PARENTS and teachers are "extremely concerned" about children being forced to take post-primary transfer tests after missing months of school.
Adults said they would prefer grammar schools adopt non-academic admissions criteria for 2021.
The views are included in a report published by the assembly education committee on its post-primary transfer survey.
Read More: Grammars schools can drop entrance tests for one year, minister confirms
Grammar school entrance tests will run on four consecutive weekends in January. The papers had initially been postponed by two weeks and were due to begin in November.
Lawyers representing pupils preparing to sit the tests challenged that decision in the High Court, however.
Education Minister Peter Weir later agreed to a further postponement.
Several grammar schools have indicated that they will not hold transfer exams in this academic year.
The committee launched the survey in July 2020, and wanted to hear the views of parents/guardians, teachers, children's organisations and advocates, particularly in light of the difficulties posed by the closure of schools in March.
More than 8,500 adults took part while a separate young people's survey, made available to the children of parents who participated, attracted 754 responses.
Responding to how they felt about children taking exams following the lockdown period, 61 per cent of parents/guardians, 64 per cent of teachers and 67 per cent of other interested parties were very or extremely concerned.
Asked to explain their answer, most parents said their children would be unprepared or disadvantaged.
A considerable majority (85 per cent) said they would still have their child take the exams with most saying they had "no choice" as there were "no alternatives to sitting transfer tests to access grammar schools in area".
Respondents were asked if they thought that the current post-transfer tests should be retained, reformed or abolished.
A total of 43 per cent felt they should be abolished, 19 per cent retained, 29 per cent reformed while 9 per cent were unsure.
Committee chairman and Alliance MLA Chris Lyttle MLA said the lengthy closure period had a huge impact.
"We felt very strongly that we wanted to reach out to those affected, to help us to better understand the prevailing issues, and to provide the committee with an opportunity to advocate on their behalf," Mr Lyttle said.
"The committee received 8,538 completed surveys with a high proportion of respondents identifying as parents or teachers of children in primary 6 and primary 7.
"The committee will bring a motion to the assembly after Halloween in order to discuss and debate the overall findings of the survey. We will also be calling on the minister to bring forward contingency plans for post-primary transfer arrangements."
