candidate is marked in the same manner, a marking scheme is prepared for each examination. This marking scheme is much more detailed than the allocation of marks shown on the examination paper and deals with the allowable ways of answering each question. The marking scheme is finalised by experienced examiners at conferences held shortly after the examinations. This allows account to be taken of observations on the examination paper by the teacher association for the subject and other interested parties. The SEC subsequently publishes a marking scheme for each subject. The marking schemes will be available in schools and on www.examinations.ie at the end of August in time for the viewing of scripts.
How is the marking process monitored?
The marking of examination work is monitored by the Chief Examiner who requires all examiners to mark in accordance with the marking scheme. At various stages during the marking process examiners submit samples of candidates’ work that they have marked. They also supply statistics on the marks being awarded to enable ongoing monitoring of the marking process to take place.
Results Preparation & Issue
How are the results processed and checked in the SEC?
When an examiner has completed the marking of scripts all of the information is returned to the SEC. Your total marks for each component of a subject (oral, aural, practical, written papers etc.) are keyed into our computer system and then keyed a second time, by a different operator, to ensure accuracy.
Can mistakes happen?
On occasion, mistakes can happen. However, the viewing of scripts and appeal processes are there so that you can see exactly how your work was marked and so that you can have an opportunity to make an appeal if you think there has been a mistake. Considering the enormous volumes of examination scripts and associated examination material, and the large number of people involved in marking and processing the results, the error level is very low. The SEC’s system of checks and double checks is designed to detect and correct errors before the results are issued.
What is the format of the results?
On the day of the results you will get a statement of provisional results. A supplementary or extra report is also provided in any case where your result in a multi-component subject does not contain credit for an essential component. For example, if you do not sit Paper 1 in Irish you will get no credit for that paper in the overall grade. A supplementary report will issue with your result confirming that no credit was given for Paper 1. This allows you to check that all components taken by you are included in the final results. Schools are also provided with a copy of the provisional results.
You should note that it is an offence, under the terms of the Education Act 1998, to alter any record containing the
results of an examination or make use of any such record knowing that the results are false.
What are the arrangements for issuing the results?
The results will be delivered to schools on the third Wednesday in August. The SEC will also give all the results electronically to the CAO. This means that while the statements of provisional results are in the course of issue to schools, the CAO is able to process applications for entry to higher education without delay. This brings about the earliest possible issue of higher education offers to you.
Internet Result Service
Information sourced from this PDF file by the SEC themselves:
www.examinations.ie/misc-doc/BI-CA-96791328.pdf
Introduction
When do the examinations start?
The written examinations for the Leaving Certificate start normally on the first Wednesday in June and end on the fourth Friday of the month. 2018's LC exams for example will be from Wednesday, June 6th to Friday, June 22nd. As the time gets closer to the examinations, an official LC timetable will be issued to your school showing the dates and times your exams take place.
Entering for the Examinations
How does the SEC obtain details of candidates and their chosen subjects?
In the case of candidates attending post-primary schools the necessary details are provided to the SEC by candidates themselves through the schools. The SEC verifies this information with the school and the candidates prior to the examinations. A copy of the entry details is provided to the Central Applications Office (CAO) to assist it in processing applications by candidates for college places.
Similarly, examination candidates not attending Post-Primary schools (i.e. external candidates) provide their details to the SEC through an on-line service available on www.examinations.ie.
The Examination
What do the colours of the examination papers mean?
Leaving Certificate Higher Level examination papers are Pink, Leaving Certificate Ordinary Level examination papers are Blue and Leaving Certificate Foundation Level examination papers are Peach. All subjects for the Leaving Certificate Applied examination are common level and the colour of the examination paper for these subjects is Cream. A notice displaying the colours of all examination papers will be displayed in the examination hall and is re-produced at the back of this booklet. Candidates should familiarise themselves with the colours of the examination papers.
How are the examinations supervised?
A Superintendent supervises each examination centre and oversees the running of the examinations. This includes distributing examination papers and answer books, ensuring that the examinations start and finish at the correct times and that you have a suitable environment in which to sit your examinations.
Are there detailed rules regarding the conduct of candidates?
Yes. These deal with matters such as the times of attendance, leaving the centre before the end of the examination, copying, etc. The rules are set out at the end of this booklet and you should ensure that you are fully familiar with these rules before the examinations begin. Your responsibility is to ensure that you comply with these rules at all times.
Are there rules governing completion of practical coursework?
Yes. All practical coursework must be your own individual work. You must complete practical coursework under the supervision of the subject teacher so that the teacher can monitor progress on a regular basis and be in a position to verify that the work is your own individual work.
What happens if someone helps me with my examination?
There may be serious consequences for anyone involved in improperly assisting you as the Education Act 1998 provides for certain offences in relation to the conduct of the examinations. Any cases of suspected copying, improper assistance, plagiarism or procurement of pieces prepared by someone else will be thoroughly investigated and you are liable to have penalties imposed.
What are the penalties if I break the rules?
It depends. In general, if you violate the rules in respect of a component completed in a non-invigilated examination (i.e. work completed over a period of time such as project work, coursework, etc.) you are likely to lose all of the marks for that component. If you violate the rules in an invigilated examination (such as a written examination, an oral test or a practical test) you are likely to lose the result for the entire subject. Note though that more serious penalties can apply, depending on the gravity of the offence and these include withholding all of the results of the examination (the entire Leaving Certificate) and/or debarment from entering for future state examinations. Penalties are applied in line with Rule 76 of the Rules and Programmes for Secondary Schools. The SEC will also consider whether the incident represents an offence under Section 52 of the Education Act. If it is considered that an offence has been committed then the incident will be pursued under the legislation.
Is it possible to get the work I submitted for the examinations returned to me?
Rule 28 of the Rules and Programmes for Secondary Schools, issued by the Department of Education & Skills provides that: “All materials (answer-books, drawing paper, maps, diagrams, pictures, question papers, tapes etc.) issued by the Commission for the purpose of recording candidates answers to the questions set in the examinations held by the Commission are and remain the property of the Commission. Materials not issued by the Commission but forwarded to the Commission for marking, become the property of the Commission”. All examination scripts and materials held by the SEC are the property of the SEC and are not returned to candidates but may be available to view during the viewing of scripts. Further information on the viewing of scripts is available at Page 9 of this booklet. The SEC marks almost 1 million Leaving Certificate components each year and it would not be feasible to return this material to candidates. In relation to work that is originally marked in the schools e.g. Construction studies projects, Craftwork for Art etc., this can be returned upon request once the Appeals Process is finished.
Are there ever mistakes on the examination paper? If so, what does the SEC do?
The SEC has extensive measures in place during the paper setting process to prevent errors from happening in the first place or to detect them before the examination happens. Unfortunately, in all examination systems, and no matter how extensive these measures are, there will be rare occasions when an error in an examination paper is not detected in advance. We follow the core principle that candidates should not be disadvantaged as a result of any error on a question paper. In the case of any error, we will put measures in place to ensure, as far as possible, that this principle is upheld. These measures will vary, because they will result from a detailed analysis of the likely and observed impact of the error on candidates’ work. Further details on how errors in examination papers are dealt with are available on our website at www.examinations.ie.
Will this year’s examination be of the same standard as other years?
The SEC has a responsibility to maintain consistent examining standards from one year to the next. It lays down detailed procedures that the people involved in setting the examination papers must follow to ensure that, as far as can be predicted in advance, each examination will be similar in demand to those that went before. If any unevenness in the level of difficulty of the examination remains despite these procedures, this is dealt with through the marking scheme and its application. The draft marking scheme, which is prepared before the examination, is considered carefully after the examination by subject experts. As well as their own knowledge and experience, they take account of observations from teacher groups and others. They trial a version of the marking scheme on a random sample of candidate work, to check whether it is fair and to determine whether the paper and marking scheme combine to reflect the same examining standards as in previous years. They adjust it if necessary and then all the candidate work is marked using this final version of the marking scheme. Further details on how the standard setting and marking processes are conducted, including quality assurance measures, are available on the SEC website at www.examinations.ie.
How long does the SEC keep my examination material?
The SEC policy on holding of examination material (scripts, artefacts, projects, recording of tests etc.) is based on our obligations under the Data Protection Acts to hold data only for so long as is required for the purpose of running the examinations. Therefore for the majority of candidates the SEC holds examination material until the appeal process is complete. If you do not appeal an examination result we will arrange to confidentially dispose of your examination material by the end of the year. If you appeal your examination result we will retain your examination material until the appeal process is complete. The SEC arranges for the confidential disposal of appeal examination material which is no longer required.
Reasonable Accommodations
How are candidates with physical and learning difficulties accommodated?
If you have a permanent or long-term condition, including visual and hearing difficulties, or a learning difficulty, which significantly impairs your performance in the examinations you or your school will have already applied to the SEC for a reasonable accommodation. In some cases, the accommodation involves being exempted from being tested on something that other candidates are tested on, such as having accurate spelling.
The reasonable accommodations are intended to:
(a) remove, as far as possible, the impact of the disability on the candidate’s performance and thus enable the candidate to demonstrate his or her level of attainment, and
(b) ensure that, whilst giving candidates every opportunity to demonstrate their level of attainment, the special arrangements will not give the candidate an unfair advantage over other candidates in the same examination.
Examples of reasonable accommodations include: access to reading assistance, modified papers, Braille translations or examination papers in large print. It can also include allowing you record your answers on a recording device or word processor or to dictate your answers to a scribe. If you have been granted a reasonable accommodation you will have received a copy of the SEC letter regarding same and will be aware of the exact nature of the accommodation which is to be provided. If you have any queries on reasonable accommodations please refer to this letter and the booklets on Reasonable Accommodations at the 2017 Certificate Examinations: ‘Guide for Students’ and ‘Instructions for Schools’
How are candidates who suffer illness or accidents immediately prior to or during the examinations accommodated?
Where possible, reasonable accommodations are also made for a candidate who has an accident immediately prior to or during the examinations. If this happens to you please contact your school immediately. An example of this type of accommodation is making provision for a candidate to sit the examinations in hospital. It is not possible to make arrangements for the sitting of examinations other than on the day they are due to be held.
Use of Bilingual Dictionaries in the Certificate Examinations
The State Examinations Commission (SEC) permits the use of bilingual translation dictionaries in the certificate examinations by candidates whose first language is not English or Irish.
• Candidates may use a bilingual dictionary between the candidate’s mother tongue and English or Irish (e.g. Russian-English-English-Russian) but not a monolingual one (e.g. a Russian dictionary where words are explained in Russian).
• The candidate may use such a bilingual dictionary in all examinations except:
o an examination in the candidate’s mother tongue
o an examination in Irish
o an examination in English
o an examination in a language closely related to the candidate’s mother tongue.
• The bilingual dictionary used must not contain same-language explanations or definitions.
• The use of an electronic dictionary, glossary, wordlist or translator is not permitted.
• The dictionary used must not contain any additional annotation.
• Bilingual Dictionaries should conform to Circular S93/16 Use of Bilingual Dictionaries in the Certificate Examinations
The Marking Process
Who marks my work?
Examiners, typically experienced teachers in the particular subject are appointed by the SEC to carry out the marking. They are trained and monitored by staff from the SEC’s Examination and Assessment Division.
How is my work marked?
In order to ensure that the work of each candidate is marked in the same manner, a marking scheme is prepared for each examination. This marking scheme is much more detailed than the allocation of marks shown on the examination paper and deals with the allowable ways of answering each question. The marking scheme is finalised by experienced examiners at conferences held shortly after the examinations. This allows account to be taken of observations on the examination paper by the teacher association for the subject and other interested parties. The SEC subsequently publishes a marking scheme for each subject. The marking schemes will be available in schools and on www.examinations.ie at the end of August in time for the viewing of scripts.
How is the marking process monitored?
The marking of examination work is monitored by the Chief Examiner who requires all examiners to mark in accordance with the marking scheme. At various stages during the marking process examiners submit samples of candidates’ work that they have marked. They also supply statistics on the marks being awarded to enable ongoing monitoring of the marking process to take place.
Results Preparation & Issue
How are the results processed and checked in the SEC?
When an examiner has completed the marking of scripts all of the information is returned to the SEC. Your total marks for each component of a subject (oral, aural, practical, written papers etc.) are keyed into our computer system and then keyed a second time, by a different operator, to ensure accuracy.
Can mistakes happen?
On occasion, mistakes can happen. However, the viewing of scripts and appeal processes are there so that you can see exactly how your work was marked and so that you can have an opportunity to make an appeal if you think there has been a mistake. Considering the enormous volumes of examination scripts and associated examination material, and the large number of people involved in marking and processing the results, the error level is very low. The SEC’s system of checks and double checks is designed to detect and correct errors before the results are issued.
What is the format of the results?
On the day of the results you will get a statement of provisional results. A supplementary or extra report is also provided in any case where your result in a multi-component subject does not contain credit for an essential component. For example, if you do not sit Paper 1 in Irish you will get no credit for that paper in the overall grade. A supplementary report will issue with your result confirming that no credit was given for Paper 1. This allows you to check that all components taken by you are included in the final results. Schools are also provided with a copy of the provisional results.
You should note that it is an offence, under the terms of the Education Act 1998, to alter any record containing the
results of an examination or make use of any such record knowing that the results are false.
What are the arrangements for issuing the results?
The results will be delivered to schools on the third Wednesday in August. The SEC will also give all the results electronically to the CAO. This means that while the statements of provisional results are in the course of issue to schools, the CAO is able to process applications for entry to higher education without delay. This brings about the earliest possible issue of higher education offers to you.
Internet Result Service
Information sourced from this PDF file by the SEC themselves:
www.examinations.ie/misc-doc/BI-CA-96791328.pdf