{"id":505704,"date":"2026-06-18T08:08:24","date_gmt":"2026-06-18T08:08:24","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/505704\/"},"modified":"2026-06-18T08:08:24","modified_gmt":"2026-06-18T08:08:24","slug":"more-time-extra-points-parents-of-dyslexic-children-sitting-leaving-cert-have-their-say-the-irish-times","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/505704\/","title":{"rendered":"More time, extra points: parents of dyslexic children sitting Leaving Cert have their say \u2013 The Irish Times"},"content":{"rendered":"

Dyslexic<\/a> students undertaking the State exams this year were, for the first time, granted an extra 10 minutes per exam. Earlier this month parent Anita Reid Murphy, shared her frustration<\/a> at the 10-minute allocation, and suggested extra points should be considered for dyslexic students sitting the Leaving Certificate<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Other parents shared their views on the issue with The Irish Times.<\/p>\n

As both the parent of a dyslexic child and a professional who works with dyslexic students, Claire McGinley feels the extra 10 minutes given to State exam students is \u201cridiculously low\u201d. She believes extra marks could help to level the playing field for dyslexic students.<\/p>\n

\"ClaireClaire McGinley-Finn: ‘During the exam reading the questions will take longer and then they have to process the questions and then write the answers.’ <\/p>\n

\u201cTen per cent is given to students at third level\u201d, she says drawing a comparison. \u201cAlso students with additional needs, such as dyslexia, usually have a poor working memory, which means it takes them so much longer to process any new information. During the exam reading the questions will take longer and then they have to process the questions and then write the answers. They will never get the same level of information written, even with an extra 10 per cent of time, so giving them extra marks would help balance the result.\u201d<\/p>\n

M\u00e1ire N\u00ed Chonghaile\u2019s dyslexic son has just completed his junior cycle exams. Her focus was getting him to the end of his exams \u201chappy and not stressed\u201d.<\/p>\n

\u201cThankfully his school has been very supportive, and he is fortunate to have received a reader, sits his exams in a different room and [has a] spelling waiver,\u201d she explains. \u201cEven with all of this he struggles, and exams cause him huge stress. He works hard but his brain processes information differently. And I do not believe that anyone who does not have dyslexia, including myself, can and ever will understand what it is like to sit examinations for someone with dyslexia.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cUnfortunately in 2026 students with dyslexia are struggling with exams that make them feel inferior and \u2018stupid\u2019,\u201d N\u00ed Chonghaile says. \u201cI do hope that this will change \u2013 and not just giving 10 mins extra to any student with dyslexia.\u201d She doesn\u2019t agree with the idea of extra points. \u201cI don\u2019t agree with them in general. I don\u2019t agree with them for higher-level maths or anything like that. I don\u2019t know if it\u2019s fair.\u201d Extra time \u2013 \u201cmore than 10 minutes\u201d, she clarifies \u2013 would be more valuable.<\/p>\n

\"FreyaFreya and Holly Halpin <\/p>\n

Liza Halpin has two dyslexic daughters. \u201cI would love for them to get extra points in the Leaving Cert but how would this be administered?\u201d she asks. <\/p>\n

\u201cWould the extra points be a flat 10 per cent, for example, for all diagnosed dyslexia students? Or would it be a sliding scale based on dyslexia severity? Would the extra points be for all subjects, including mathematics, art, music? What about the students with dyspraxia, dyscalculia, dysgraphia, will they get extra points too? Will schools be overrun with requests for assessments of their children in the hope that their child may have a learning difficulty [that they have managed to date] so they can get extra points?<\/p>\n

\u201cYes, I agree extra points would be justified but delivery would be a tough challenge\u201d, she says.<\/p>\n

Margaret Kershaw has twin sons sitting the Leaving Certificate and the Leaving Certificate applied exams. \u201cThey both have autism<\/a>, dyslexia and dyspraxia\u201d she explains<\/p>\n

She\u2019s not sure that dyslexic students should be entitled to extra points in the Leaving Cert but has clear ideas on the extra time allowance. \u201cTen minutes extra in each exam is absolutely ridiculous. It could take them 10 minutes to read and comprehend a question. After 17 years of the SEC [State Examinations Commission<\/a>] and Department of Education<\/a> being requested to give more time they give a measly 10 minutes. My boys have to read the questions a few times to comprehend it\u201d. <\/p>\n

\u201cThey get Race [reasonable accommodations at certificate examinations]\u201d and \u201ceven with that they struggle to complete all questions on the exam papers\u201d. <\/p>\n

\u201cThey are not getting an equal playing field with their peers. We fought for every bit of support they received in the education system. Students with disabilities should be offered more support and an equal opportunity to complete the exam papers. And that means extra time, at least 30 minutes. The Department of Education and SEC need to do better for students.\u201d<\/p>\n

Sarah Traynor says the Leaving Certificate has been \u201cso overwhelming\u201d for her dyslexic daughter. Her daughter sat six subjects rather than the usual seven, in her Leaving Cert and the \u201cdisadvantage in that\u201d adds its own pressures.<\/p>\n

School can be \u201cquite a stressful experience\u201d for dyslexic children Traynor explains. \u201cAnd the amount of work she\u2019s had to put in and still no guarantees on the day that it\u2019s going to come together for her.\u201d<\/p>\n

Her daughter couldn\u2019t avail of a spelling and grammar waiver. \u201cShe learned a cohort of words and she kept them on repeat. Which meant every essay she did had a sort of limited vocabulary that she used, because she didn\u2019t like the red marks that were all over her paper when she\u2019d get them back. Because she felt embarrassed and uncomfortable about that through schooling.\u201d In limiting her vocabulary to a core cohort, so as to make fewer mistakes, she was deemed not to need the waiver, Traynor says.<\/p>\n

\u201cGetting an additional 10 minutes is somewhat helpful but insufficient for certain subjects. Yet adding more time is actually adding additional pressure to her. We give 25 points to those that do honours maths to level a playing field. Yet a child with dyslexia just gets to do the same exams as other students, with no cognisance of what or how difficult the full two year leaving process is.\u201d Traynor says she would be \u201cin some way\u201d in favour of extra points for dyslexic students.<\/p>\n

Sean Keogh has two dyslexic children, one of whom is more impacted than the other by dyslexia. \u201cBoth are great on maths and technical subjects, but struggle significantly with reading, comprehension and writing,\u201d he explains. <\/p>\n

\u201cFrom our experience, we don\u2019t believe extra points are required and [it\u2019s] possibly not fair. The real issue is time. Spelling\/grammar is also a problem, for which exemptions are already available. But we feel the single biggest issue is time. My daughter takes forever to read even marginally verbose prose and takes as long again to write extensive answers [often required for some subjects]. My son faces similar challenges. Reading and writing seems particularly exhausting for them\u201d. <\/p>\n

\u201cIn exam situations, more time should level the playing field. Ten minutes is a start but it really does need to be more \u2013 at least 20 minutes for a two-hour exam\u201d.<\/p>\n

Cara* has two dyslexic children. Her son was recently diagnosed with dyslexia and has just completed his junior cycle exams. \u201cHe did avail of the extra 10 minutes of time allowed but unfortunately even with this extra allotted time he did not manage to complete his paper. He is a very slow writer,\u201d she explains. <\/p>\n

\u201cHis working memory is much slower than his peers also so this further inhibits his exam techniques. I would feel strongly that 20 minutes extra would be optimal for all dyslexic students. In addition, for Leaving Cert, I would agree that extra points should be allowed. Dyslexic students are overall at a huge disadvantage when it comes to exams. Yes the Dare [disability access route to education] application is available in most colleges but the number of places that they offer is much less that I had anticipated.\u201d<\/p>\n

With children in different schools Cara says \u201cschools also vary hugely in the supports that they provide\u201d. \u201cOne child is in quite an academic school. The other is middle of the road. <\/p>\n

\u201cDyslexic students will get left behind in high-achieving schools. Leaving Certificate points achieved and successful university obtained places take precedence in many schools, certainly in our area\u201d. <\/p>\n

* Name has been changed but is known to The Irish Times. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Dyslexic students undertaking the State exams this year were, for the first time, granted an extra 10 minutes…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":505705,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[10],"tags":[6128,6466,25799,103,61,60,3184,28205,49903],"class_list":["post-505704","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-health","tag-autism","tag-department-of-education","tag-dyslexia","tag-health","tag-ie","tag-ireland","tag-leaving-certificate","tag-second-level","tag-state-examinations-commission-sec"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/505704","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=505704"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/505704\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/505705"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=505704"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=505704"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=505704"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}