sit the leaving cert with a laptop?

rogers4815

Fad wrote: »

Apparently they just lock everything except a word processor or note pad. (No spell check >_<)

I can't imagine how they'd block everything! How would they block command prompt and stuff like that?

Fad

rogers4815 wrote: »

I can't imagine how they'd block everything! How would they block command prompt and stuff like that?

I dont know, but Id say theyd render it pretty much useless for anything other than doing the exams, unless your paticularly good with computers.

rogers4815

Fad wrote: »

I dont know, but Id say theyd render it pretty much useless for anything other than doing the exams, unless your paticularly good with computers.

That's true, but actually come to think of it, the laptop may not be even running Windows at all. It may be some weird OS that you wouldn't be familiar with.

rogers4815

Mr.S wrote: »

I mean sure you could bring in a USB stick with a pre-written essay, but someones in the room watching you so i'd say thats impossible to get away with anyway!

Even beyond that, they probably use laptops with no extra connections on them to prevent that!

Fad

Mr.S wrote: »

If the laptop/PC is connected to the internet, what else can you do really? Spellcheck wouldn't be that usefull as spelling doesn't really matter in the Leaving anyway, apart from English and even then its not a huge factor.

I mean sure you could bring in a USB stick with a pre-written essay, but someones in the room watching you so i'd say thats impossible to get away with anyway!

Im pretty sure theyve thought of all of this:)

Im sure theres some form of spell check for Irish and definitly for French.

Also 10% of English, thats quite a bit.

PurpleFistMixer

Spell check for Irish? Surely that's too much of an aid... you don't need to remember how to conjugate verbs, then. (Of course I imagine a spellchecker won't know the tuisil etc., but still...)

Fad

PurpleFistMixer wrote: »

Spell check for Irish? Surely that's too much of an aid... you don't need to remember how to conjugate verbs, then. (Of course I imagine a spellchecker won't know the tuisil etc., but still...)

Im more questioning does one exist than anything else.

I was responding saying that if a spellcheck was possible it would be pretty handy.

rogers4815

Fad wrote: »

Im more questioning does one exist than anything else.

I was responding saying that if a spellcheck was possible it would be pretty handy.

I think one does. An ex-irish teacher of mine said that she was part of making one for microsoft word but i don't know if it's out yet or not

Fad

rogers4815 wrote: »

I think one does. An ex-irish teacher of mine said that she was part of making one for microsoft word but i don't know if it's out yet or not

Well you can get Windows in Irish (According to Piste's sig, I dunno).

I want Irish Predictive text! But my phone is too old! HISS

But anyway if you can get it for word I'll download it and check it out.

rogers4815

Fad wrote: »

Well you can get Windows in Irish (According to Piste's sig, I dunno).

I want Irish Predictive text! But my phone is too old! HISS

But anyway if you can get it for word I'll download it and check it out.

http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=2055165311&referrerid=59211

There's already a thread about it!

Fad

rogers4815 wrote: »

http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=2055165311&referrerid=59211

There's already a thread about it!

Im on a mac:pac:

rogers4815

oh snap!
I dunno then, microsoft are usually really slow with keeping their mac products up to date.

Fad

rogers4815 wrote: »

oh snap!
I dunno then, microsoft are usually really slow with keeping their mac products up to date.

I think im on an old version of it anyway, I got this copy of my teacher (A multi install copy, actually legit :pac:)

So I cant see myself being able to update it that much.

PurpleFistMixer

There is a spellchecker for Irish called Gaelspell, I had a firefox plugin for that on my PC anyway... Every post I wrote was full of spelling errors apparently. ;p Something of an incentive to use Irish.

eVeNtInE

This post has been deleted.

spurious

Anything that gives you an advantage over other candidates is not allowed, so spellcheckers and various laptop shortcuts would not be allowed.

This is why I cannot emphasise enough that the OP should not be banking on being allowed use a laptop.

Scribes on the other hand are common enough. I've corrected many exams written by scribes or spoken onto a tape. I haven't yet got a 'laptop' exam.

Piste

Do scribe-written exams tend to be of a lower quality than student-written exams? I'd be so annoyed to have a scribe and wouldn't be able to properly construct an answer.

spurious

Any scribe or tape papers I've corrected have done very well, apart from the usual 'leave out questions' brigade.

**edit
Just on the tape issue. Candidates should do a few practice runs in advance of the exam, as there is sometimes a tendency to start speaking in an unnatural style. I've corrected some tapes where people went into a strange pidgin English style for their answers. Very odd.

Piste

I was asked to be a scribe last year and had to refuse, I couldn't handle that pressure! I'd hate the feeling that I'd ruined someone's Leaving/Junior cert because I couldn't write fast enough. I know the candidates get extra time but oh god the pressure!

Fad

Piste wrote: »

I was asked to be a scribe last year and had to refuse, I couldn't handle that pressure! I'd hate the feeling that I'd ruined someone's Leaving/Junior cert because I couldn't write fast enough. I know the candidates get extra time but oh god the pressure!

It'd be incredibly frustrating to have a scribe, and if you were doing a tape exam, how would spelling come into play?

Fad

Mr.S wrote: »

Surley that would have been for a mock exam/christmas/summer exam though? Can't imagine the SEC trusting a 5th year to do a proper exam

Who else are they gonna get?
Teachers will either be supervising exams or just off.
Sometimes they get a past pupils to do them, but I'd say past pupils are exactly lining up to scribe for exams.

Fad

Mr.S wrote: »

Well our school has a couple of learning support teachers, so they do it, but my point is - would they trust a 16 year old to write someones Junior/Leaving cert especially if they where in the same school, and could easily just cheat for them!?

But not all schools have so many learning support teachers.
And obviously they have, also they'd clearly pick fairly well behaved students, so to minimalise chances of cheating. (Or pick a goody two shoes like Piste:pac:)

yellowfrog

how hard is it to bring a laptop into leaving cert? is it too late to apply? where/how do you apply?

spurious

yellowfrog wrote: »

how hard is it to bring a laptop into leaving cert? is it too late to apply? where/how do you apply?

You don't just bring one in. You have to have been 'diagnosed' as needing it and not suitable for a scribe.

Your school's Examinations Secretary will have to contact the Reasonable Accommodations section in Athlone.

2015LC1

spurious wrote: »

You don't just bring one in. You have to have been 'diagnosed' as needing it and not suitable for a scribe.

Your school's Examinations Secretary will have to contact the Reasonable Accommodations section in Athlone.

Like Spurious, to avail of Reasonable Accommodations you have to be diagnosed with a condition. You do not necessarily have to be found unsuitable for a scribe to use a word processor. The SEC is more inclined to get people to use word processors instead of Scribes.

To answer your questions,
''how hard is it to bring a laptop into leaving cert? is it too late to apply? where/how do you apply?''

Its a process that requires alot of paperwork by your school. Mine was applied for last year by my school so I'm sure you are too late. The application is made to the SEC by your school.

The only other way I think you could be granted the use of Reasonable Accommodations this late is if you were physically unable to write.

You can try email/ringing the SEC also, but its very doubtful to be granted at this late stage.

yellowfrog

yes i realise you are tested, but does it take ages? is it too late for this leaving cert. daughter diagnosd mild dyslexia at 16

spurious

yellowfrog wrote: »

yes i realise you are tested, but does it take ages? is it too late for this leaving cert. daughter diagnosd mild dyslexia at 16

I suppose it depends how long it takes you to get a current report from the educational psychologist.
Reasonable accommodations can be rung and arrangements for broken arms etc. done in an hour, so it depends how quickly you get the report and submit it through the school. TBH, I would have expected it to have been done before this. Are the school aware of the child's earlier diagnosis?

2015LC1

yellowfrog wrote: »

yes i realise you are tested, but does it take ages? is it too late for this leaving cert. daughter diagnosd mild dyslexia at 16

Is she 16 now (apologises but there are people in my year as young as 16 doing the leaving)

If for example, she was only diagnosed now then she might have a chance of getting the Reasonable Accomidations.

Educational physiologists are busy right across the country atm with assessments for DARE (disability access route to education) which have to be submitted to CAO by April 1st for Third Level.

Assessments take ages on waiting lists both private and public systems. It's unlikely to source a date even before the Leaving Cert

There was a case in my school where someone tried to get a scribe due to their poor handwriting. This was denied by the SEC due to the fact they hadn't been diagnosed with any disability and had missed the closing date for application

Your best bet is to contact the SEC or get through to the Rescourse organiser in your daughters school.