Syllabus of Examination
Effective from 1st January 2017
Entry Requirements
The examination is open to all persons 30 years of age or over on the day of the exam. The candidate must be acceptable to Cumann Rince Dea Mheasa. The candidate must be suitably qualified to take the examination.
Applications received after the closing date will not be accepted. Candidates who miss the closing date will have to wait until the next round of examinations to re-apply.
Competency & Suitability
Candidates undertaking the exam must complete the appropriate application form. Candidates must supply with their application form a copy of the candidates Teachers qualification.
The candidate must meet one of the qualifying criteria listed below:
(a) The candidate must be a qualified T.C.R.G. for a period of at least 5 years.
(b) The candidate must have been teaching for a minimum of 10 years as one of the principal teachers of a school. They must be a member of CRDM for a period of at least 2 years and hold a TCRG qualification for at least 1 year.
(c) If the candidate is not actively teaching they must be qualified TCRG for a period of 7 years.
Dates of Examination
The examination will be held in Ireland. The dates will be set out by the Examination Authority and will be announced at the AGM. Once a date has been set for the examination it will not be changed to accommodate anybody.
Application and Fees
Application forms and fees are to be sent to the Examination Authority. All applications are to be received by the closing date. (The closing date will be 2 months prior to the examination being held). Applications received after the closing date will be refused. Candidates should ensure that their application form is fully completed and signed before submission. Fees can be paid by cheque, postal order or bank draft. All fees are to be paid in Euro and made out to Cumann Rince Dea Mheasa. Candidate’s names and addresses must be written on the back of the cheque. The full fee for the examination must be paid when the application form is being submitted.
Withdrawals and Forfeiture of Fees
Candidates who fail to attend an examination will forfeit their fee. (There will be circumstances where this rule doesn’t apply). Failure to attend an examination may result is a candidate being disqualified from taking an examination for a period of 2 years.
Sections of Examination
The examination will consist of the following:
- Practical Examination of Adjudication including interview
- Music
- Maths Exam
- Written Céilí Paper
Repeat Examinations
Candidates who fail to reach the 80% pass mark in any section must repeat that section. If a candidate fails to reach the pass mark again they will be required to retake the full examination.
Candidates who fail to reach 50% in any section must retake the full examination. Six months (6 months) must elapse before a candidate can retake a section of the examination to allow ample time to prepare properly.
The full examination must be completed within 1 year. If a candidate has not completed any part of the examination within 1 year they will be required to retake the full examination.
Regulations
Applications must be accompanied by:
- A passport sized photograph
- A photocopy of either their birth cert or passport and
- A copy of their Teaching qualification
With regard to the maths exam, candidates are permitted to bring a calculator into the examination hall (Cumann Rince Dea Mheasa will not provide calculators for candidates). Candidates are not permitted to have on their desks papers, notebooks or books other than those supplied by the Examination Authority. Contact between candidates is not permitted once the examination has begun. Any rough work, diagrams or rough answers must be handed up to the examiners. Candidates may not leave the room. If they need to use the restrooms they must first seek permission from the examiners on duty.
Examination supervisors may immediately disqualify any candidate guilty of breaking the rules. All information submitted on the application form is treated with strict confidentiality. Applications must be on the official application form. Any applications not on the official application form will not be considered.
Results
The pass mark for each section is 80%
Candidates who fail to reach the 80% pass mark in any section must repeat that section. If the candidate fails to reach the pass mark again they will be required to retake the full examination. Candidates who fail to reach 50% in any section must retake the full examination. If a candidate has failed any section of the examination they will receive a letter from the Examination Authority setting out the reasons they have failed to pass a section.
The decision of the Examination Authority is final.
Qualifying Mark
80% Pass
90% Honours
95% 1st Class Honours
Examination Sections in Detail
- Practical Examination of Adjudication
- Candidates will have to adjudicate a number of competitions which include solo and céilí dancing.
- Candidates will have to adjudicate Beginner A, Beginner B and Intermediate competitions. Candidates will also have to adjudicate Open Championship and Céilí competitions.
- All céilí dances will be from the book Ár Rince Céilí.
- Candidates will be asked to place each dancer/team in descending order starting from 1st place. Each dancer that performs in front of a candidate must receive a mark.
- Examiners have the right to question a candidate about the results that they have handed up. If a candidate is questioned about a result by an examiner they will have to explain their reasons for the places that they have awarded to each dancer.
- Music Exam
- Candidates adjudicating the Championship competitions must identify whether the competitor has performed a 6/8 (Jig) or 2/4 – 4/4 (Hornpipe) set dance.
- Candidates must list the number of the dancer, the set dance they performed and the time signature of the set dance.
- Maths Exam
- Candidates adjudicating the Championship competitions will have to tally the marks of each dancer for the rounds that were danced. Candidates will have to allocate the correct points (from the official CRDM points system) to each dancer.
- Candidates need to show an understanding of how the points system works
(D) Written Céilí Paper
The paper will be set in English. Questions will be set on céilí dances taken from the book Ár Rincí Céilí. The marks for each question may vary. The time for the céilí paper is 2 hours.