3/6/2009 Leaving Cert Exams Begin

#Leaving Cert

News, views, analysis and features on the state examinations process and system.

A COMPREHENSIVE SERIES OF ARTICLES ON THIS TOPIC

CAO Helpdesk blog 2026: Check out how our experts answered your CAO questions
CAO Helpdesk blog 2026: Check out how our experts answered your CAO questions
Our experts Deirdre Garrett and Brian Howard have been answering Leaving cert results and CAO related questions over six days in this blog. 

Fri, 28 Aug, 2026

Call for Government to urgently agree on timeframe for review of CAO points system
Call for Government to urgently agree on timeframe for review of CAO points system
Representative groups for students, parents, and schools said the Government’s progress on reform of the college places system has been poor to date

Thu, 27 Aug, 2026

Leaving Certificate results
Irish Examiner view: Leaving Cert is now effectively an entrance test for college
If students’ school experience is oriented towards exams to stream them for third-level, it is long-term cramming, not an education

Thu, 27 Aug, 2026

Jess Casey: Are we any nearer to fixing the Leaving Cert's fundamental flaws?
Jess Casey: Are we any nearer to fixing the Leaving Cert's fundamental flaws?
Five years after the ombudsman's warning, students, parents, teachers, principals and third-level academics are still calling for reform 

Wed, 26 Aug, 2026

Leaving Cert adjustment effect on college admissions will persist for years, academics warn
Leaving Cert adjustment effect on college admissions will persist for years, academics warn
Random selection was used in determining entry to most of Ireland's medicine and dentistry courses 

Wed, 26 Aug, 2026

CAO offers: Did the points for your course go up? See all the first-round cut-offs
CAO offers: Did the points for your course go up? See all the first-round cut-offs
More than 90,000 college offers have been issued, with applicants now able to compare this year's points and course changes

Wed, 26 Aug, 2026

CAO 2026: More than half of students miss out on first-choice course
CAO 2026: More than half of students miss out on first-choice course
More than 90,000 college offers were issued as academics warn Leaving Cert grading changes will continue affecting admissions

Wed, 26 Aug, 2026

Groups call for end to 'archaic' Leaving Cert points system as CAO offers due later today
Groups call for end to 'archaic' Leaving Cert points system as CAO offers due later today
"For thousands of teenagers, the Leaving Cert and the CAO process is a time of stomach-curdling dread," said Tanya Ward of the Children’s Rights Alliance, ahead of Round One CAO college offers today.

Wed, 26 Aug, 2026

'Manic!' Leaving Cert students share their hopes and dreams as Class of 2026 get their results
'Manic!' Leaving Cert students share their hopes and dreams as Class of 2026 get their results
Education Correspondent Jess Casey chats with Leaving Certificate students who started their secondary school journey just as covid hit

Fri, 21 Aug, 2026

'It wasn't remotely on my radar': From considering a criminology degree to becoming a ceramic artist
'It wasn't remotely on my radar': From considering a criminology degree to becoming a ceramic artist
Kenmare gallery owner Fiachra Crowley could not shake the feeling a university course was not for him but doing a PLC course in art set his career path on a very different and fulfilling trajectory

Fri, 21 Aug, 2026

‘Clear the head’: Cork students reveal secrets behind eight H1 Leaving Cert results
‘Clear the head’: Cork students reveal secrets behind eight H1 Leaving Cert results
Ethan Wyse and Peter Creagh are hoping to study engineering and medicine after achieving top marks in eight Leaving Cert subjects

Fri, 21 Aug, 2026

As it happened: Record number of students receive Leaving Cert results as thousands plan next steps
As it happened: Record number of students receive Leaving Cert results as thousands plan next steps
Updates, reaction and analysis as students received their Leaving Cert results and looked ahead to CAO offers, appeals and college decisions

Fri, 21 Aug, 2026

Jess Casey: Covid still in play as record 70,400 Leaving Cert students get their results
Jess Casey: Covid still in play as record 70,400 Leaving Cert students get their results
Most LC students receiving their results today started secondary school at the height of covid. And along with that disruption came grade inflation which is still being addressed

Fri, 21 Aug, 2026

ieExplains: Leaving Certificate results — your grades, CAO points, and what comes next
ieExplains: Leaving Certificate results — your grades, CAO points, and what comes next
From 10am, students will be able to access their results online

Fri, 21 Aug, 2026

Leaving Certificate results
Third of this year’s Leaving Certificate grades bumped up
More than 70,000 students receive their results, with adjustments falling sharply as exam authorities target a return to normal grading

Fri, 21 Aug, 2026

Student girl feeling stressed during exam at secondary school
Gen Z Diary: We were taught the Leaving Cert was the single most significant thing — it's not
Taking grades off the pedestal that we’re taught to put them on is one of the most valuable things I learned in college

Fri, 21 Aug, 2026

Irish Examiner view: €100k cost of drought for farmers
Irish Examiner view: €100k cost of drought for farmers
Many farmers' livelihoods are facing severe strain

Fri, 21 Aug, 2026

Cork traffic and weather: Mixed weather as roadworks and collision cause disruption
Cork traffic and weather: Mixed weather as roadworks and collision cause disruption
Sunny spells and scattered showers will continue in Cork before a largely dry weekend brings calmer conditions across Ireland

Thu, 20 Aug, 2026

Gareth O'Callaghan: Ireland's education system still fails too many Leaving Cert students
Gareth O'Callaghan: Ireland's education system still fails too many Leaving Cert students
Despite recent reforms, Ireland's education system still undervalues vocational skills and overlooks students who learn in different ways

Sat, 08 Aug, 2026

Sarah Harte: Success of Djamel White and Claire Keegan show going to university isn't everything
Sarah Harte: Success of Djamel White and Claire Keegan show going to university isn't everything
Booker nominees' success shows the path to greatness is not as linear as we lead young people to believe, something those anxiously awaiting their Leaving Cert results should remember

Wed, 05 Aug, 2026

Extra 274 college places for courses leading to priority health and social care professions
Extra 274 college places for courses leading to priority health and social care professions
Occupational therapy, speech and language therapy, psychology, and radiography among the fields boosted by extra third-level places

Thu, 23 Jul, 2026

Gareth O'Callaghan: I took the Leaving Cert again last week. Here's what I learned
Gareth O'Callaghan: I took the Leaving Cert again last week. Here's what I learned
After years of saying he'd do anything in the world rather than repeat the Leaving Cert, Gareth O'Callaghan takes on English Paper 1

Fri, 12 Jun, 2026

Ireland's long school holidays don't suit the modern family — but who's going to change them?
Ireland's long school holidays don't suit the modern family — but who's going to change them?
If the school calendar no longer reflects the two-income realities of modern family life, who exactly is responsible for reviewing it, asks Stephanie Park

Fri, 12 Jun, 2026

Royal High School
SEC apologises for error in Leaving Cert biology, claims no AI used in developing paper
Wuestion 16(a) of higher-level biology contained a mislabelling error in diagram B, with the four daughter cells in diagram B each having ’2n', when this should have said 'n'

Tue, 09 Jun, 2026

Leaving Cert Irish and Biology papers praised as fair and student-friendly
Leaving Cert Irish and Biology papers praised as fair and student-friendly
Exam experts said predictable topics, strong choice and accessible questions helped ease pressure on candidates

Tue, 09 Jun, 2026

Group Of Teenage Friends Jumping Into Swimming Pool
Leaving Cert holiday: How parents can prepare teenagers for their first solo getaway
The Leaving Cert class of 2026 will soon be heading off on overseas holidays with friends, and there is plenty parents can do to prepare them for the adventure

Tue, 09 Jun, 2026

Family at home
Colman Noctor: A teen’s ability to adapt is more important than having a fully formed life plan
Many of the healthiest and happiest adults I know are not those who got everything right the first time, but those who learned to adapt when life didn’t go to plan

Tue, 09 Jun, 2026

State exams 2026: 'Overwhelmingly positive' reaction to maths paper 2
State exams 2026: 'Overwhelmingly positive' reaction to maths paper 2
'Not that they were delighted, but they certainly found it much more accessible than paper 1 on Friday'

Mon, 08 Jun, 2026

Exam cheating rises
Colin Sheridan: Here's how I cheated the system when I sat my Leaving Cert
Colin Sheridan reflects on 1990s Ireland, exam pressure, youthful schemes and an unexpected career detour

Sat, 06 Jun, 2026

State exams 2026: Reassurance offered after Leaving Cert maths 'struck bum note'
State exams 2026: Reassurance offered after Leaving Cert maths 'struck bum note'
Maths Paper 1 was tough — but ASTI expert Niall Duddy said markers 'will reward students for attempting the questions'

Fri, 05 Jun, 2026

Geography and History exams continue positive trend in 2026 State examinations
Geography and History exams continue positive trend in 2026 State examinations
Teachers say Geography offered strong choice, while History continued its emphasis on source-based analysis

Fri, 05 Jun, 2026

English paper 2 brings surprises for Leaving Cert students
English paper 2 brings surprises for Leaving Cert students
Meanwhile, there were no major surprises in this year’s Junior Cycle Geography exam, which presented students with a fair and balanced paper

Thu, 04 Jun, 2026

Denis Lehane: Relax, it's only the Leaving Cert
Denis Lehane: Relax, it's only the Leaving Cert
Some of us are a long way from the world of rocket science, but we get by just as happy, or happier maybe, in many cases, writes our Auld Lehane in this week's Lighten Up.

Thu, 04 Jun, 2026

Leaving Cert English paper 1 'allowed well-read students to shine'
Leaving Cert English paper 1 'allowed well-read students to shine'
Teachers and students react to the first State exams of 2026 in both the Leaving Certificate and the Junior Cycle exams

Wed, 03 Jun, 2026

School children in classroom
Terrible timing but some positives in Special Needs Assistants Workforce Development Plan
The Irish Examiner's Education Correspondent on a key document regarding SNAs — and the Department of Education's decision to publish it on one of the busiest days of the year

Wed, 03 Jun, 2026

Leaving Cert and Junior Cycle students tackle Dune, social media influencers and stamps in English exams
Leaving Cert and Junior Cycle students tackle Dune, social media influencers and stamps in English exams
More than 200,000 exam papers were handed out as students began the 2026 State examinations

Wed, 03 Jun, 2026

FILE PHOTO Minister Norma Foley has attributed two major errors in Leaving Cert results to coding errors END
Record number of students to begin Leaving and Junior Cert exams 
Record numbers will sit the Leaving Certificate, Leaving Certificate Applied, and Junior Certificate tests 

Wed, 03 Jun, 2026

'I’m really looking forward to being done': Young Cork drag queen among those sitting Leaving Cert
'I’m really looking forward to being done': Young Cork drag queen among those sitting Leaving Cert
Stephen Pierce, who is known to 80,000 followers on TikTok as Felony, will begin the State exams on Wednesday, along with twin brother Edward 

Tue, 02 Jun, 2026

Computer, books, notepad
Everything Leaving Cert students need to know before exams begin this week
More than 70,000 students begin State exams this week amid changes to grading and subject offerings

Tue, 02 Jun, 2026

ChatGPT chatbot by OpenAI - artificial intelligence
Students warned not to heed AI Leaving Cert predictions
State Examinations Commission dismisses any suggestion AI can help identify exam topics, and advises students to ignore 'these unhelpful distractions'

Tue, 26 May, 2026

Business performance checklist concept, businessman using laptop doing online checklist survey, filling out digital form checkli
What have we actually learned from five decades of the CAO?
The CAO 'change of mind' opened on Tuesday — part of a set schedule by which parents and teenagers have marked the anxious year of the Leaving Cert for five decades

Wed, 06 May, 2026

Female teacher giving presentation to university students
Letters to the Editor: Teachers should reject proposed changes to the senior cycle
As the Association of Secondary Teachers Ireland (ASTI) ballots its members, a teacher outlines why he thinks the 'flawed reform' should be rejected

Thu, 30 Apr, 2026

Teacher at work
Teachers’ union to ballot members on Senior Cycle proposals
The ASTI has recommended to its members that they accept the proposals following talks with the Department of Education

Mon, 27 Apr, 2026

Royal High School
Leaving and Junior Cert practicals deferred due to fuel protests
Students set to sit their Leaving Cert music or Junior Cert home economics practicals on April 13 have been informed that those exams have been deferred

Sun, 12 Apr, 2026

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