The Role of the School

The role of the school

In the context of the school-based process, the role of the subject teacher is to provide marks that reflect:

• An estimation of the percentage mark in each subject that each candidate is likely to have achieved if they had sat the Leaving Certificate examination in 2021*

For subjects that are examined through a written examination and additional components it is important that students’ learning and competences across the range of practical and applied knowledge and skills are considered. Therefore, teachers will need to have regard to the student’s likely performance in the written examination and their likely performance in the additional component(s) when arriving at the estimated percentage mark. .

• Individual performance: Teachers will demonstrate that no two students are placed on the same estimated percentage mark. Percentage marks may include up to two decimal places i.e. 83.22%, 83.33%, etc.

In providing the above estimated marks, there will be four main school-based steps:

1. The teacher’s estimation of student percentage marks

2. School alignment of marks for a subject through a subject alignment group comprising teachers who are teaching the subject to Leaving Certificate students this year

3. Oversight of the alignment process by the school principal

4. Transmission of the marks for national standardisation.

Each of these steps is set out in detail below:

• Step 1 Teacher’s estimation
• Step 2 School alignment of marks
• Step 3 Oversight of the alignment process by the school principal
• Step 4 Transmission of Estimated Marks for National Standardisation
• Note that changes have been made to the examinations in2021. See section 2.1 and Assessment Arrangements for Junior and Leaving Certificate Examinations 2021

Read the complete text version of A Guide to State Examinations and Accredited Grades for Leaving Certificate 2021 or download a pdf copy below: