News has emerged that some Leaving Certificate students who have signed up for predicted grading are still waiting for clarity from the Department of Education, in relation to how their predicted grade will be arrived at.

This scenario exists in relation to external candidates. These are candidates who have applied to sit a leaving certificate subject, but are not a student in a secondary school.

Below is the text of an email sent by the Department of Education to external candidates on June 4th:

Dear Students,

This email is intended for students who entered for their Leaving Certificate examinations as external candidates and who indicated that they were not attending for tuition in any school or  private college  recognised by the State Examinations Commission for the purposes of holding examinations.   In the Calculated Grades process we will refer to this type of student as Out of School Learners.

It may be the case that you are studying independently, or you may be:
        . receiving lessons from a teacher or a tutor
        . attending lessons at another type of education centre
        . attending lessons on a part-time basis at a private college.   

In any of these cases, if you are an external candidate who did not enter to sit your examinations through a school or private college where you are receiving tuition, then this email is for you.

By now, you should be registered on the Calculated Grades Student portal and have confirmed the levels for each subject at which you had intended to sit the Leaving Certificate Examinations. 

Every effort will be made by the Calculated Grades Executive Office  to provide calculated grades to as many students  as possible, provided that there is credible, satisfactory evidence from an appropriate source, on which an estimated percentage mark can be based.

We are currently working through a process that out of school learners will need to engage with in order to be considered for calculated grades.  Details of this process will issue to you at this email address as soon as possible. 

Calculated Grades Executive Office
Athlone

Since this email was sent out, students have yet to receive any further contact from the Department of Education, 13 days later. The fact that this system had not been put place by the time the email was sent on June 4th, is a poor reflection on the Department of Education. It is unacceptable to leave students in limbo in this fashion.