Exams cancelled
Oral and practical exams for the upcoming State exams are being cancelled.
Instead, Leaving and Junior Certificate students will be given full marks.
The deadline for submission of practical and coursework has been pushed out to May 15th.
The department says the decision was taken as a result of the COVID-19 virus.
I have taken this decision with the best interests of students at heart & after considering what is the fairest approach. https://t.co/sUatPP7wX9
— Joe McHugh (@McHughJoeTD) March 19, 2020
Education Minister Joe McHugh says: "It is the fairest response we could take in the circumstances. It guarantees that no student will score less than they would have if schools had been operating as normal.
"We have seen a new emphasis on remote learning amid the uncertainty about the impact of COVID-19 and the closure of all schools.
The change means all students who were due to take oral and practical performance tests in the following subjects will be given full marks.
This include oral tests in Leaving Cert Irish and the modern languages (French, German, Spanish, Italian, Russian and Japanese).
It also covers practical performance tests in Leaving Certificate music, as well as Junior Certificate music and home economics.