Latest news with #StateExams
Irish Times
4 hours ago
- Irish Times
Live reaction to Leaving Cert Irish paper two and Junior Cycle exams
19 minutes ago Leaving Cert: Irish paper 2 (9.30-12.35pm), biology (2-5pm) Junior Cycle: graphics (9.30-11.30am), French (1.30-3.30pm) Classroom to College : our essential newsletter on the State exams Last-minute exam tips : experts on how best to approach key subjects 11 minutes ago 27/05/2024 – MAGAZINE - Oliver Callan for Magazine. Photograph Nick Bradshaw for The Irish Times 'I got through the last two days of the Leaving on painkillers and no sleep' We've been asking public figures, entertainers, politicians and others about their Leaving Cert memories. Oliver Callan spoke to us a few years back and we think he wins the award for most vivid and cinematic exam memory: 'During the weekend in between exams, a few cattle 'broke out' into a neighbour's field. It was Sunday night, dusk, and I was summoned to help the rescue mission. Running across boggy ground, I went down, twisting my knee in a hole and tearing my cruciate ligament. My father had to carry me back across the field. Dosed on painkillers and with no sleep, I managed to get through the last two days of exams with my leg up on a chair. I felt very Joan of Arc about the sacrifice for the cause of agriculture. History was my last exam. I got an A1, but I may have tested positive for performance enhancing drugs.' You can read the full piece here . 17 minutes ago Leaving Cert students from Libya completing the exam in Malta The Leaving of Libya The exam weather has been mixed of late - but there are no such problems in Malta, where more than 100 students are sitting the Leaving Cert in 30 degree heat. Why? There is a long-running arrangement with the International School of the Martyrs (ISM) in Tripoli, a private schools where students have access to the Leaving Cert. It is the only place outside the State where the exams are held annually - although the exams have been held in Malta in recent years due to the turbulent political situation. It is largely thanks to Brendan Coffey, a former lecturer in communications at Athlone RTC - now Technological University of the Shannon - and a former principal of ISM. 'We gained approval to run the International Baccalaureate but we didn't take it up as it was very expensive,' Coffey told The Irish Times back in 1997 . 'We then approached the Department of Education about the possibility of taking Junior and Leaving Cert. They considered it for a while and eventually agreed.' ISM International School first opened in 1954 as the Oil Companies School, a school for the children of oil company executives and diplomats posted to Libya. ISM is the oldest international school in North Africa and has successfully graduated every class since 1960.
BreakingNews.ie
5 days ago
- General
- BreakingNews.ie
Quiz: Could you pass Junior Certificate Maths?
Maths is notoriously one of the more difficult subjects in school, with what seems like countless elements to it. From interest, to currency, from algebra to fractions, geometry, Pythagoras and so on, getting stuck on an equation at the kitchen table as a child is something we all relate to (parent screaming at you about it optional). Advertisement So, with the State exams kicking off this week once again, and no exam weather going with it, take our quiz to find out if you still have the potential to pass Junior Certificate maths. And yes, we chose Junior Certificate maths because Leaving Certificate math is too hard. Take the quiz here:
BreakingNews.ie
6 days ago
- General
- BreakingNews.ie
Leaving Cert begins with record 140,000 students to sit State exams
The number of students sitting State exams has passed 140,000 for the first time. Students from over 800 post primary schools will sit down to English Paper One from 9.30am this morning. Advertisement The number of candidates is up by 3 per cent on last year's figure of 136,000 across Leaving Cert, Junior Cert and Leaving Cert Applied (LCA). Minister for Education Helen McEntee said while students should work hard at their exams, there are always other options. "Really this is an important times for young people. But at the same time it is important that they know there are so many different avenus and routes and pathways for them to achieve, ultimately whatever it is they want to achieve at the end of the day. "I just want to wish the many thousands of students who will be doing their exams the best of luck." Taoiseach Micheál Martin also had a message for all those starting their exams today. He said: "I want to wish all of the students participating in the exams the very best of success. "They've worked hard... and just to keep it in perspective and do the very best they can. The country is with them as they go about what is a very important exam for them." This year's exams will run until Tuesday, June 24th for Leaving Cert and Monday, June 16th for Junior Cert.
Irish Times
7 days ago
- General
- Irish Times
Leaving Cert 2025: Record numbers to sit State exams
A record-breaking 140,000 students will begin their Leaving Certificate and Junior Cycle exams today. It means the delivery of this year's State exams is an even bigger logistical exercise than ever before, involving the secure distribution of about four million exam papers to hundreds of second-level schools and other settings across the State. A combination of factors is behind the record numbers, including a demographic bubble of young people at second level and greater numbers staying on in school to complete their exams. The number entered to take the 2025 exams is up by 3 per cent (+4,297) on last year's entry figure of 136,160 candidates. The most significant increases are in the numbers entered for the Leaving Cert (+5 per cent) and Leaving Cert Applied programme (+11 per cent). READ MORE The volume of students in receipt of additional supports has also climbed to a new high. [ Classroom to college: our essential Leaving Cert guide for parents, guardians and students ] While exams will take place in more than 5,800 sports halls and other large settings, there are almost 10,000 smaller settings this year, known as 'special examination centres'. These are aimed at students with additional needs or who may suffer from anxiety. Most education experts put the bulk of these increases down to greater awareness of learning difficulties, more access to expert advice and a broader definition of some developmental conditions. This year's exams will run until Tuesday, June 24th for Leaving Cert and Monday, June 16th for Junior Cycle exams. Once the Leaving Cert exams are marked, the State Examination Commission (SEC) will apply a 'postmarking adjustment' to students' papers. This follows a direction from the Department of Education to implement a 'gradual return to normal Leaving Cert outcomes', beginning this year. Grades soared during the pandemic when teacher-predicted grades were introduced and marks have been artificially inflated since 2021 to keep them at 7 per cent, on aggregate, in advance of pre-Covid grades. This year, the SEC will apply a postmarking adjustment to bring overall Leaving Cert results in the aggregate to a point broadly midway between the 2020 and 2021 levels, or about 5.5 per cent above pre-Covid grades. The move has sparked some controversy on the basis that it means the class of 2025 will be competing against an estimated 10,000-15,000 students from previous years with bumper grades for college places. Minister for Education Helen McEntee has defended the move on the basis that a very gradual pace of returning to normal will minimise the impact on students as far as possible. Universities have also complained that inflated grades risk undermining the integrity of results and make it difficult to differentiate between top candidates for high-points courses. The SEC, meanwhile, intends to issue this year's Leaving Cert exam results to candidates on Friday, August 22nd, which is in line with the date of issue of the results last year, but later than pre-Covid times. The SEC said developing and applying the postmarking adjustment adds time to the results process in comparison to normal years. 'The results issue date of Friday, 22 August, takes account of the time needed for this additional step. The timeline for results must also allow sufficient time for an extensive range of quality assurance checks to be undertaken,' it said.
