In 1926, there were 672 of them. This year, 132,655 second-level students have entered their names in the State exam lists. Of these, 65,584 will sit the Leaving Cert and 67,071 will sit the Junior Cert. The first sitting of the Inter Cert, the forerunner of the Junior Cert, attracted a modest 5,803 candidates.

Looking at the 1998 Leaving Cert entries by county, unsurprisingly, Dublin has the highest number at 15,207 while, at the other end of the spectrum, Leitrim is fielding 555 candidates. In addition to students sitting the Leaving Cert in the Republic there are 11 candidates entered in Malaysia and one in Libya.

The shape of the Leaving Cert has changed drastically in the past few years with candidates now choosing from three different programmes.

Department of Education figures show 2,450 candidates registered for the Leaving Cert Applied exams this June. For them, this time is not quite the ordeal it is for other candidates as they already have completed two-thirds of their assessments. The LCA is modular and semesterised with ongoing assessments and is cross-curricular in its approach. The programme comprises preparation for work, practical courses and general education. Students undertake a number of tasks which are examined over the two years. Credits are awarded on the basis of 40 credits for successful completion of the various modules, 27 credits for student tasks and 33 credits for the final exam. The Leaving Cert Vocational is more closely aligned to the traditional Leaving Cert. Students do three link modules - enterprise education, preparation for work and work experience - as well as two Leaving Cert subjects from subjects which have been grouped vocationally. They must also take a continental language or a vocational language module. Usually, LCV students take between five and seven subjects in the Leaving Cert in addition to the link modules.

The traditional Leaving Cert subjects are being reviewed and revised on a rolling basis. New business and music curricula have recently been introduced and a new English curriculum will soon be in place.

For many students, the Leaving Cert is a gateway to third-level education with roughly one third-level place for every two candidates. The burgeoning Post Leaving Cert sector will absorb up to 20,000 students while bodies such as apprenticeships, CERT, Teagasc and nurse education also provide options for further study and training.

LCA students can not apply directly for third-level but they may apply for PLC courses. The Institutes of Technology, other than DIT, allow students to use the link modules as an alternative to their sixth subject with 70 points for a distinction, 50 for a merit and 30 for a pass. The DIT and the Conference of Heads of Irish Universities are considering awarding points for link modules.

Back with the traditional Leaving Cert, a number of safeguards were put in place last year in a bid to assure the public that the examination is fairly run. Six exam commissioners were appointed to serve as a "final assurance of objectivity and fairness in the examination appeals process".

The commissioners operate independently of the Department of Education. In effect, they to act as ombudsmen.

Each year, the number of higher and ordinary-level students requesting rechecks has grown. In 1994, 6,391 were sought, resulting in 536 upgrades. Last year, the numbers had almost doubled with 11,745 rechecks and 1,363 subjects being upgraded.

Most requests for upgrades are at higher level. Last year, 10,872 requests were for higher-level subjects with the remaining 873 for ordinary-level subjects. In addition, two foundation-level subjects were rechecked and one was upgraded.

It would appear that most of those requesting rechecks were satisfied as only 527 students further appealed to the exam commissioners. Of these, there were only two grade changes. Martin Hanevy, principal officer at the Department's exams branch in Athlone, says that the appeals should be put in the context of the 425,000 subject grades which were issued last year. The 11,747 appeals represent about three per cent of all grades issued. And, in turn, the 527 who further appealed to the commissioners represent only a tiny fraction of the whole.

In a very big system, a small number of appeals are inevitable, according to Hanevy. The outcome of initial appeals were available in October and the final verdict from the commissioners was made known to students in early November last year.

Other security measures which were introduced last year included a barcoding system while allows the exams branch to track each package from post office to exams branch to examiners, back to the exams branch. "This worked well," says Hanevy. "It empowered us with more information so that we knew with certainty what happened any one packet. All practical material was collected on the one day last year and this arrangement will also be in place this year."