Posted online: Jun 9th, 2009

By Meghan Volang
Reporter

FOLLOWING last week’s examination blunder, which took place at Saint Oliver’s Community College in Drogheda, Sligo students completed their Leaving Cert English paper on Saturday.
Gerry Breslin, North West spokesperson for the Association of Secondary Schools Teachers in Ireland, told the Sligo Post that this was a rare situation, one which had occurred 40 years ago.
But he also added that schools generally have more than one paper examination written out in case of emergencies.
“There are two papers being made: one which is usually collected by the Superintendants and locked away for safety in Garda stations for instance and the other paper which goes to the Department of Education in Athlone,” Mr Breslin told the Post.
He also added that although he could not comment on the circumstances of the blunder, he said it was unfortunate that the Department wasn’t advised sooner as to the situation on the day the initial examination took place.
According to Frank Kielty, guidance councillor at Sligo Mercy College, he didn’t think the error had deeply affected students in fact some of them were caught saying how delighted they were to have extra time to revise.
“The students were pretty relaxed and they seemed to have gotten over the initial shock. In fact some of the poets that came up on the first paper came up again this time round.”