The Assessment Task in Junior Cycle English

Junior Cycle English · CBAs & Assessment

The Assessment Task is the one piece of coursework that is actually marked by the State Examinations Commission, so it counts towards your final grade. You complete it in school, in Third Year, soon after your second Classroom-Based Assessment. Get it right and you give yourself a small but real head start before the written exam.

What the Assessment Task is

The Assessment Task, or AT, is a short written task you do in school during Third Year. You complete it not long after CBA2, while that work is still fresh in your mind.

It is not a project. It is not something you research for weeks. It is a single piece of writing, done in class, that asks you to think back over what you did for your second Classroom-Based Assessment and write about it. Think of it as a reflection on your own work and your own learning.

Why it is different from the CBAs

This is the part that matters most, so read it carefully.

Your two CBAs are marked in your own school by your own teachers. They are reported using four descriptors: Exceptional, Above expectations, In line with expectations, and Yet to meet expectations. They tell you and your family how you are getting on, but they sit outside your final exam grade.

The Assessment Task is different. It is sent away to the State Examinations Commission and marked by them, alongside your final written exam paper. That means it contributes to the grade on your certificate. The established arrangement is that it is worth around ten per cent of the marks for English. Arrangements like this can be updated over time, so check the exact share with your teacher or the SEC.

So treat the AT seriously. It is small, but it is real marks.

How it links to CBA2

The Assessment Task does not stand on its own. It is built directly on the work you did for CBA2, your Collection of Texts.

For CBA2 you gather and present a collection of your own written pieces across the year. The AT then asks you to look back at that collection: at how you put it together, what you learned, and what you might change. You cannot really do the AT well without your CBA2 work behind you. The two go hand in hand.

The format: in school, in a booklet, timed

You do the Assessment Task in class, under supervision, in a set amount of time. That is usually about one class period. You are given a booklet, and you write your answer in it by hand.

You do not take it home. You do not get to redraft it over a week. It is written in school in one sitting, much closer to exam conditions than the CBAs are. Knowing that in advance is half the battle.

The “stimulus and reflect” structure

The task tends to follow a clear shape. First you are given a stimulus: something to read, watch, or respond to, connected to your CBA2 work. Then you are asked to reflect and write.

So you can expect two stages:

• Stimulus: a short prompt, text, or trigger that points you back towards your collection.
• Reflect: a written response where you think about your own work and learning.

Read the stimulus properly before you start. It is there to steer your thinking, not to be skipped.

How to reflect well

Reflection is not just describing what you did. It is thinking about it. Here are angles you can use:

• What you actually learned while making your collection.
• How you approached the work: your planning, your drafting, your choices.
• What you would do differently if you started again.
• What you are genuinely proud of, and why.
• Links back to specific pieces in your collection, named clearly.

The strongest answers point to real examples. Do not write “I improved my writing.” Write which piece improved, what changed in it, and how you got there. Specifics carry the marks.

Using This in the Exam

The Assessment Task is graded on the same band scale as your written exam: Distinction, Higher Merit, Merit, Achieved, Partially Achieved, and Not Graded. It is not graded on the four CBA descriptors. So you should treat it like exam writing, not like a casual note to yourself.

That means clear sentences, a sensible order, correct spelling and grammar, and direct answers to what the stimulus asks. The same habits that lift your exam answers will lift your AT.

How to use it: In the days before the task, reread your CBA2 collection and jot three things: one piece you are proud of, one thing you learned, one thing you would change. Bring those clearly in your head. Then, in the booklet, write in full sentences, name your pieces, and back up every point with a real example. Plan for two minutes, write for the rest, and leave a moment to check it.

In short

The Assessment Task is a short written reflection on your CBA2 work, done in school in one timed sitting using a booklet. Unlike the CBAs, it is marked by the State Examinations Commission and counts towards your certificate grade, commonly around ten per cent, though you should confirm the exact share with your teacher. It uses a stimulus and asks you to reflect, and it is graded on the Distinction to Not Graded band scale. So prepare for it, write it like exam work, and back every point with a real example. Small task, real marks. Take it seriously.