Questions

464. Deputy Colm Burke asked the Minister for Education and Youth if she has approved the NCCA draft specifications for Leaving Certificate English, which sets out a fundamental change in the English curriculum (details supplied). [73565/26]

213. Deputy Matt Carthy asked the Minister for Education and Youth if her attention has been drawn to the significant anxiety and inequity facing current Leaving Certificate students due to the lack of official past exam papers for newly updated subjects; the reason the State examinations commission has only provided two sample papers per updated subject, forcing students to rely on unstandardised third-party commerc…

217. Deputy Paul Lawless asked the Minister for Education and Youth if her attention has been drawn to the increasing concerns being raised by families regarding the cost of mock and State examinations at second level; whether consideration is being given to the introduction of additional financial supports, fee waivers, or other assistance measures for low-income families, including households where a parent holds a…

414. Deputy Denise Mitchell asked the Minister for Education and Youth the formal, alternative infrastructure the State examinations commission is establishing to authenticate additional assessment components of exams for home educated and medically vulnerable candidates, without forcing them to self-source school permissions from schools; the guidance that has been given to schools in cases where a student may have …

434. Deputy Cian O'Callaghan asked the Minister for Education and Youth the way in which the State Examinations Commission will authenticate Additional Assessment Components for home educated and medically vulnerable Leaving Certificate candidates; and if she will ensure that students who are unable to maintain a full, physical school attendance are not adversely impacted as a result of these Additional Assessment Co…

262. Deputy Seán Kyne asked the Minister for Education and Youth her views on concerns raised by parents regarding the Leaving Certificate scheduling which resulted in maths paper 2 and Irish paper 1 being held on the same day; whether she acknowledges that both Irish and maths are difficult for many students and would be best held separately and on their own; and whether she will examine this in advance of the sched…

289. Deputy Sorca Clarke asked the Minister for Education and Youth the date on which the junior cert results will be released. [66825/26]

219. Deputy Eoghan Kenny asked the Minister for Education and Youth if she is satisfied that the State Examinations Commission website is fit for purpose and provides students, parents and teachers with clear and easily searchable access to examination and assessment documentation; if she is aware of difficulties locating important materials relating to the new Leaving Certificate biology specification, including the…

525. Deputy John Lahart asked the Minister for Education and Youth if she will respond to assertions that the content of mathematics higher paper 2026, was not a reasonable examination of the syllabus set by her Department with many questions considered obscure and challenging, particularly in the tight timeframe of the exam; and the analysis or response that has been actioned within her Department arising from conce…

589. Deputy Charles Ward asked the Minister for Education and Youth if the number of sraithpictiúr for the leaving certificate oral Irish exam will remain at ten for examinations taking place in 2027 and 2028; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [65294/26]

613. Deputy Colm Burke asked the Minister for Education and Youth to confirm the action she and her Department are taking with regards to the review of the Leaving Certificate mathematics curriculum following resignations from the Subject Development Group. [65613/26]

630. Deputy Michael Murphy asked the Minister for Education and Youth whether she is satisfied that current Leaving Certificate subject-access arrangements provide students with dyslexia and other additional educational needs with an equitable opportunity to maximise their CAO points; whether she has considered circumstances in which a student with an Irish exemption who also experiences significant difficulty with E…

631. Deputy Michael Murphy asked the Minister for Education and Youth whether schools have discretion to facilitate a Leaving Cert student with dyslexia and an exemption from Irish to study an additional subject, where the student is likely to experience significant difficulty achieving the required standard in English and where studying an additional subject would provide the student with six subjects in which they …

282. Deputy Ann Graves asked the Minister for Education and Youth the way in which a person can submit an FOI request on the way the State Examination Commission writes and stress tests exam papers to ensure that there are no errors (details supplied).; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [52685/26]

338. Deputy John Connolly asked the Minister for Education and Youth whether, having regard to the approach adopted by the State Examinations Commission following concerns raised in relation to the 2023 Leaving Certificate higher level mathematics examination, the Commission will undertake a detailed analysis of candidate performance at various stages of the marking process for the 2026 higher level mathematics exami…

339. Deputy John Connolly asked the Minister for Education and Youth if she will request the State Examinations Commission to publish, following the issue of results, the Chief Examiner's analysis of candidate performance in 2026 higher level mathematics, including performance on questions that generated significant concern among teachers and students; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [53564/26]

340. Deputy John Connolly asked the Minister for Education and Youth whether she has reviewed the submission made by the Irish Mathematics Teachers' Association (IMTA) regarding the 2026 Leaving Certificate higher level mathematics examinations; whether the concerns raised therein have been referred to the State Examinations Commission and the Chief Examiner for consideration during the marking process; and if she wi…

341. Deputy John Connolly asked the Minister for Education and Youth whether the Department of Education or the State Examinations Commission has requested or commenced an analysis of candidate performance in the 2026 Leaving Certificate higher level mathematics examinations compared with previous years; whether such analysis will inform the standard-setting process and the finalisation of marking schemes; and if she…

342. Deputy John Connolly asked the Minister for Education and Youth whether the Chief Examiner for Leaving Certificate higher level mathematics has been requested to examine concerns raised by students, parents and the Irish Mathematics Teachers' Association regarding Question 8 and Question 10 of the 2026 examination papers; whether candidate performance on these questions will be specifically reviewed during the m…

180. Deputy Christopher O'Sullivan asked the Minister for Education and Youth if her Department plans to review the policy around students who experience a family bereavement during the Leaving Certificate as the current policy only allows for a three day deferral; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [50164/26]

395. Deputy Jen Cummins asked the Minister for Education and Youth the reason Leaving Certificate appeal results are provisionally scheduled to issue on 25 September 2026, after the completion of the first four rounds of CAO offers and their acceptance deadlines; whether she has assessed the impact on students whose grades and CAO points increase following a successful appeal, but who may be unable to access courses …

408. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Education and Youth further to Parliamentary Question No’s 445, 446 and 447 of 16 June 2026, whether the State Examinations Commission has confirmed to her Department that the established quality assurance, review and sign-off procedures for the setting of examination papers were followed in full in respect of the 2026 Leaving Certificate higher level mathematics paper 1…

167. Deputy Peadar Tóibín asked the Minister for Education and Youth the process by which the wording of a recent State Examinations Commission Leaving Certificate Paper which had a question referring to a "pregnant person" was developed; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [47957/26]

168. Deputy Peadar Tóibín asked the Minister for Education and Youth whether the State Examinations Commission has a policy, guidance document or framework governing the use of gender-neutral terminology in examination papers; if so will she provide details of same; and whether any external advisors, organisations or stakeholders were consulted regarding the language used in the instance of a recent question in the L…

169. Deputy Peadar Tóibín asked the Minister for Education and Youth the measures the State Examinations Commission takes to ensure that examination content remains objective, evidence-based and free from political or ideological influence in the preparation of examination papers; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [47959/26]