Cabinet ministers are set to approve an alternative plan for the Leaving Cert exams this morning.

It’s understood the examinations will be cancelled and replaced with a system of predictive grades.

Taoiseach Leo Varadkar told the Dáil on Thursday that an update would be issued by the end of this week.

Work has gone on behind the scenes to prepare an alternative to the State exams and a plan is being finalised.

This is despite a start-date of July 29th being proposed by Education Minister Joe McHugh.

Under the revised plans, it is likely a system of predictive grades will be given to students in lieu of physical exams.

It is understood there will be an opportunity for students unhappy with their grade to sit an exam.

However, this option may not be available until very late this year or into 2021.

Labour’s education spokesman, Aodhán Ó Ríordáin, said we need to need whether any predictive grading system has the same status as Leaving Cert exams.

He said: “It is vitally important that a ‘Leaving Certificate’ of sound standing is awarded to every student leaving secondary school this year. I am also deeply concerned about school profiling and the impact on disadvantaged students.

“For example, we need to know how a Plan B will deal with the potential for bias when teachers are marking their own students.

“We need to know how the replacement certificate will ensure students have access to public jobs that require a leaving certificate. The list of issues and complications is long.”