As the deadline for CAO applications approaches tomorrow, students are calling for clarity on this year's State exams.
Discussions on whether the traditional Leaving exams will go ahead in 2021 are set to continue this week.
It comes after the Education Minister Norma Foley and an exams advisory group met on Friday, hearing from student groups, parents, teachers and school managers.
The Irish Second-Level Students' Union have called for students to be given a choice between calculated grades or sitting the exams.
Union President, Ruben Murray, told Newstalk that Leaving Cert students want a choice.
"We did a survey of over 25,000 students and one of the things that came back very clearly was that the communication from the Department [of Education] is not strong enough and it needs to improve," he said.
"Students have no idea what's going to happen with their exams, there hasn't been that clarity there.
"Students want a choice, after the disruption they've faced they want a choice between sitting the exams, scaled-down, or calculated grades."
ISSU Survey Results:
Students Want Choice & Clear Communication from Department on State Examinations & Schools Reopening
Read the full report:
🔗: https://t.co/hOTVUA0fHh pic.twitter.com/nzAHlujtdI— Irish Second-Level Students' Union (ISSU) (@issu4u) January 20, 2021
Mr Murray added that a call also needs to be made on practical and oral exams soon.
He explained: "[Students] want the oral and practical exams cancelled because they are underprepared, but we don't want to disadvantage students who have that strength.
"So cancel them as they are planned, and then do some scaled-back practical and oral assessments as part of a regime of continues assessment, that's what the student body wants."
Main image: File photo. Credit: Photo: Leah Farrell/RollingNews.ie
