The number of students due to start the Leaving Certificate exams today has climbed to its highest ever level, breaking the previous record set in 1995.
Some 66,911 students are due to open English Paper One on Wednesday morning, surpassing the previous high of 66,304 set 21 years ago.
The number of students taking this morning’s exam is 9 per cent higher than last year’s total and coincides with a record overall number – 146,553 candidates – at Leaving Certificate, Leaving Certificate Applied and Junior Certificate levels.
The number of special examination centres has also climbed to its highest ever level at 11,600 across the country. This is up from 10,000 last year. A special examination centre is a smaller exam hall for students who may require reading or writing assistance, who have a medical condition or behavioural difficulties.
RM Block
These centres are provided for under the Reasonable Accommodations at Certificate Examinations (RACE) scheme, which is designed to help students with special educational needs who have difficulty in communicating what they know to an examiner because of a physical, visual, hearing and/or learning difficulty.
About 30,000 students across junior and senior cycles are eligible for supports under this scheme this year. For the first time these candidates will receive an additional 10 minutes to complete their exam this year as part of an ongoing review of the RACE scheme.
Additionally, this year will see the first cohort of Senior Cycle Level 1 and Level 2 Learning Programme students complete their assessments.
These programmes were introduced in 2024 and were developed for students with complex learning and development needs.
They are designed to prepare students for life beyond school and to live more independently. Areas of study include numeracy, communication, literacy and personal care.
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This year these students will receive recognition of their achievements at the same time other senior cycle pupils receive their marks.
Leaving Cert results will be issued on Friday, August 21st.
Once the Leaving Cert exams are marked, the State Examinations Commission will apply a postmarking adjustment to students’ papers. This measure was introduced last year to address the inflation of grades that happened during the Covid years. Marks soared during the pandemic when teacher-predicted grades were introduced and results have been artificially inflated since.
The level of adjustment required will be decided once all marking is complete and the results have been analysed.
Last year’s results were at a point broadly midway between 2020 and 2021 levels. This year, results are expected to be just below 2020 levels, which were ahead of 2019 levels by four percentage points.
Minister for Education Hildegarde Naughton wished this year’s students good luck on Wednesday.
“My message to students is to do your best, believe in yourselves and remember how much you have already achieved. Just as importantly, take care of your wellbeing over the coming weeks and look after one another,” she said in a statement.
