During the three years of Junior Cycle students will take Classroom Based Assessments (CBA's). Classroom Based Assessments (CBAs) provide students with opportunities to demonstrate their learning and skills in ways not possible in a pen and paper examination, for example, their verbal communication and investigation skills. CBAs will be undertaken in subjects and will be facilitated by the classroom teacher during a defined time period within normal class time and to a national timetable. Students will normally complete one CBA in second year and one in third year.
Once the second CBA is completed students in third year will complete a written Assessment Task. This task, set by the National Council for Curriculum and Assessment (NCCA), is undertaken during normal class time and will be sent to the State Examinations Commission (SEC) for marking. The Assessment Task will be worth 10% of the overall mark in the case of most subjects. At the end of third year, students will sit the final SEC examination in June. CBAs will be reported on in the JCPA using the following descriptors:
- Exceptional
- Above Expectations
- In Line with Expectations
- Yet to Meet Expectations
Further details on the Junior Cycle with information on newly developed subjects and short courses, a focus on key skills, and new approaches to assessment and reporting can be found at https://ncca.ie/en/junior-cycle