Concern is growing among teachers and other educationalists about falling standards in the use of English. Last week, a report by the Department of Education's chief examiner on the 1997 higher-level English papers urged teachers to pay particular attention to the teaching of grammar, punctuation and spelling in Leaving Cert classes.

The chief examiner's report says it is "important for teachers of English to be mindful of the fact that a candidate's approach to expression and to the mechanics of language does have a significant impact on the examination grade achieved".

The report says that the average exam candidate appeared to possess an accurate and at times comprehensive knowledge of the works in question and could offer liberal helpings of quotation and reference. "This, however, is less frequently accompanied by a focused and analytical response to the question being attempted."

The teaching and usage of English will be addressed at a national conference in UCD on January 30th and 31st. Over those two days, a wide range of people will take part in a series of workshops, lectures, presentations and exhibitions on the subject. "This is a time of major change," says Denis Bates, conference convenor and chairman of the Mid-west English Teachers Association (META). This includes changes in curriculum: a new Leaving Cert syllabus in English is scheduled for introduction in September 1999; the Junior Cert syllabus, which was introduced in 1989, is due for a major review.

"There's a perception that students and people in general are less well able to articulate and argue," Bates says. "Students are not writing essays that are as well organised as they used to be." Kate O'Carroll, chairwoman of the Association of Teachers of English (ATE), says "there is a sense that grammatical structure and the mechanics of language are less well known than they used to be". Professor Brian Cox, former professor at the University of Manchester's department of English, will be the conference's keynote speaker. He chaired Britain's National Curriculum for English Working Group, which was set up in 1988. Dr Mark Morgan, of St Patrick's College, Drumcondra, Dublin, will be the first speaker at the conference, addressing the issue of literacy in Ireland today. The two main sponsors of the conference are the Educational Studies Association of Ireland and the R&D Centre at UCD's education department. The two-day event is being organised in association with The Irish Times and is jointly sponsored by the ASTI, INTO, TUI, National Adult Literacy Association, the ATE and META.

For further information, including details on booking and cost, contact Denis Bates, conference convenor, at 3 Tullyvarraga Hill, Shannon, Co Clare (tel: (061) 311155; fax: (061) 362690).