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Academic high achievers can often be better served in a creative, technical or practical further education courses
Classroom to College
Sign up to Classroom to College newsletter from The Irish Times. Led by Education Editor Carl O'Brien, the essential newsletter to navigating the Leaving Cert for parents, guardians and students
Carl O’Brien: ‘Third level’s best kept secret?’
Tertiary degrees offer a route to college without any need for CAO points. So, where’s the catch?
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
Carl O’Brien: ‘A secret weapon to defusing exam tension at home: the Dad joke’
After eight days of gruelling State exams, a much-needed weekend of respite stretches ahead
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
Carl O’Brien: ‘Have you got your kitchen table back yet?’
The worst is over - and family meals may even make a comeback
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
Carl O’Brien: ‘Is the Leaving Cert one of the toughest exams in the world?’
The State exams are a physically and mentally draining marathon - but some simple steps can help students protect their wellbeing
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
Carl O’Brien: ‘Day five is done - and the hardest part is over’
Irish and biology get a thumbs up as students near the finish line
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
As it happened: Reaction to Leaving Cert Irish paper one and maths paper two
Teachers describe exam as a ‘fair and balanced’ with plenty of options for students to succeed
Carl O’Brien: how will the post-marking adjustment affect students’ results?
Marking schemes to be drawn up for exams shortly will take account of exams which papers were ‘hard’ or ‘easy’
Leaving Cert maths paper 2: Students seeking H1s or H2s find paper particularly challenging
Teachers say higher level paper two was even more testing than paper one
Reaction to Leaving Cert maths paper one: ‘This was challenging for everyone’
Geography and maths paper one for Leaving Certs; history and maths for Junior Cycle students
Carl O’Brien: ‘Take a deep breath Leaving Cert students - the weekend is a time to recharge’
The exams are a marathon, not a sprint: rest is just as important as study
Leaving Cert student diary: ‘I’m proof there’s an alternative to incredibly stressful exams’
Amy Cox is sitting the Leaving Cert Applied programme, which offers more vocational and practical approaches
State exams body defends ‘curveball’ short story question in Junior Cycle English paper
Commission says short stories are ‘fully within the scope’ of the curriculum
Leaving Cert student diary: ‘I’m running on adrenaline ... Albufeira, we’re coming for you!’
Our exam diarist was happy her favourite poet appeared but not with the ‘very specific’ questions on English paper two
Carl O’Brien: ‘Students buoyed by positive start to State exams 2025’
We’ve gathered advice, tips and simple reminders to make the coming days a little bit easier
Reaction to Leaving Cert English paper two as it happened: Relief as much-predicted Eavan Boland features
Engineering and English paper 2 for Leaving Certs as Junior Cycle students face Irish and geography
Helen McEntee on her Leaving Cert: ‘Let’s put it this way - I wasn’t aiming for 500 or 600 points’
Minister for Education loved art, music and English at secondary school but struggled with physics
Junior Cycle Irish: Relief among students over ‘fair’ and ‘relatable’ exam paper
Much anticipated topic of climate change appears in reading comprehension
Junior Cycle English exam: ‘Curveball’ short story question trips up some students
Teachers say paper struck a good balance between familiarity and challenge
Leaving Cert day one as it happened: ‘Challenging’ English paper one and ‘nice’ home economics exam
Live updates: A record number of students – 136,000 – began their State exams on Wednesday morning
Leaving Cert home economics: ‘Practical, topical, no curveballs’
Appearance of predicted materials will have helped offset some of the more niche questions
Crosswords & Puzzles
Crosswords & puzzles to keep you challenged and entertained
Common Ground
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