First Year Summer Exams

girlz

How important do you think first year summer exams are?
The reason I ask is, my dad has booked and payed for a big family holiday as a surprise for my mum. Its their 50th wedding anniversary, so dad wanted all the family to go away for a week together.
I don`t know what to do whether to take my son out of school or not go on the holiday....
What do you think?

Desire.

In all honesty, they are not important at all. Maybe if you want to gauge your son's progress in school, have a quick chat with all of his teachers.

They're not important long term. They don't count for anything, and they're not difficult. If your son had Christmas Exams then don't worry about it. Set up a meeting with his tutor/year head, and all should be fine. But if he hasn't had Christmas exams, you might want to ask him how he feels about it, and think some more about it. It's his first chance to experience sitting in an exam hall, and first year exams are basically just a way of introducing students to how a secondary level exam is carried out. He'll be fine without it, and he'll get second year exams before he has to go sitting the Junior mocks, but if it's something he wants to do, he's entitled to it, as he might feel he's missing out when all his mates are sitting them, talking about them, then getting results when they get back. But if you go on the holiday, honestly, don't worry about it, it's not in any way vital. Considering he's a teenage boy he'll probably feel overjoyed that he doesn't have to sit them!

rorrissey

My friend missed them in first and second year, and she's still fine. :P

Slow Show

I never did First Year summer exams and I ended up perfectly fine. Heck, I barely did Second Year summer exams and the mocks didn't come as a shock to the system or anything. It'd be a bit stupid to not go on a paid holiday for the sake of meaningless exams tbh, go for it.

Fad

I'd say go for it, they're really not that important.

Unless they count for streaming or something, then contact the school about it.

Spook_ie

Double check with the school as in our daughters case, they were used for streaming of Maths & English for second year

LilMissCiara

In a lot of schools they are used to stream the Math, English and Irish classes in to Higher and Ordinary level. If your son is consistent in his results (class tests etc) then the Summer tests wont count for much. Just make sure you tell his teachers in advance!

Defo don't miss the holiday for it anyway!

P H A 7V T O M

Though it might help you to understand more stuff for going in to second year, they still aren't that "important". But then again, if one has that mentality, only the Leaving Cert is "important" as it defines what path you will take for Uni/careers. You shouldn't have to study that much at all, seeing as you probably have about 30% of the JC course covered.
For me, I only really bothered studying so it wouldn't annoy my parents. Not really for my own benefit, which, in hindsight, is kinda wrong I guess.