#State Exams

A COMPREHENSIVE SERIES OF ARTICLES ON THIS TOPIC

The Mick Clifford Podcast: What do the Leaving Cert results mean in today’s world? 
The Mick Clifford Podcast: What do the Leaving Cert results mean in today’s world? 
Education correspondent Jess Casey is this week’s guest on the podcast

 Listen | Fri, 22 Aug, 2025

 Listen |
More than half of Leaving Certificate grades bumped upwards this year
More than half of Leaving Certificate grades bumped upwards this year
Overall, the marks on average in 2025 are expected to be 5.9% higher than the overall marks issued in 2019, the last year the Leaving Cert exams ran as normal

Fri, 22 Aug, 2025

Leaving Cert 2025 marks the slow return to grade normality
Leaving Cert 2025 marks the slow return to grade normality
While normality has resumed in almost every other aspect of life post covid, it is taking a little longer when it comes to tackling grade inflation

Fri, 22 Aug, 2025

Michael Moynihan: Can you pass a Leaving Cert exam about Cork?
Michael Moynihan: Can you pass a Leaving Cert exam about Cork?
Cork Studies joins the Leaving Cert — in theory at least — with hilarious sample questions only true Corkonians could answer

Thu, 19 Jun, 2025

'It was an emotional moment': Students complete Ireland's first Leaving Cert Ukrainian exam 
'It was an emotional moment': Students complete Ireland's first Leaving Cert Ukrainian exam 
Thousands of students across Ireland have made history by sitting the first Leaving Certificate exam in Ukrainian which has joined the list of non-curricular languages tested in State exams

Mon, 16 Jun, 2025

'Accessible' Leaving Cert history exam will have left some students 'bitterly disappointed'
'Accessible' Leaving Cert history exam will have left some students 'bitterly disappointed'
overall, Teachers though it was 'a good paper' for students

Wed, 11 Jun, 2025

Exam cheating rises
Tough French comprehension exam challenges Leaving Cert students
Teachers say higher-level candidates needed strong vocabulary and careful reading, while writing topics offered broad appeal

Wed, 11 Jun, 2025

Glowing DNA Helix (Deoxyribonucleic Acid) concept gene/genome isolated on black background.
Leaving Cert students get 'really nice and well laid out' biology exam
Exams continued on Tuesday afternoon with 'fair' and 'student-centered' papers that would have been well received

Tue, 10 Jun, 2025

Rory Gallagher and ‘Hurlamaboc’ feature on well-received Leaving Cert Irish paper
Rory Gallagher and ‘Hurlamaboc’ feature on well-received Leaving Cert Irish paper
Students praised the accessible texts, straightforward questions, and welcome appearance of the long-anticipated short story

Tue, 10 Jun, 2025

AI Learning and Artificial Intelligence Concept. Business, modern technology, internet and networking concept.
'Very topical' Leaving Cert Irish paper covers areas students would have expected
The aural section questions were 'generally fair' while the essay options gave students a wide range of current and relevant topics

Mon, 09 Jun, 2025

Leaving Cert students face tougher maths paper with 'some curveballs' 
Leaving Cert students face tougher maths paper with 'some curveballs' 
Maths paper 2 was a tougher paper than Friday’s paper 1, according to one teacher

Mon, 09 Jun, 2025

Mixed feelings around Leaving Cert maths but students avoid getting caught in spider web question
Mixed feelings around Leaving Cert maths but students avoid getting caught in spider web question
Association of Secondary Teachers in Ireland (ASTI) subject spokesperson, Niall Duddy, said each question had a 'bogey' last-part

Fri, 06 Jun, 2025

Junior Cycle English short story question sparks criticism from teachers
Junior Cycle English short story question sparks criticism from teachers
English teachers say this year’s 'unwise and unfair' question left many students at a clear disadvantage

Fri, 06 Jun, 2025

Leaving Cert English Paper 2 tests depth of knowledge with 'trickier' but fair questions
Leaving Cert English Paper 2 tests depth of knowledge with 'trickier' but fair questions
Teachers say higher-level paper rewards well-prepared students, with familiar poetry and creative comparative tasks

Thu, 05 Jun, 2025

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State exams: 'Extremely relevant' climate change questions feature
Also, Junior Cycle Irish was fair and covered relatable topics for students, according to Studyclix subject spokesperson Stephen Doyle

Thu, 05 Jun, 2025

Leaving Cert home economics paper praised for clarity, relevance, and focus on sustainability
Leaving Cert home economics paper praised for clarity, relevance, and focus on sustainability
Teachers say 2025 exam was student-friendly, topical, and allowed learners to showcase practical and research skills

Wed, 04 Jun, 2025

Could you pass English paper 1? First Leaving Cert exams of 2025 'very balanced'
Could you pass English paper 1? First Leaving Cert exams of 2025 'very balanced'
Meanwhile, a Junior Cycle question on short stories may have caused some students to stumble

Wed, 04 Jun, 2025

Record number of students to sit State exams this year
Record number of students to sit State exams this year
A record number of students will today begin their Leaving Cert, Leaving Cert Applied and Junior Cycle exams as the 2025 begin.

Wed, 04 Jun, 2025

Leaving Cert: The mix ups, leaks, and cancellations 
Leaving Cert: The mix ups, leaks, and cancellations 
The smooth execution of the exams is often taken for granted

Tue, 03 Jun, 2025

Young teenage boy studying at home using digital tablet while sitting on dining table
What to say and what to avoid saying to the exams student in your home
Finals are looming and whether your child is ready or not, they need their parents to be supportive and considerate

Sun, 25 May, 2025

Tired girl sleeping at her desk
Colman Noctor: Student burnout is not limited to exam years
Why is this time of year particularly challenging for so many young people?

Tue, 08 Apr, 2025

New Leaving Cert curriculum 'will favour children of wealthy families' – TD
New Leaving Cert curriculum 'will favour children of wealthy families' – TD
Former teacher Eoghan Kenny told minister Helen McEntee the gulf between private and voluntary schools in terms of resources is unfair on teachers and their students

Thu, 20 Feb, 2025

AOIFE KEARNEY
'The examiners thought she was deaf, not blind': The exam struggles of visually impaired students
Féach, which supports parents of blind and vision impaired students, has been raising concerns and highlighting the situation faced by students when it comes to accessing Ireland’s 'ad-hoc' and poorly modified exam papers

Tue, 04 Feb, 2025

CAO application deadline extended for storm-impacted students 
CAO application deadline extended for storm-impacted students 
Saturday's CAO 2025 application deadline has been extended to Thursday, February 6 for students who are unable to complete theirs now due to Storm Éowyn 

Thu, 30 Jan, 2025

Survey: Teachers worry Leaving Cert change will create stress and authentication issues
Survey: Teachers worry Leaving Cert change will create stress and authentication issues
Almost 90% of the 2,700 teachers surveyed by the ASTI said the new Leaving Cert AACs will create difficulties

Wed, 22 Jan, 2025

Exam cheating rises
Commission reveals number of students caught cheating in State exams doubled in a year
The State Examinations Commission said the most common penalty was the withholding of marks in a particular subject but that in more serious cases, withholding of all results or 'debarring from repeating' were also options

Wed, 08 Jan, 2025

London. UK-08.01.2023. The logo and name of the technology company OpenAI which developed the ChatGPT.
Schools 'ill-equipped to deal with artificial intelligence'
Survey revealed that guidelines are out of date in many Irish schools, including one which referenced obsolete floppy disks

Fri, 20 Dec, 2024

Watch: Teachers rally at schools nationwide to protest Leaving Cert changes
Watch: Teachers rally at schools nationwide to protest Leaving Cert changes
ASTI and TUI members are calling for a pause to Education Minister's plan to accelerate changes to the senior cycle in 2025/26

Tue, 19 Nov, 2024

What's happening to the Leaving Cert that's bringing teachers on to the streets today? 
What's happening to the Leaving Cert that's bringing teachers on to the streets today? 
TUI and ASTI members are protesting over changes they say will be unfair on many students

Tue, 19 Nov, 2024

Election 2024: Education — 'Forget phone pouches. Leaving Cert projects are a bigger problem'
Election 2024: Education — 'Forget phone pouches. Leaving Cert projects are a bigger problem'
Teacher Conor Murphy says the rollout of Leaving Cert projects should be paused for two reasons: It will further disadvantage less privileged students, and AI will make nonsense of the results

 Listen | Mon, 18 Nov, 2024

 Listen |
research student scientist
Science teachers sound alarm over Leaving Cert exam changes
Fears have been raised that some schools won't have adequate facilities for students to conduct experiments under the new curriculum 

Sat, 16 Nov, 2024

'I’m so glad that I kept going': Recently-orphaned Cork schoolgirl celebrates her Junior Cert
'I’m so glad that I kept going': Recently-orphaned Cork schoolgirl celebrates her Junior Cert
Julia Pawlowska defied all odds to sit the State exams just weeks after she came home from a birthday party to find her mother deceased. Her father had passed away a few years ago

Wed, 09 Oct, 2024

Wait over for Junior Cert students as exam results land
Wait over for Junior Cert students as exam results land
Percentage of students receiving ‘distinction’ marks slipped this year across almost all subjects

Wed, 09 Oct, 2024

Royal High School
73,000 students to receive their Junior Cycle exam results today
Junior Cert results are available to schools a week earlier than usual due to online marking and an increase in the number of teachers marking exams

Wed, 09 Oct, 2024

Jennifer Horgan: Little systemic change in Leaving Cert but there have been some positive steps
Jennifer Horgan: Little systemic change in Leaving Cert but there have been some positive steps
Among the positives is a shift in emphasis away from the bottleneck mindset that tended to funnel all students towards university

Fri, 23 Aug, 2024

Cara Darmody: I won’t be going away and will continue to call out disability discrimination
S Why has it become acceptable to leave children rotting on waiting lists?
Ireland is not a good country for those children with autism and intellectual disabilities

Sat, 17 Aug, 2024

Teenage boy attending to online school class
Leaving Cert: Five things parents can do to help your teen through exam time stress
With the Leaving Cert starting today, what are five things parents need to know to help their teen through it? Here’s what experts say

Wed, 05 Jun, 2024

Irish Examiner view: Profitable airlines resist green tax 
Irish Examiner view: Profitable airlines resist green tax 
Those planning a flight to the sun are now facing an unpleasant development — a hike in the cost of those flights, according to the aviation industry

Wed, 05 Jun, 2024

Letters to the Editor: Time for Leaving Cert reform
Letters to the Editor: Time for Leaving Cert reform
One reader writes in to say that with the amount of time students will spend on written assessments over the coming days, it's little wonder that they complain about the volume of information they have to retain

Wed, 05 Jun, 2024

Leaving and Junior Cert students encouraged to 'mind themselves' as exams get under way 
Leaving and Junior Cert students encouraged to 'mind themselves' as exams get under way 
Education Minister Norma Foley said she was sending her 'very best wishes' to all students

Wed, 05 Jun, 2024

Student girl thinking
Colman Noctor: Tips for dealing with exam stress ahead of the Leaving Cert
"While exams can be helpful for assessing aspects of a student’s knowledge and skills, they should not be the sole or dominant evaluation method."

Tue, 04 Jun, 2024

'Urgent' appeal for Leaving Cert and Junior Cert students with dyslexia to get extra exam time
'Urgent' appeal for Leaving Cert and Junior Cert students with dyslexia to get extra exam time
Dyslexia Association of Ireland points out dyslexic university students get extra time, but Leaving and Junior Cert students are at an unfair disadvantage

Mon, 03 Jun, 2024

Exam cheating rises
Denis Lehane: The Leaving Cert needs to lighten up
With everyone wanting to be the next Tony O'Reilly or Mary Robinson, the Leaving Cert has taken on a life of its own.

Mon, 03 Jun, 2024

Exam cheating rises
Letters to the Editor: No extra exam time for neurodiverse students
A reader says education authorities seem to believe creating equal learning experiences for students gives neurodiverse learners an unfair advantage

Tue, 28 May, 2024

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