Mock Fees?

Jammyc

How much do the mocks usually cost/used to cost?
Being told ours are dearer this year-113 yoyos
What yas reckoon?

cautioner

:eek:
Ours are like 30-40.

Jammyc

Was thinkin this was ridiculous..
****in school is arse with money

cautioner

Maybe it's 30-40 to get them corrected and the rest is a... "tip"

Jammyc

cautioner wrote: »

Maybe it's 30-40 to get them corrected and the rest is a... "tip"

Probably....a secret tuition fee!;)

MathsManiac

Might depend on whether the school is ordering the papers only (and teachers correcting their own) or whether they're getting them corrected externally. Maybe they used to do their own and this year decided to send them off.

DEB pricelist is here: http://www.debexams.ie/exam_papers.htm

Examcraft don't seem to list the prices unless you're placing an order - which you have to be registered as a teacher/school to do.

PurpleFistMixer

Ours were about 70 I think, and some of the papers took about 5 weeks to come back. Value for money wha.

timmywex

Ours will be 100 and something, but im not worried, i dont pay it And its all cool because id prefer getting them corrected by someone else rather than the teacher

Jammyc

MathsManiac wrote: »

Might depend on whether the school is ordering the papers only (and teachers correcting their own) or whether they're getting them corrected externally. Maybe they used to do their own and this year decided to send them off.

DEB pricelist is here: http://www.debexams.ie/exam_papers.htm

Examcraft don't seem to list the prices unless you're placing an order - which you have to be registered as a teacher/school to do.

Yeah they do send em away
As regards the CD's price on the list. Is that per student or is the cost of the cd's split among all the students?

Jammyc

PurpleFistMixer wrote: »

Ours were about 70 I think, and some of the papers took about 5 weeks to come back. Value for money wha.

Here here.

Remember the JC mocks didnt get some results till nearly Easter.

Piste

huh? I don't remember having to pay fees in 3rd year.

Jammyc

3rd year mocks had ta be paid for too

Piste

Heh I don't remember being told to pay at all....maybe a letter goes home.

Fad

Piste wrote: »

Heh I don't remember being told to pay at all....maybe a letter goes home.

It goes home, my sister got one last year.


For me theyre either included in the fees or added on top.......my school are great for extra fees, 5 Year PPU membership and a "Graduation Fee" on top of the normal fee............ROBBERS!

Jammyc

Fad wrote: »

It goes home, my sister got one last year.


For me theyre either included in the fees or added on top.......my school are great for extra fees, 5 Year PPU membership and a "Graduation Fee" on top of the normal fee............ROBBERS!

Aye, cost of goin to school is arse these days.
In the next 3 weeks I have to pay for me CAO, mock fees, had to pay for christmas exam stationary before the exams in December

ironictoaster

I thought education was free :rolleyes: :P

phasers

mine were €100, and I'm paying 160 quid for night study after Christmas.

implausible

Free education means not having to pay fees to attend school, other things needs to be paid for.

The reason there are so many different figures quoted is the mock exams are different in every school. There are several companies producing the exam papers. Some schools only order the papers, some schools order papers and pay for them to be corrected, others charge for the stationery. Some pass this charge onto the student directly, others include it in a fee at the beginning of the year or as part of the book scheme. No two schools are the same.

Aisling(",)

its 100 for me

JSK 252

It aint a fare deal is it considering the leaving cert fee for 2009 is 109 euro? eh?

rainbowtrout

JSK 252 wrote: »

It aint a fare deal is it considering the leaving cert fee for 2009 is 109 euro? eh?

yes, but the mock companies are in it for profit, the SEC aren't

JSK 252

rainbowtrout wrote: »

yes, but the mock companies are in it for profit, the SEC aren't

They have to meet their overheads, staff fees like any other business while at the same time investing in the future. This is like any other 3rd party state body. It doesnt matter if its private or public.

Jammyc

I guess, its all fair points. But still letter coming home asking for that much was a bit of a shock. Specially this time of year. Either way thanks for all your input. Much appreciated.

*moves to what might come up in the mocks thread*:P

MathsManiac

JSK 252 wrote: »

They have to meet their overheads, staff fees like any other business while at the same time investing in the future. This is like any other 3rd party state body. It doesnt matter if its private or public.

But the bulk of SEC's funding is from general state funds (i.e. taxes). The fee only cvers a small proportion of their costs. This is from their 2007 annual report, available on their website:
"The overall cost of running the examinations, including staff salaries and administration costs, in the period 1st January, 2007 to 31st December, 2007 was €64.8 million, of which €8.7 million was collected in fees." (p.28)

So, they'd have to increase fees about eight-fold if they actually wanted to cover their costs.

JSK 252

MathsManiac wrote: »

But the bulk of SEC's funding is from general state funds (i.e. taxes). The fee only cvers a small proportion of their costs. This is from their 2007 annual report, available on their website:
"The overall cost of running the examinations, including staff salaries and administration costs, in the period 1st January, 2007 to 31st December, 2007 was €64.8 million, of which €8.7 million was collected in fees." (p.28)

So, they'd have to increase fees about eight-fold if they actually wanted to cover their costs.

8.7 million is still a good 15% ( there or there abouts ) of fee accumulation outside of state taxes. Im not denying that the SEC's funding comes from the exchequer. What I was just saying is its a bit over the top the fees people have to pay for the pres/mocks when they arent even the authentic examination! Well they try to be, but they arent. This is as a result of according to my teacher who is an advising examiner in geography ( which I probably have said 100s of times now please excuse me if I have:D) the oligopolistic situation of 2 pre paper companies in Ireland.

SarcasticFairy

Our school paid for our JC mock papers and we had to pay for the corrections, depending on which teachers wanted to send them away and whatnot.

Nothing has been said about LC mocks yet, but they will probably blame the recession and say we have to pay for the papers ourselves this year.

zonEEE

ours are over 100 and when they do come back the grades are way different then what they should be.

implausible

SarcasticFairy wrote: »

Nothing has been said about LC mocks yet, but they will probably blame the recession and say we have to pay for the papers ourselves this year.

Could be the situation in a lot of schools, seeing as the Dept of Education have cut a huge amount of funding to schools.

Toto Wolfcastle

deemark wrote: »

Could be the situation in a lot of schools, seeing as the Dept of Education have cut a huge amount of funding to schools.

Likely. Every cent will be needed!

Jammyc

Cutbacks in education and transport costs increased. Bus fare has gone up from 1.70 to 2.20! Quite a jump! Getting an education just seems to be getting dearer and dearer!

Mr Maroon

It's €100 for me

Ours are €20, inclusive of all materials and external correction. Looks like many of your schools are ripping you off.

Fad

-JammyDodger- wrote: »

Looks like many of your schools are ripping you off.

Or have less funds then yours

rainbowtrout

JSK 252 wrote: »

What I was just saying is its a bit over the top the fees people have to pay for the pres/mocks when they arent even the authentic examination! Well they try to be, but they arent. This is as a result of according to my teacher who is an advising examiner in geography ( which I probably have said 100s of times now please excuse me if I have:D) the oligopolistic situation of 2 pre paper companies in Ireland.

Schools are under no obligation to do mocks. Some (a small minority) schools don't do any mocks. Some schools make their teachers set their own mock papers and correct them to keep down costs. Most schools buy their papers from the 2 companies operating in Ireland. There were more mock companies in the past but it obviously wasn't sustainable for more than 2 to continue operating. These companies have to pay people to set papers as well as correct them. So the likes of English, Irish and Maths will be quite profitable, choice subjects maybe not so much, like Applied Maths, Italian, Physics with Chemistry etc etc. Again as I've already said, they're in it for profit. I've corrected mocks for a number of years and I've noticed that about half the schools get students to provide their own paper for exams (pages from refill pads) while the rest use pre-printed booklets from these companies. I imagine that schools trying to keep the cost down for parents this year might go for option 1.

-JammyDodger- wrote: »

Ours are €20, inclusive of all materials and external correction. Looks like many of your schools are ripping you off.

No they are not, you may have paid other contributions to your school at the start of the year which may go to subsidise mock fees. You may have been told they are corrected externally. It might not be the case. Again above I made the point of booklets costing money, maybe your school get them locally or provide paper themselves. Anywhere between €60-100 is about normal.

Fad

Fad wrote: »

Or have less funds then yours

Yah, that might be true. I can't see my school having all that much more funds though, it's a completely average country school.

rainbowtrout

rainbowtrout wrote: »

No they are not, you may have paid other contributions to your school at the start of the year which may go to subsidise mock fees. You may have been told they are corrected externally. It might not be the case. Again above I made the point of booklets costing money, maybe your school get them locally or provide paper themselves. Anywhere between €60-100 is about normal.

I, nor anybody else in my school, have paid anything other than the €20. That's the price, we didn't pay any other contributions, none whatsoever. And I know, for a fact, that they get them corrected externally. We also use booklets, booklets that are pretty much identical to the LC ones.

Jammyc

Yeah, our school doesnt have that much funds tbh

Its owned by the Holy Faith Sisters, who dont teach or run the school at all.
Its just in an awkward place. So because were owned by the convent we apparently dont get as much funding as government owned schools do or something.

macroman

Haven't been asked for moolah yet but I reckon it'd be around €30.

JSK 252

rainbowtrout wrote: »

Schools are under no obligation to do mocks. Some (a small minority) schools don't do any mocks. Some schools make their teachers set their own mock papers and correct them to keep down costs. Most schools buy their papers from the 2 companies operating in Ireland. There were more mock companies in the past but it obviously wasn't sustainable for more than 2 to continue operating. These companies have to pay people to set papers as well as correct them. So the likes of English, Irish and Maths will be quite profitable, choice subjects maybe not so much, like Applied Maths, Italian, Physics with Chemistry etc etc. Again as I've already said, they're in it for profit. I've corrected mocks for a number of years and I've noticed that about half the schools get students to provide their own paper for exams (pages from refill pads) while the rest use pre-printed booklets from these companies. I imagine that schools trying to keep the cost down for parents this year might go for option 1.

Oh yah, sure most of the private schools such as bruce college have their own house pre exams made by their own teachers.

implausible

-JammyDodger- wrote: »

I, nor anybody else in my school, have paid anything other than the €20. That's the price, we didn't pay any other contributions, none whatsoever. And I know, for a fact, that they get them corrected externally. We also use booklets, booklets that are pretty much identical to the LC ones.

There's absolutely no way that €20 covers all of your mock papers and corrections! The money is coming from somewhere else. €20 wouldn't cover the price of LC HL English papers and corrections, let alone any other papers.

Fad

JSK 252 wrote: »

Oh yah, sure most of the private schools such as bruce college have their own house pre exams made by their own teachers.

Need I remind you that most Private Schools arent like Bruce College!
(But that is a debate that has been done to death and not for here)

Jammyc

Fad wrote: »

(But that is a debate that has been done to death and not for here)

+1

spurious

The best sort of mock paper is one entirely based on previous actual SEC exams. At least one of the big mock paper companies regularly has had questions on their mock papers that are not on the syllabus. Be careful basing any sort of predictions on these mock papers.

deemark

deemark wrote: »

There's absolutely no way that €20 covers all of your mock papers and corrections! The money is coming from somewhere else. €20 wouldn't cover the price of LC HL English papers and corrections, let alone any other papers.

Well, €20 euro is all we pay. It's my second time doing the Leaving Cert. in the school, and it was €20 euro last year, too. Unless the school subsidise it somehow, I don't know.

Jammyc

spurious wrote: »

The best sort of mock paper is one entirely based on previous actual SEC exams. At least one of the big mock paper companies regularly has had questions on their mock papers that are not on the syllabus. Be careful basing any sort of predictions on these mock papers.

Will do. Thanks for the heads up!

JSK 252

Fad wrote: »

Need I remind you that most Private Schools arent like Bruce College!
(But that is a debate that has been done to death and not for here)

In what way? Seriously?:pac: ( if I have begun a tangent please forgive me ). Are the private schools different in Dublin because I havent a clue!:D I was just taking Cork for an example!

Toto Wolfcastle

JSK 252 wrote: »

In what way? Seriously?:pac: ( if I have begun a tangent please forgive me ). Are the private schools different in Dublin because I havent a clue!:D I was just taking Cork for an example!

Bruce is a grinds school.

Fad

JSK 252 wrote: »

Are the private schools different in Dublin because I havent a clue!:D I was just taking Cork for an example!

I had a long answer typed out with comparisons, but it was a bit unessecary.

I will humour you momentarily.............Bruce College and The IOE are examples of Grind Schools, while they may be private, they arent the same as your average private school.

Now as you may already be aware a Grind School is almost exclusively exam focused. Grind Schools are typically private schools, but that doesnt mean One Private School≠Another

A private school is just like your ordinary secondary school but with one other element, think of it as a membership fee to some pointless club or a creche fee.

Piste

They usually have better facilities too, as they can afford it with the money from the fees. They may also offer classes/services not offered by other schools as they can afford to.

JSK 252

Fad wrote: »

I had a long answer typed out with comparisons, but it was a bit unessecary.

I will humour you momentarily.............Bruce College and The IOE are examples of Grind Schools, while they may be private, they arent the same as your average private school.

Now as you may already be aware a Grind School is almost exclusively exam focused. Grind Schools are typically private schools, but that doesnt mean One Private School≠Another

A private school is just like your ordinary secondary school but with one other element, think of it as a membership fee to some pointless club or a creche fee.

Oh yah I know bruce, hewitt and the tute for example are grind schools but I just call them private!:pac: I know you have private schools such as Christian Brothers who work like any other main stream school but you also have to pay a fee.

I should have you used the term '' grind school ''. Forgive me!

Fad

Piste wrote: »

They usually have better facilities too, as they can afford it with the money from the fees. They may also offer classes/services not offered by other schools as they can afford to.

Coming from you!

I'd go insofar as to say you have a nicer school.