Which exams started today? (100 points)

THE waiting is over. Almost 120,000 students who've spent the last few months studying everything from Shakespeare to Stalin will today begin their Leaving and Junior Certificate exams.

While the World Cup was a major distraction last summer, the tension was no easier around homes and schools this morning, where students were having a last look at their notes for the English exam.

All the exam papers have been delivered under tight security to almost 800 schools around the country, ready to be unlocked by supervisors this morning.

The advice last night was for students to be relaxed despite the jitters, and to talk to their parents if they were having any problems.

"Students need their parents to stand by them, to reassure them and most importantly to be there for them in good and in bad.

Some students may come home in the afternoon in a very stressful state and they do not need their parents to put more pressure on them," said Union of Secondary Students president, Daire Hickey.

By June 20, exams in almost 40 subjects will have been sat by Leaving and Junior Certificate students.

For the first time, the Department of Education has handed over responsibility for the setting and correction of papers.

The State Examinations Commission has taken on the department's 150 exams branch staff, in a move to make the process more independent.

This is also the first year in which Religious Education will be a subject for the exams, with almost 5,700 Junior Certificate students taking the paper on June 18.

The State Examinations Commission expects to issue results to schools on August 13, after which the Central Applications Office will begin processing candidates' results to determine college places.

However, the Association of Secondary Teachers of Ireland (ASTI) said students should try to keep things in perspective.

"Remember that while exams are important, they are not everything. Your worth as a person is not tested by an examination. Do your best and face the future with confidence," said president PJ Sheehy.