Cork students to commence Leaving Cert and Junior Cycle exams this morning

More than 6,700 Cork students will begin their Leaving Certificate examinations today. 

According to the State Examinations Commission, 6,721 students will sit the Leaving Cert with 315 Cork students sitting the Leaving Certificate Applied examination. 

In addition, 7,704 Cork students will commence their Junior Cycle examinations this morning. 

This year marks the full return of externally delivered examinations for all candidates. 

Last year, Leaving Certificate and Leaving Certificate Applied candidates were provided with the dual approach of examinations and accredited grades and in 2020 with calculated grades and later examinations.

At Junior Cycle, SEC examinations were provided for adult learners and early school leavers in 2020 and 2021 with school-based assessment replacing these examinations for all other candidates.

It is also noteworthy that this year marks the first full year of examinations in the reformed Junior Cycle. 

Until 2019, only English, Science and Business had been examined under the reformed curriculum.

Post pandemic, there are several changes to the structure of this year’s examinations. 

Students will have the chance to resit examinations at a later date if they miss the original exam due to having a serious illness, Covid-19 or if they experience a close family bereavement.

They will also have more choice in this year’s exam papers and prescribed materials in some subjects have been reduced in recognition of the class time students missed out on during the pandemic.

An extra 20 minutes has also been added to the examination time for all the papers in English, Irish, Geography and History.

Mr. Pat Burke, Chairperson of the State Examinations Commission said: 

“The state examinations are a significant step in their educational journey for candidates, their families, and schools."

"The adjustments made to the examinations this year have been designed to support students in their preparations," he said.

Speaking about the provision of deferred Leaving Certificate and Leaving Certificate Applied examinations Mr Burke said:

“We believe that the provision of extended arrangements for deferred examinations represents a significant improvement to the examinations system, providing an appropriately supportive response for candidates who find themselves in very challenging circumstances at examinations time and unable to take their examinations as a result.” 

Several new subjects have been added to this year’s Leaving Cert options in subjects such as Polish, Lithuanian, Portuguese, and Mandarin Chinese. These exams will take place on Monday, June 20, along with other non-curricular languages.

The last exam on the Leaving Cert timetable this year is Physical Education, which will be held on Tuesday, June 28.

Over 131,000 candidates nationwide will sit examinations in Leaving Certificate, Leaving Certificate Applied, and in the Junior Cycle this year.

The examinations will be held in some 5,575 examination centers running until Tuesday, June 28 for Leaving Certificate, Thursday, June 16 for Leaving Certificate Applied; and Monday, June 20 for Junior Cycle examinations.