Candidate Booklet 2018

Transcription

1 PORTUMNA COMMUNITY SCHOOL Leaving Certificate and Junior Certificate Examinations Candidate Booklet

2 Contents Introduction State Examination Commission Department of Education and Skills School Rules Subject Levels and changing from Higher to Ordinary etc. The Final Month of school The Weeks of the exams Results Stress Management Sources of Further Information / Contact details CHECKLIST Have I my exam timetable? Do I know my exam number? Have I an effective revision timetable? Do I know why I lost marks in subjects in the Mocks? Have I spent extra time eradicating the things that cost me marks? Have I kept balance in my life? If I feel stressed have I talked about it? Have I left mobile phone at home? Is uniform ready, clean and tidy? Do I have materials e.g. calculator, ruler, maths instruments, biros, pencil, watch if needed? Do I have packed lunch ready? Do I know bus times etc.? Leaving Cert only Have I got my PIN? Do I know CAO change of mind dates? Do I know how and when to collect results? 2 11

3 Get advice: if you are seriously stressed, talk to someone about it. Simply putting the situation into words helps to shrink problems to manageable proportions. Introduction This booklet has been produced by your school to ensure that you have key information, guidance and rules available to you and your parents / guardians. It includes extracts from the rules of the school, the Department of Education and Skills and the State Examinations Commission. It also offers you advice on exam preparation and managing yourself during the duration of the exams. State Examinations Commission Sources of further information / Contact details School office@portumnacs.ie This is the organisation set up by the Irish government to organise and manage the examination process. They draw up exam papers, exam timetables and organise the examinations Department of Education and Skills The government department which organises education in Ireland. School Rules Apply throughout the examinations. All rules. You are at risk of exclusion from sitting your exams in the school if your behaviour is deemed unacceptable by the Superintendent during the examination weeks or the school management during the school year or during the examination weeks. In particular we draw your attention to: Mobile phones / Any electronic device capable of storing or recording or transmitting information is forbidden with the exception of officially approved calculators or laptop computers 10 3

4 for certain candidates. Neat and tidy uniform is to be worn properly for the duration of the exams. Punctuality for exams is crucial. All permitted materials e.g. Pens, calculator should be brought when needed. Lunchtime; students may eat in school but there will be no canteen in operation. Students may go downtown but should not engage in any activity which will distract from examinations. You will be held to account for bad behaviour downtown. Subject Levels and Changing levels... Students MUST pick their levels for examination very carefully when they sign the exam entry form. They MUST consult teachers and be guided by them as to what level is best suited them. At Leaving Cert. level students can change levels on the day of the exam. This is not possible at Junior Cert level except in rare and exceptional circumstances. It requires written permission from the Principal at Junior Cert. to change levels. Please note that there are further restrictions in the subjects with a practical or project part which restrict level changing., e.g. At LC construction studies a candidate can change down from higher to ordinary level before the written exam even with the practical/ project element done at higher but all marks will be issued at lower level. In the case of the following subjects the level is determined by the choice of level in the component shown in brackets which is completed before the written exam: 4 the15th August. They may be collected from the school after 10 a.m. or online from SEC after 12 noon using your examination number and PIN. Junior Certificate results will be available in September and will be distributed in the Gym during last class of the day on which they are issued. Stress Management You need to accept that some stress is inevitable in examination situations: it is a normal reaction to demanding situations. Remind yourself that you have been doing exams for at least three, five or six years now, you have experience of them and a great deal about them is very familiar to you. Remind yourself that you have parts of the Leaving Certificate or Junior Certificate done already this year and you are making progress toward the conclusion of the exams. Remind yourself that you live in a society where hype (exaggeration, amplification of issues via publicity) has become prominent and that the reality can be considerably different. Once you have put the Leaving Certificate into that perspective you then manage the stress levels you experience: Have a good revision plan and stick to it. Keep balance in your life: eat sensibly and regularly, get regular sleep or rest, get fresh air and exercise. Huge amounts of cramming in a short time won t help you respond to exam needs properly. Learn and use some relaxation techniques: breathing exercises, muscle relaxation, music, certain websites have short guided meditations. In short, find a solution that helps you. 9

5 Candidates must indicate on their answer books the make and model of any calculator(s) used in the examination. Candidates are not allowed to take an instruction manual into the examination hall. This includes instructions printed on the cover of the calculator. Any instructions printed on a casing that cannot be removed from the calculator must be securely covered. Art (Practical) Music (Practical) Engineering (Project) Irish Foundation level (Oral) Candidates may not turn on their calculators until the examination begins. A candidate may be expelled from the examination hall if his/ her behaviour is such at to jeopardise the successful conduct of the examination. The Final Month of school Students will stay in school as long as possible to sharpen exam skills and memorise sufficient material. Leaving Certs will have supervised study in school in the school from Monday May 21st until 3.55 p.m. on Wednesday May 30th. After that LC students will study at home. Junior Certificate students may not study at home before the exams. They finish on Thursday May 31st. SEC Sanctions Please note carefully that violation of SEC rules may mean that you will lose the grade in any affected subject; you may be refused permission to sit the remainder of your exams; you may lose all grades in all exams and you may lose your 3rd level grant. Results Leaving Certificate results are available on a Wednesday in August, usually around the second Wednesday though this can vary from year to year. For 2018 they are available on Wednesday The Weeks of the Exams Candidates should have their timetable downloaded from and printed as soon as it is available. It is the candidate s responsibility, not the school s, to be at their exams on time on the correct day. Exam numbers will have been issued prior to the exams and candidates should have this memorised. You will be seated at a desk with your exam number sellotaped onto it. You must keep this place unless the superintendent directs you otherwise. Notices will be posted in the Social Area reminding candidates of which centre they are in and their exam numbers. In addition notices warning about mobile phones and electronic 8 5

6 devices will be posted there. Procedures about toilet breaks and uniform will be posted in the social area also. Candidates having toilet breaks with the permission of the Superintendent will be accompanied to the toilet and must sign a register. Candidates should remain in the exam centre for the full duration of the exam. This ensures they give of their best and do not create disturbance for other candidates by leaving early. A candidate may not be permitted to leave the hall and return during the examination period unless the superintendent is satisfied that the candidate s need to leave the hall is genuine, (e.g. because of illness, urgent need to visit the toilet, etc.). A candidate who leaves the hall during any period of examination shall not be re-admitted during that period unless the candidate has been in the care of a representative of the school authority or, failing that, in the care of the Attendant during the entire period of the absence. Study rooms are available in school each day, at least one for Leaving Certs. and at least one more for Junior Certs. Candidates who leave exams before the scheduled finish must sign out at the door of the centre and these sheets will be brought to the attention of the principal. Junior Cert. students will be required to attend supervised study if they sign out early from an exam. Candidates to present in full school uniform for all examinations. Candidates are required to be in attendance at the examination hall at least half an hour before the examination commences on the first morning they begin exams. Thereafter for all subsequent exams candidates should be in attendance at least fifteen minutes before the start of the exam. No candidate may be authorised to leave the examination hall until the expiration of thirty minutes from the time at which the examination began. A candidate who leaves the examination hall before the expiration of any period of examination must surrender his/her examination paper and answer book to the Superintendent. A candidate shall not bring into the examination hall, or have in his/her possession or under his/her control or within his/her reach, whilst he/she is in such room any memorandum, notes or mobile phone, electronic address book, data bank, etc, except a calculator as permitted under the regulations or bilingual translation dictionary where its use has been approved. A candidate shall, in all matters relative to the examination, submit to, and obey, the directions of the Superintendent In those subjects in which there is more than one paper, a candidate must take all the papers in a subject from one level, e.g. all papers at Ordinary Level or all at Higher Level. He/she may not be supplied with, or allowed to see, the papers in more than one level in the same subject. 6 7