Discussion document responding to the Senior Cycle Draft Irish Specifications L1 and L2 published for consultation by the National Council for Curriculum and Assessment on 23 February 2021

In February 2021 the National Council for Curriculum and Assessment (NCCA) published draft curriculum specifications for Leaving Certificate Irish. A consultation period until the end of August was initially given, and this was extended to the end of November following pressure from various stakeholders. The 30th of November 2021 is now the deadline for the consultation period. As part of the NCCA’s consultation process, various organisations and the public in general have the opportunity to make submissions and / or respond via an online survey to the specifications. As the draft specifications are difficult to read without expertise in the area of curriculum development and an understanding of the terminology and concepts of applied linguistics, the Education Committee decided to ask two experts in the field to prepare a discussion paper giving an educational analysis of the main areas of concern which have emerged to date and which are creating controversy among teachers, students and parents since the publication of the draft specifications. This discussion document seeks to clarify the reasons for these concerns and the actions that the NCCA, the Department of Education (DE) and the State Examinations Commission (SEC) need to take in order to address the issues causing controversy, issues which are detracting from the consultation process. It is hoped that this information will assist those who wish to respond to the draft specifications by survey or by making a submission.