Carl O’Brien: ‘Are grinds really worth it?
Booming private tuition sector promises top grades but studies raise questions about its true effectiveness
Leaving Certificate
Discover the latest updates on the Leaving Cert syllabus, with news and adivce on exams, results and your educational journey
Leaving Cert grinds industry: ‘Salaries scales for the top teachers can be 100 to 250 grand’
Teacher poaching rows and claims of ‘unsustainable’ wages are part and parcel of a highly competitive private tuition sector
Leaving Cert applied maths: New topics may have thrown some students
Despite challenges there were also straightforward options
Leaving Cert politics and society: Essay section ‘more difficult than previous years’
Well-prepared students had plenty of opportunity to shine
Leaving Cert classical studies: Students pushed for time in exam with challenging moments
Mandatory question on philosophy tested students with complex ideas
‘Uncertain future’ for students with mild disabilities over redesignation of special schools
Vulnerable children would be ‘pushed back into mainstream schools that have already failed them’, says principal
Leaving Cert holidays 2025: Pupils and parents on ‘hellish’ Albufeira, ‘crazy’ Zante and ‘cultural’ Berlin
For parents, this can be a nerve-racking time, ‘but you also have to let them experience things’
The summer juggle: How to work while the kids are off
Hurray for no more homework, lunchboxes or hurried school mornings. But boohoo for the panic and stress of school holidays
Leaving Cert physical education (PE): Students pushed for time with longer questions
Candidates had to ‘race through’ sections only to be faced with more daunting long answers
Leaving Cert economics: A ‘great paper’ with topical questions
Students hoping for high marks needed to have studied entire course
Leaving Cert music: A challenging paper with some familiar Irish musicians
Hozier, the Cranberries, Dermot Kennedy and Cian Ducrot make appearance
Leaving Cert design and communication graphics (DCG): ‘True to form with something for everyone’
General tone of paper was one of familiarity with topics that ‘should be in everyone’s arsenal’
Officials investigate after teacher is alleged to have helped students during Leaving Cert exam at Dublin school
Education authority says its takes responsibility to uphold integrity of the State exams with ‘utmost seriousness’
Leaving Cert accounting: A very fair paper - but time was a real issue for some students
Candidates needed to be disciplined to manage their time
Leaving Cert physics: ‘Anyone hoping for a replay of past papers will have been shocked’
Some topics far more challenging than previous years, say teachers
Leaving Cert chemistry: No room for waffle as paper gets straight to the point
Students well drilled in past papers found exam offered a fair chance to show their work
Leaving Cert Spanish: A ‘good’ paper with lots of choice, despite some tricky moments
Students needed to grasp whole phrases in some sections in order to understand important nuances
Carl O’Brien: ‘Jonathan Anderson shows passion - not CAO points - is what matters’
As Leaving Certs complete their final exams, it can be a powerful and sometimes overwhelming moment of transition
Leaving Cert agricultural science: Some curveballs but lots of choice
Many questions pitched just outside students’ comfort zones
Leaving Cert Mandarin Chinese: ‘A harder paper than previous years’
Level of language skill necessary was very advanced for students who only took up the language in senior cycle
Leaving Cert parent: It is cruel and unusual punishment - but sometimes you have to laugh
My Dad jokes have been an important mood breaker recently - or so I like to think
Leaving Cert German: a demanding exam which pushed students to ‘think outside the box’
Linguistic challenges posed by novel topics posed steep challenges for weaker students in particular
Leaving Cert business: Exam right on the money with wide choice and familiar questions
While questions on tax and ratio analysis required some maths, students could avoid them due to wide choice
Live reaction: A ‘thrilling’ start to Leaving Cert art exam, but essays challenged many students
Junior Cycle students have German and wood technology exams while it is business and art papers for Leaving Certs
Reaction to day six of the State exams: tricky tests for Leaving Certs in French and history
Almost 100,000 students are completing papers on day six of the State exams
Leaving Cert history: A tricky paper where students were pushed to think on their feet
Reappearance of topics from last year throws some candidates
Leaving Cert French: tricky vocab and grammar questions pose a challenge
Students may have found aural tougher than last year as the pace of the speakers increased
Not caring about exams was teenage me’s bluntest form of rebellion. My kids are different
They’re self-motivated, I think you’d call it. All I know is that I can take no credit for their industry
Leaving Cert biology: Plenty of choice but challenging in places
Students give thumbs up to a ‘fair’ and ‘accessible’ paper
Leaving Cert student diary: ‘Biology isn’t my strongest subject - but that was a lovely paper’
Our diarist loves sports and hopes to study physiotherapy - but must still navigate his way through a few more exams
Reaction to Leaving Cert Irish paper two and biology: ‘Student-friendly, balanced and fair’
More than 100,000 students are sitting State exams today
Leaving Cert Irish paper two: Sighs of relief as predicted topics make for approachable exam
Teachers say broad and approachable questions featured in higher level paper
Leaving Cert Irish paper one: a topical paper with some notable absences
Essay options gave students a wide range of current topics
Leaving Cert student diary: ‘I’ve deleted TikTok and Instagram. Phones are a big annoyance for me’
Our exam diarist is trying to minimise distractions in her quest to get enough points to study medicine
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Crosswords & puzzles to keep you challenged and entertained
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