Officials from the State Examinations Commission (SEC) are investigating claims of a breach of exam rules after a teacher is alleged to have assisted a number of students who were completing their Leaving Certificate at a Dublin secondary school.
The incident is understood to have occurred last week in a so-called “special examination centre”. These are typically smaller classrooms provided for students with additional needs such as anxiety issues, physical disabilities or learning difficulties.
Under examination rules, only superintendents or approved personnel such as exam scribes may be present in an exam centre.
It is alleged, however, that a teacher assisted students during a biology exam while in the presence of an exam superintendent for a significant period of time.
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The school did not respond to a request for comment, although a number of education sources confirmed that there had been an incident at the school.
In response to queries, the State Examinations Commission said it did not comment on individual cases but confirmed that it arranges for officials to visit schools in response to specific incidents raised with it by school authorities, superintendents, candidates and parents.
“The SEC takes with the utmost seriousness its responsibility to uphold the integrity of the Irish State examinations system, to underpin equity and fairness within the system to enable all candidates to display their achievements on an equal footing,” it said, in a statement.
The commission said there are rules and procedures which apply to all personnel involved in the delivery of the examinations, while related offences – such as conferring an advantage on an exam candidate – are set out in the Education Act 1998.
“In order to uphold the integrity of the system, all reports of any failing to comply with the SEC’s rules and procedures whether by candidates, superintendents, or school personnel are all followed up by the SEC,” it said.
“We will investigate any suggestion, suspicion or allegation of any impropriety in the conduct of the examinations including any alleged interference with the conduct of the examinations.”
While exam rule breaches in the case of candidates may result in grades being withheld, the commission said it operates on the principle that “candidates should not be disadvantaged if an examination session fails to execute due to an act or omission of the SEC or its agents”.
In these cases, the SEC said it has established systems in place which are required for a very small number of situations each year to assess the potential impact on candidates’ performance and to ensure that candidates affected will not be disadvantaged in their results.
These, it is understood, can involve estimating marks for students affected by an incident based on the school’s rank order of candidates undertaking a subject.
The volume of students availing of smaller special centres has climbed dramatically over the years.
In 2018, for example, a little more than 18,600 students sat their State exams in a special centre. Last year, it climbed to 31,800 candidates, a 70 per cent increase.
