Junior Cycle

The new junior cycle features newly developed subjects and short courses, a focus on key skills, and new approaches to assessment and reporting.

Assessment Methods

Classroom Based Assessment (CBA)

CBAs allow students to demonstrate their understanding of concepts and skills and their ability to apply them in ways that may not be possible in an externally assessed examination. The assessments associated with CBAs cover a broad range of activities, including oral tasks, written work of different types, practical or designing and making tasks, artistic performances, scientific experiments, projects, portfolios or other suitable tasks, depending on the subject or short course in question. The CBAs in each subject and short course are assessed by the teacher, based on the learning that has taken place within the context of a classroom. In general, students undertake two CBAs in each subject, guided and facilitated by their class teacher, generally one in second year and one in third year.

Assessment Tasks

This is a written assessment that assesses what students have learned, and asks about skills that they have developed, from their experience of having completed the second Classroom-Based Assessment. The Assessment Task will be completed during class time under the supervision of the teacher and will take place over two lesson periods. The AT script is sent, along with the final assessment at the end of third year, to the State Examinations Commission (SEC) to be marked. It will account for up to 10% of the state-certified examination and will be incorporated into the grade that a student receives for their final SEC examination.

Examinations

The final examination will be:

no longer than two hours duration
taken in a maximum of ten subjects only
available at a common level apart from English, Mathematics and Irish where there will be two levels (higher and ordinary)
assessed by SEC using the following set of grades:
Distinction
Higher Merit
Achieved
Partially Achieved