State exams body defends low proportion of top grades at Junior Cycle

The State Examinations Commission (SEC) has defended the low proportion of top grades issued to Junior Cycle students this year on the basis they are limited to “exceptional students only”.

A breakdown of this year’s results shows a very small proportion of students (2-4 per cent in most subjects) scored the top grade of “distinction”, which is 90-100 per cent.

The vast majority of results were concentrated around grades such as “higher merit”, which is between 75-90 per cent, and “merit”, which is between 50 and 75 per cent.

Some commentators have pointed out that the proportion of students who secured top grades in the Junior Cycle is significantly less than the proportion who secured an old “A” grade in the Junior Cycle or a top grade in the Leaving Cert.

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In a statement, the SEC said its role was to provide exams that fully reflect the approved curriculum and individual subject specifications.

It said the “distinction” grade band of 90-100 per cent reflected the “intention that those achieving the highest grades will have demonstrated a high level of mastery of the knowledge, understanding and skills concerned across the entire specification”.

[ What is going on with bizarre grade deflation in the junior cycle? ]

The SEC records also note that some subjects – such as classics, Italian and music – had a significantly higher proportion of high-achievers compared to others

The standards implemented across all subjects reflected a “consistency of approach with the original policy intentions set out by the Department of Education for all subjects under Junior Cycle reforms”.

The SEC added that the results, accordingly, reflected “appropriately the intended standards adopted at design stage within each subject specification, and reflect the overall intended meaning and interpretation of the grade band labels adopted under Junior Cycle reform”.

Separately, an internal briefing note produced by the SEC last year shows it was also aware last year of commentary regarding the low number of candidates achieving distinctions compared to an “A” grade in the Junior Cert.

It noted that a policy decision was made that the “distinction” grade should represent “exceptional students only” and not align it with the old Junior Cert “A” grade of 85-100 per cent.

[ It took almost 20 years to deliver. So what have Junior Cycle reforms delivered? ]

[ The Irish Times view on Junior Cycle reform: momentum needs to be maintained ]

“It is reasonable that the overall number achieving the distinction grade is lower across the board. Most papers are no-choice papers and achieving a distinction means complete mastery of the specification,” the briefing note states..

The SEC records also note that some subjects – such as classics, Italian and music – had a significantly higher proportion of high-achievers compared to others.

In the case of classics, it said the high grades were “not surprising” as the cohort are traditionally high-performing and tend to score well across all subjects.

More than 70,000 students sat this year’s Junior Cycle exams, the largest-ever volume of candidates to sit a State exam

Italian, it noted, also stood out with a higher distinction rate than others. This, it said, was due mainly to the high proportion of native speakers. If this cohort was removed, it said the rate would be similar to the other languages.

In the case of music, SEC officials noted it attracted a “large number of high achievers” and a “high proportion that have been studying outside of school at an early age”.

More than 70,000 students sat this year’s Junior Cycle exams, the largest-ever volume of candidates to sit a State exam.

It was the second year where candidates were assessed across all subjects under the reformed Junior Cycle curriculum, which has been introduced on a rolling basis since 2015.

Junior Cycle exams were cancelled for most students in 2020 and 2021 due to the pandemic and replaced by school-based assessment.