March 13th saw the closure of schools across Ireland. In the following week, Leaving Certificate students found they had been awarded 100% in their oral exams as the Minister for Education Joe McHugh stated, "it guarantees that no student will score less than they would have if schools had been operating as normal." With such an unprecedented decision, mixed emotions were felt by students across the country. Those who had been struggling with oral exams released sighs of relief, while those who achieved high marks in these exams were dismayed. Of course, the decision makes sense during a time of precariousness, and while many will agree that the decision has not been a fair one, it was one that lessened stress and anxiety. However, the story takes another turn as though schools were scheduled to reopen on the 29th of March, this date has come and gone, with a peak in the amount of Covid-19 cases expected to occur mid-April. Social distancing and self-isolation are being practised across the country in an attempt to reduce the amount of Covid-19 cases and 'flatten the curve.' Though Ireland's infection rate has dropped from 4.3 to 2.5 the curve is not being flattened enough according to the Taoiseach Leo Varadkar. With all of this information, many students doubt if they will step inside a classroom again this school year.

My main concern with the continuing of state exams is how these closures have affected those who are not able to access their education to the fullest extent. An RTE article discussed how remote schooling as affected students in DEIS schools, with the principal of a Dublin DEIS school stating "my students started on an unequal playing field, now it has become more unequal." The idea that every student in Ireland has the same access to education, is an unrealistic one, to say the least. Though every child and young adult in Ireland are allowed to access their right to education, not everyone can enjoy this right. According to UNICEF's 2018 report card, parental occupation explains 33.3% of the variation scores at fourth class. At 15, children whose parents work in lower-ranked occupations do worse in reading and are less likely to say that they expect to complete post-secondary education. How can we expect those who can not afford grinds or tutoring to do as well as those who can? For this email, I surveyed to get an idea of how students found remote schooling. The sample size of this survey was small, 61 people, but it was shared amongst politics and society teachers across twitter, so it has reached a wide range of Irish students. From this survey, I found that 52.7% of students only have contact with some of their teachers. I am one of these students. It is my teacher's responsibility to teach and finalise student's courses, but I can not do that alone. Yet I and these students will be expected to take exams in these courses in July. 80% of students use their phone to access the notes and classes their teachers provide, and while this is better than nothing, a phone isn't adequate to facilitate learning. As well as this, 14% of students share a laptop or computer with their family, resulting in less time to work effectively. Kathleen Lynch, an Irish political theorist once described education in Ireland as "a competition for advantage in an unequal society," the decision that has been made, though not a full decision I might add, shows the truth of this statement in my opinion.

Remote schooling has not been an effective method of maintaining a student's education. In this survey, I asked students to comment on how they found their new situation, as a mix of quantitative and qualitative data is needed to show the truth and reality of a situation. One student said "It's been difficult as not all teachers make regular contact. It is also difficult to plan out days of work as teachers may give you work in the morning for that afternoon you were not previously aware of." Another student stated that remote schooling is "exhausting. I can’t teach myself the work without a classroom setting," this situation is something that I can relate to. I am an active learner who relies on visuals as well as sounds to retain information. Remote classes have degraded the quality of my learning as only 2 of my 7 teachers hold classes online. Another one of my teachers has made an audio note for students and I find this useful but only to an extent as I can't ask questions or listen to other student's perspectives on topics. My English and Maths teachers created classrooms full of group learning, where myself and peers worked together to overcome and solve issues. This style of learning worked brilliantly for me. Of course, I support the steps the government has taken to protect the health of its citizens, a lockdown was necessary. But remote schooling is not a reliable form of education. Many students, including myself, have unfinished coursework that can not be wholly completed online. Another student summed up this issue by stating that the situation is "kind of stressful and inferior to regular schooling. Only three or four teachers are maintaining regular contact and posting relevant work, some post whatever just so they post something. It's especially unhelpful for subjects like maths and chemistry in which you physically need the teacher to explain things to you (neither subject teachers set up zoom meetings with us). The pandemic has generally decreased everyone's level of motivation and the lack of engagement from some teachers makes it worse. I find it really hard to even care about these exams anymore."

To expand on the last comment regarding motivation, we are in a harrowing situation currently. Still, no clarity has been given about the state of the Leaving Cert, especially now that we don't know when it will be. Unfortunately neither hook or crook nor July or August answers the questions of students across Ireland. We are in the dark yet we are expected to study and work in the dark. If the exams are postponed until August, how are students expected to study during the summer months? As selfish as it may sound, families, students and examiners have holidays planned. As soon as this lockdown is lifted, people will wish to reunite with friends and family that they haven't been able to see. People will want to leave their homes, yet postponing the exams until July will trap students inside their house and behind their desk. In 2019 Studyclix surveyed students based on their mental health. The survey found that 75% of students suffered from extreme stress during their 2-year Senior Cycle course. This survey was conducted in 2019 when a pandemic was not adding to this pressure. Anxiety affected 71% of students and depression affected 28%. Though government response has proven that numbers are not adequate and that surveys are not scientific, so here is another statement from a student "if exams were to go ahead as planned it would put monstrous pressure on each and every student. Students' mental health could and would be affected if the department of education decided that exams should go ahead in early June. For leaving certificate students this exam year is already stressful enough without missing days of school and not learning all the course material due to these unfortunate times." Motivation is not something that can be forced or faked, it comes from a specific mixture of stress and desire. When stress outweighs desire, motivation becomes lost and hopelessness sets in.

Myself along with over 12,000 students have signed a petition to cancel the leaving certificate exams. How can we expect students with inadequate learning facilities, inadequate classes and a lack of motivation to complete and do well in their final exams? If the leaving cert goes ahead this summer, Ireland will see it's biggest failure rate and drop out rate ever. Students who wish to study abroad will be sabotaged by this decision. Colleges will not be able to afford to continue their school year without first years. My questions for the department of education are as follows: how can the government afford to postpone exams? How can schools afford to postpone exams? How will students be expected to complete their state exams? How will examiners be expected to watch over these students? How will these exams be corrected, and by whom? This 'answer' has left us with more questions. The cancellation of exams will solve these issues. It is not an ideal solution but this is far from an ideal situation. Estimated grades are extremely possible. The survey conducted by Studyclix showed that 37% would be preferred to be graded through continuous assessment. In the ISSU's recent survey we have seen this rise to 49%. On top of this 80% of students in the Studyclix survey said that they did not think that the Leaving Cert examined their intelligence fairly. I know that the Minister of Education worried about us students losing a year and a half of our lives, but would it not be better for students to have time to reunite with friends and family? For those who wish to study abroad this summer could have been their last summer spent with their family.

The SEC is not unfamiliar with estimated grades. In 2019 148 students received estimated grades, in 2018 116 students received estimated grades, in 2017 116 and 2016 159. According to an article by the Irish Times, these were awarded based on distractions being present in exam halls, such as ants or noise, small situations that are beyond a student's control. A pandemic is beyond a student's control. Cancel The LC, an online campaign, have put together a proposal for the cancellation of the state exams. This proposal discusses what system should be put in place to ensure the fairness and effectiveness of predicted grades systems. Teachers will be consulted on a student's classwork, class tests, homework and pre-exams. In the case that a student fears a teacher is being biased, they will be able to apply for an appeal. This independent body will investigate the situation, and ensure fairness. If a student is not happy with their results or would like to continue their exam as normal, then they have the option to complete their state exams. This system would provide students with safety and diminish stress, while still allowing those who wish to complete their exams. Cancelling the Junior Cert will not be enough to ensure social distancing during the state exams. There will not be enough exam centres in each school or enough invigilators to ensure everyone's protection. Despite the exams being held in July or August, it is unclear if a vaccine will be available by then and students who are high-risk or have high-risk family members will not wish to attend a gathering of students or invite invigilators into their homes. Again, it is unfair to expect students to complete their state exams during a pandemic.

An argument against estimated grades has been that Ireland's system of education does not suit this form of grading. The opposition has stated that Ireland's system is vastly different from the UK's A-levels and France's Le Bac. But how true is this? The main difference between the leaving cert and a-levels is that in a-levels students only take on 3 subjects. However, the system is still based on a final exam and it has been found that students of both systems are taught to the same standard. The grade breakdown of the a-levels and leaving cert match too. An A* is the equivalent of an H1/O1, and an E is the equivalent of an H6/O6. Le Bac's final exams are viewed as similar to the leaving cert, however, french students are offered their places before sitting exams. France's system is a mixture of continuous assessment and grades, and I find that this system is a greater show of a student's skills and abilities. As I discussed in the previous paragraph, the SEC is equipped to provide estimated grades. I understand that the scale I am asking this to be done on is much greater than in previous years, but it is the necessary step forward. The junior cert has taken a continuous assessment approach to grade, and perhaps this is the opportunity to do the same for the leaving cert. I mentioned earlier that if exams go ahead, results will be lower than in past years and there will be most likely increased failure rates. This will be on the scale that a bell curve won't be able to fix.

As a student, I would like to have a say on the matters that affect me most. Unfortunately, when I am only a percentage in a survey or a signature in a petition I am unable to be heard. If we are unable to be listened to collectively, then listen to us individually. Whatever happens now will stay with us students, who are of voting age. We will remember the outcome of the decisions made by the Fine Gael led government in years to come. We are not only numbers, but we are also voters.

My name is Laura O’Sullivan and I am a Leaving Certificate student from Cork. Like many of my fellow Leaving Cert students, I was outraged by the decision made by the Department of Education to postpone the Leaving Cert exams to “late July or August”. After seven of the toughest and most stressful months of our lives, this was the last thing any of us wanted to hear. We had already experienced the intense stress and anxiety which every Leaving Cert student before us has had to go through, however we are far from regular Leaving Cert students. None of us at the start of the year could have foreseen how things were to go from bad to worse as a result of a global pandemic. Once the WHO announced that COVID-19 was to be characterised as a pandemic, we soon realised the Leaving Cert was no longer going to be the main worry for us. After so many months of mental torture, everything was plunged into a state of darkness and uncertainty as schools were shut, and soon afterwards we entered a state of lockdown. Hundreds of thousands of people globally tested positive for the virus, and tens of thousands were dying across the globe. Never had our anxiety levels been higher as we worried about friends and family who were at risk if they contracted the virus and who were working their hardest on the front line caring for COVID-19 patients.

Despite all this, we were still expected to continue on as normal with our school work as if nothing was happening. Other countries soon started to cancel final exams as it became clear to them it was simply unsafe and unfeasible to hold school exams during such uncertain times. Governments put the health and safety of students and their families first. However, our government was adamant that it would still be possible to hold exams as planned during an ongoing pandemic. We as students knew for certain that this would not be safe, so we made our voices heard through petitions and online surveys.The government completely disregarded our opinions and went with least preferred option amongst us students. We are the ones who must study for and sit these exams, these exams will matter to us most. However it seems our opinions just do not matter when it comes to the Department of Education.

The most popular option voted for by Leaving Cert students was a predicted grades system similar to those being implemented in countless other countries. Teachers would predict the grades of their students and rank them, and this would be overseen by the school management and the SEC to prevent bias and to assure the grades are fair and fully reflect students’ potentials. Regular Leaving Cert exams could still take for students who wish to appeal their results. Not only is this the fairest solution for us as it gives us the best chance of getting the results we deserve (this is unlikely to happen if exams take place as planned in late July), it is most importantly the safest. Nobody would have to come in contact with others if predicted grades were to be implemented, this could be carried out in the safety of our own homes. The number of students who would be sitting exams would be significantly reduced, meaning social distancing may be feasible. This is undoubtedly the best option in such a bad situation. We are constantly being told that this system would not be fair and that it would undermine the Leaving Cert. There are many ways we can make this system fair, yet there will be no fairness if we are to sit these exams. The divide amongst students has increased significantly due to the varying commitments made by teachers in setting up online classes, students’ lack of ability to engage with online classes, and students’ commitments to minding siblings and other family members and to working in essential services. The divide is only going to increase as time goes on, and unfortunately, no amount of schooling or funding is going to help. The damage has already been done and it would be too little too late.

In a time of great uncertainty, the one certainty we deserve is to have a Leaving Certificate qualification. We are still being reminded that these exams do not determine our self worth or our futures. What they fail to mention is that we still need a Leaving Certificate, no matter what the grades are, to go to university or other third level colleges, to do a PLC, or to even be able to get many jobs. The only system that guarantees us with a Leaving Cert qualification in proper timing is the predicted grades system. They could easily keep postponing our exams until it simply becomes impossible to accommodate them - there is no way we could handle over 120,000 students doing their Leaving Cert in 2021. There is no way we could know what would have to happen then. Predicted grades would not impact students who are hoping to study abroad, their hopes and dreams will likely be shattered if the Leaving Cert goes ahead in June. After everything that has been going on, the least we deserve is a Leaving Cert qualification by the summer just like every other student who has gone before us.

No matter what impact the postponement of the Leaving Cert will have on students’ grades and future, we simply cannot ignore the obvious flaws with the plan that will clearly put all of us at risk. Currently, we are not allowed to have contact with people outside our household, yet they expect it will be completely fine to shove us all together in an exam centre to sit exams. There are so many questions that have been asked that we have yet to receive answers to, and I firmly believe there are no answers to these questions.

How are we expected to sit exams? Not all schools are equipped to implement social distancing measures, many corridors are narrower than two metres and classrooms are often stuffy and small. We will all be touching the same door knobs, sitting at the same desks, using the same bathroom facilities. If students wanted to simply leave an exam centre or go to the bathroom this would break social distancing rules. I can't picture myself being able to calmly sit in a room with many others from outside my household due to the risk of contracting the virus. What will happen if students get COVID-19 whilst sitting exams? As testing is taking weeks and students must self isolate, students are at risk of missing out on most of their exams. Also, will there be sanctions if students with symptoms sit exams? There is a great risk that students will ignore potential COVID-19 symptoms as they will prioritise Leaving Cert exams due to their massive influence on their futures. All it takes is one student to get COVID-19 for the exam centre or even potentially the entire school to be wiped out and forced into self isolation. After 14 years of schooling, it just simply cannot come to this.

Most importantly, it is unlikely that there will be a way to protect students who have underlying health conditions or who live with people who are at risk. These students are scared enough as it is and it is highly disrespectful to be putting them at risk for exams that easily could have been cancelled. How many lives are the government willing to risk all for the sake of these exams? Unfortunately it looks like many people could be fighting for their lives if things get out of hand. Many teenagers could become vectors of the virus and unknowingly pass it on, eventually reaching somebody who is more susceptible to the virus. Very few people our age are suffering severe symptoms and dying, however it is still happening to people our age across the globe. Teenagers with no underlying health conditions are dying from the virus, and in some cases, underlying health conditions are only being found afterwards. For all we know, this could happen to any of us. This could all easily be avoided by simply cancelling the exams.

The situation is likely to get worse before it gets better. There is a great risk of a second wave of the virus spreading, maybe as a result of the Leaving Cert. Many more of us are going to lose loved ones and lose jobs. A vaccine for the virus is unlikely to be available for public use before 2021. Our lives and futures are already crumbling before us, yet we must still plough ahead with exams that could potentially endanger us. The government do not seem to realise that it is their duty to keep us safe and healthy. Our mental suffering is going to continue long after exams as we try to rebuild ourselves after these trying times. We are facing no proper summer break at such a pivotal time in our lives as we are facing so much uncertainty. It is time the government accepts their mistakes and cancels Leaving Cert exams. Do not let these exams have detrimental long term impacts on students of all year groups, parents and teachers. We have so much going on as it is, the Leaving Certificate exams should not be one of our main concerns right now. We are scared, we are frightened, we are worried, all because of the decisions made by the Department of Education. Please give us certainty by cancelling exams, and instead focusing attention towards those who need it most.

If one message sticks with you, please let it be this. We are fighting, not because we are lazy, we are fighting because our health is seriously at risk. How has it had to come to this? Our government is willing to risk so many lives and undermine all actions taken to reduce the spread of the disease. We young people are not guinea pigs, nor are we dispensable. Above all, our health and safety should be the most important, yet in the midst of a pandemic, it does not seem to be the case at all. Between disregarding our opinions on climate change and forcing us to sit exams during this pandemic, the government have clearly shown they do not value the youth of Ireland. Everyday, more and more people are coming out in support of our cause, how long do they plan on ignoring us? We are scared for our lives and the lives of our friends and family, but hey we can still say we did our Leaving Cert, even from our sick beds and graves...

So I'm a leaving cert student. I live in Leitrim, where internet is patchy at the best of times. Where half of the people I know don't own laptops or computers and have to try to keep up through their mobile phones.

My father has severe underlying health issues, meaning if he contracts this virus, I will likely lose him. I am not going to sit an exam in a building full of people and risk losing loved ones just for "tradition".

Postponement of the leaving cert is a catastrophe. My mental health and the mental health of my peers are plummeting. We are risking a second wave of the virus. Risking the lives of people all across the country just because the people in power don't want to listen to us. They do not care what we have to say. "By hook or by crook" they will plough on with these exams, DESPITE what is best for their country and it's citizens. I just hope this second wave is a wake-up call for them. When they have to see hundreds of thousands of people around them die because of a decision they made. And because of a situation they could have avoided.

My mam has very bad chronic lung disease and I am the only person living with her. I risk her life every day going to the shop. I give people two metres and more, though when i went to the shop a woman who was very orange in colour decided shed stand not even a metre from me and her child stood on top of me I didn't say anything though people should know at this stage, I'm getting tired of people walking on me just because I am young, I am in leaving also so this is just more stress i have to deal with with exams in July its ridiculous.