Over 2,000 local students starting state exams today

Almost 2,150 secondary school students begin their state examinations this week.

A total of 944 local students are sitting the Leaving Cert, which gets underway today with English Paper 1 (Higher and Ordinary) and Home Economics in the afternoon. Another 84 are sitting the Leaving Cert applied while 1,113 Offaly students registered to sit the Junior Cert which also starts today with English Paper 1.

Nationally, some 131,431 students are scheduled to sit state examinations this year, a record number and over 7,000 (6%) more than in 2019, the last time that the full set of state exams were held.

Pat Burke, chairperson of the State Examinations Commission welcomed the return of in-person examinations.

“The state examinations are a significant step in their educational journey for candidates, their families and schools. The adjustments made to the examinations this year have been designed to support students in their preparations. However, the support of families and the wider community for candidates sitting examinations is so important especially in light of the disruption to learning created by the pandemic.”