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Home » The Leaving Cert Is a Brutal System – But It’s Fair

The Leaving Cert Is a Brutal System – But It’s Fair

Certain routines accompany the departure certificate each year. The glimmer of sunshine, was snubbed by students and loved by everyone else, signifies the start of the examinations. The national press’s examination of every exam and later, the praise of the euphoric students who scored eight H1s.

As reliable as any one of these customs is the annual discussion about whether the leaving certificate and the CAO system are suitable to assess students’ capacity to go on into higher education.

The leave certificate has been modified over the last few years, however the critique of it is the same: passing seven tests to determine whether you are able to go to college and what you are able to do in school puts a lot of stress on students. Additionally, students who are wealthy attend private schools enjoy an unfair advantage, while the emphasis placed on learning by rote is not a good thing.

All of these are valid points. The quality of student welfare and the ability of secondary school education system to prepare students for life after the school’s gates are crucial indicators of how efficient this system actually is.

The certificate of leaving does, however, provide a level playing field for every student , this argument is persuasive but often overlooked.

This year 58,000 students took the exam scored the highest number of marks. The higher the number of points they earn as they earn them, the more options they will have to fill the CAO forms. The possibility of points increasing excessively for most students is not a problem due to the fact that the final certificate is graded using an arc curve. Even when the demand for certain courses is extremely large, the marks will generally indicate that a tiny proportion of students get nearly perfect, or perfect scores.

The awarding of points for CAO is controlled by a strictly mathematical system. There is absolutely no room for biases: postcodes and politics are not considered in the equation. To ensure this level of impartiality is highly admirable and the hallmark of a truly fair system.

There is no room for bias. Postcodes or politics are not a factor in it.

The inhumanity that this unfairness brings is countered by the accessibility alternatives and alternate entry routes. It is the Disability Access Route to Education (DARE) scheme offers additional points to students suffering from disabilities that affect their academic performance. Similar to that to it is the Higher Education Access Route (HEAR) provides extra points for students who successfully complete their leaving certificate from a socioeconomically depressed background.

These strategies help make an CAO the system more compassionate and recognize that treating every student equally isn’t necessarily equal to treating each student equally.

The number of tests that students are required to take every June is a source of dispute. In other systems of education students can tailor their education according to what they are interested in, which means they’re not required to take tough exams in subjects they don’t like. For many students, this choice in the beginning can be advantageous, and many are able to excel through their next education without regrets.

For others but, it’s not so clear. In reality, the majority of 15- or 16-year-olds aren’t sure what profession they’d like to pursue. The variety of topics covered in the leave certificate means that they will have a wide range of choices for at least two years.

The majority of teenagers aged 15 or 16 aren’t sure of the career path they’d like to pursue.

Although it can be frustrating and challenging at first however, a solid education across many disciplines is beneficial as the time passes Maths can help you calculate your taxes and economics will assist you to learn about the current recession, and the list goes on. The certificate of graduation ensures that students leave school with the knowledge required for their careers but also with a wide knowledge base and a broad secondary education.

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The emphasis placed on rote-learning is an issue. However, recent changes of the certificate for juniors have decreased the importance of rote-learning, and the leave certificate will likely take the same approach. It’s also a fact that many college courses have students rote learning at one point or another and, while it might not be as prominent as it does in the syllabus for leaving certificates It’s certainly a valuable technique to be mastered early.

Continuous evaluation is the way to go many people believe will solve the leave certificate’s problems. Certain, it has found popularity in countries such as those in UK and Germany and will likely ease some of the anxiety associated with traditional exams at the end of the school year. Although the leave certificate does not suit everyone’s needs Continuous assessment has its own pitfalls.

The scheduling of important tests for a lengthy period of time keeps an unending stress on students. A lot of students prefer to sprinkle their preparation to receive their leave certificate with short breaks which can be difficult to justify when you’re immersed in a continuous cycle of exams. It is also normal for students to be active in extracurricular activities to a point at which they are required to concentrate solely on their studies.

If continuous assessment were established it would reduce the necessity to take this self-imposed pause. The students might be tempted to put their activities in a bind for the whole year, in order to stay up with what could be a more rigorously scheduled assignments submissions and periodic assessments.

The most uncontroversial conclusion of this old-fashioned argument is that there’s no system that is perfect. The leave certificate is in fact fair and it is getting more equitable. New grading guidelines result in fewer students to get the same amount of points, which will reduce the need for random selection during the admissions process. The results are announced in sufficient time prior to the start of the academic year to decide on appeals, and those who experience the loss of a loved one will be permitted to take the test in a later date without the need to repeat the course.

In a nation in which uneven playing fields are the standard, the leave certificate is a welcome smooth surface. This is why it’s important to keep it.