LEAVING cert student Niamh Collins said she was "exhausted but delighted" after completing three exams in the space of 12 hours last Friday.

Collins, who is a student at Christ the King Secondary School in Cork, faced the unenviable task of a one-day marathon session of exams in religious education, Japanese and Italian after clashes in her timetable meant she was in the exam centre for the duration of the day.

"I am thrilled that it is all over, but it was extremely tiring"

Collins and her parents approached the Department of Education and the State Exams Commission (SEC) after they discovered a clash between her Japanese and Italian subjects. However, they say "no accommodations were made" on their part and she was forced to sit all three final exams in the one day.

"I really do not think that that is something any student in any exam scenario should have to go through," said Collins.

"It took its toll, as by the time the last exam came around, I was completely drained. For example, at 10 to nine, I had a listening exam and I found it hard to concentrate. There was one point where there were extra questions which I did not see."

Although she is satisfied she performed well, she says the length of the day undoubtedly had a knock-on effect on her end result.

"I know, as a result, I did not do as well as I could have done. There was a half-hour break between Italian and Japanese which was not nearly enough to refresh yourself from one language to another. Overall, it is something which I feel should not have happened."

Afterwards, Collins went out to celebrate the end of the Leaving Cert with friends in Cork. She said yesterday she was going to spend the day sleeping and surfing the net.

Her father, Neil Collins, a professor in the Department of the Government in University College Cork, said it was "outrageous" no allowances were made for his daughter. "This represents a huge failure on the part of the Department of Education and the SEC. We tried everything we could, but they would not budge, and it is not right that any student anywhere should have to go through that kind of pressure during their Leaving Cert exams."

Niamh Collins said this situation is something she will be keeping an eye on. "In the future, if I see anyone who has to go through the same thing I would urge them not to accept it and to push to have accommodations made."

Collins must now wait along with thousands of other students for her results which come out in mid-August.