Junior Cert student’s petition to extend English exam attracts almost 8,000 signatures

Reforms to the Junior-cycle have been introduced this year.

A petition launched by a Junior Certificate student in Dublin campaigning to extend the new English exam by 30 minutes has attracted just under 8,000 signatures in a matter of days. The petition was launched by 15-year old Tara O’Sullivan from Dublin, who, along with a number of other students in her school, struggled to complete a mock exam in the allotted two-hour time. Under the new curriculum rolled out this year, students have to complete two classroom-based assessments, an assessment task worth 10 per cent, and a final written exam worth 90 per cent of the total mark. Students have only two hours to complete the written exam under the new curriculum, however, compared to two hours and 30 minutes for two English papers under the previous system. “After using the provided sample papers and completing mock exams many of my peers felt questions were at a fair doable level, however all agreed that the timing was ridiculous,” O’Sullivan wrote on the petition on change.org. “Lots of students who faced this exam did not finish the paper and those who did had no time to assess and adjust their answers before having to hand up the paper,” she added. O’Sullivan pointed out that a number of teachers had an issue with the new curriculum and called on students to sign the petition to “help students feel heard” and to give them “the opportunity to make real change in our country”. “I found it impossible to finish,” O’Sullivan is quoted as saying in the Irish Times. “It was like a competition to see how fast you can write instead of an actual test of your knowledge. We’re stressed enough as it is, but it was ridiculous.” “The campaign shows that thousands of students feel the same. There are lots of teachers who aren’t happy either. They need to listen to us,” she added. You can check out the petition, which has received 7.985 signatures at the time of writing, here.