Dáil Éireann Debate, Thursday - 22 January 2026
351. Deputy Shónagh Ní Raghallaigh asked the Minister for Education and Youth if she will intervene to ensure that students sitting their Leaving Certificate exams through Irish in 2026 will not be disadvantaged with respect to bonus points due to an administrative decision taken by the State Examinations Commission; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [5131/26]
Amharc ar fhreagra359. Deputy Shónagh Ní Raghallaigh asked the Minister for Education and Youth the change in policy with respect to the system of bonus points for writing post-primary exams in Irish; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [5142/26]
Amharc ar fhreagraI propose to take Questions Nos. 351 and 359 together.
At present, there is an existing and longstanding policy in place for awarding bonus marks for written examinations in the Leaving Certificate examinations completed through the medium of Irish. The existing Irish bonus marks policy, not bonus points as referenced by the Deputy, encompasses written examinations only, as set out under Rule 29 of the ‘Rules and Programmes for Secondary Schools 2004/2005’, This provision continues to apply for those students who will sit their written examinations this year, 2026.
As part of the ongoing commitment of Government and my Department to the promotion and support of the Irish language through the teaching and learning experienced by candidates, the application of bonus marks is being extended to include those components of the State examinations which are coursework and completed through Irish, where appropriate. This is primarily given the application of revised assessment arrangements under the Senior Cycle redevelopment programme whereby all new and revised Leaving Certificate Established subject specifications will incorporate components that are not a traditional written examination, and worth at least 40% of the total available marks.
The first Tranche of new and redeveloped subjects are currently being studied by fifth years, who will sit their Leaving Certificate examinations in 2027.
The extension of the Irish bonus marks to coursework will be applied to all subjects examined in 2027, not just those that have been redeveloped within Tranche 1. This is to ensure equity and fairness with the application of bonus marks irrespective of the subject choices of individual students. This delivers on the commitment made in Senior Cycle Redevelopment Implementation Support Measures document, published in May of last year.
These extended arrangements, as set out in the recently published departmental circular 0002/2026 ‘Bonus for the completion of additional assessment components through Irish’, will apply to all Leaving Certificate Established and Leaving Certificate Applied subjects in 2027 and in subsequent years.
The SEC has also recently published circular S10/26 ‘Application of the Irish Bonus in State Examinations’, outlining the operational dimensions of the policy change including the applicable criteria and parameters relating to the awarding of the bonus marks.
The extension of the Irish bonus marks acknowledges the value of the components concerned, their intended integration into the teaching and learning experienced by students, and builds on the established objective of encouraging the use of the Irish language by all learners, in all schools. It also recognises that with the introduction of the Tranche 1 subject specifications, a number of subjects which previously were examined by written examination only will have coursework components with a significant weighting. In these circumstances it is considered appropriate to include coursework components completed in Irish for the first time as to not do so would have the effect of reducing the effect of the current policy in those subjects.
The introduction of the extension outlined in circular 0002/2026 applies to students taking their Leaving Certificate examinations in 2027 and beyond. It does not apply to earlier cohorts, including 2026, as those annual cohorts will not engage with additional components under Senior Cycle Redevelopment in the same way as those in 2027 will do so.
My department has a long-standing policy of encouraging the active use of the Irish language by students and in school communities. The extension of the Irish bonus marks builds on this objective, encouraging the use of the Irish language by all learners, in all schools. The application of the Irish Bonus will be reviewed as subjects are redeveloped under the redevelopment programme.
