How did COVID-19 affect 12th graders in Ireland? By Oren Metzuyanim 1.10.2020

On the 29th of February, 2020 the COVID-19 pandemic reached the Republic of Ireland. After about 3 weeks cases of the virus were confirmed in all counties. Due to the pandemic, many societies were affected. The government started to shut down all schools, colleges, children facilities, and cultural institutions. As a result of the pandemic reaching high numbers, DublinLive, 6 Mar. 2020 reported that Saint Patrick's Day festivities were canceled throughout the whole country.

In the 12th grade, the Irish students take a very important exam called the “Leaving Certificate” (LC) which establishes their future. The number of points they get on the LC determines which college they will be accepted to. Due to the LC being canceled the Ministry of Education decided that instead of risking students’ health they would use predicted grades from exams and assignments that were done throughout the years.

Many students were very disappointed by this decision because they had been preparing for this exam since the 7th grade. Emily Lyons a 12 grader from Stratford College Secondary School in Dublin said: “I personally think that if I had the chance to take the LC my grades would be so much higher than the predicted grades I got.” Many other students from Stratford College agreed with her statement saying that they're very disappointed that they couldn't complete the LC.

On the other hand, some students found that having predicted grades were much better than doing the LC. Max Goodbody, another 12th grader from Stratford College said “This pandemic is already stressing all of us out. Having to do the leaving certificate would have had us all even more stressed. I wouldn't want to risk my life just to do an exam, and I am very happy with the predicted grade I got. It was much less stressful than doing the actual exam.”

In conclusion, despite disappointment among some 12th graders regarding the results they ended up getting due to the predicted grades, there is an understanding that it is better to get predicted grades than risking their and other students’ lives by catching the virus. As Emily Lyons reflected: “I know that I and many other students are not happy with our grades, but we understand that this had to be done to make sure we all stay protected from the virus”.

Photo from site: https://www.stratfordcollege.ie/about-us/contact