Ireland’s Leaving and Junior Certificate Exams to Hold This Year – Minister for Education

Irish Minister for Education Norma Foley says this year’s Leaving Certificate will be held as examinations only and ruled out a hybrid approach to the State examinations.

The structure of the Leaving Certificate will be radically different, she said, while the Junior Certificate exams will run for the first since 2019.

The move came despite repeated calls from students and the Opposition for another hybrid Leaving Certificate which includes written exams and accredited grades, on the basis that many students have experienced significant disruption to their studies due to the pandemic.

Speaking after Tuesday morning’s Cabinet meeting, Foley said the exams will be “tailor-made” in recognition of the challenges faced by students.

There will more question options available and less material for students to cover.

The Minister said the exams will be structured in a familiar way, but with more choice and a reduction in the number of questions to be answered adding that it will not be the traditional Leaving Certificate exam.

 Students also raised concerns over the potential disadvantage the class of 2022 would face when compared to the class of 2021 in terms of grade inflation.

Foley said to alleviate this concern, the ministry has asked the State Examinations Commission to put in place measures to ensure that the overall set of results in the aggregate for this year will be no lower than last year.

Changes to the junior-cycle examinations include a reduction in the number of classroom-based assessments to be completed, the removal of the requirement to complete assessment tasks and adjustments to the requirements in coursework and practical performance tests.

She said these adjustments provide for more teaching time in schools.

The timetable for the written examinations, both junior and senior cycle, in June will be published by the SEC soon.