Exam students urged to stay positive

STUDENTS beginning the Junior and Leaving Certificate exams tomorrow morning are being urged to remain positive ahead of the big day.

The number of Leaving Certificate candidates is down from almost 55,500 last year to 52,050, which may lead to lower CAO points for many college courses after the results are released in mid-August.

By comparison, there has been just a small drop in the numbers choosing the alternative Leaving Certificate Applied, with 3,282 expected to begin tomorrow.