MERCI MONSIEUR Henry, I thought, as I sat in the glorious afternoon sunshine listening to the highlights of Portugal and the Ivory Coast buzzing away indoors, writes JESSICA LEEN

Had Ireland made it to the World Cup, the last week would have been pure torture for the 100,000-plus students sitting exams. Now the sun is out, the games are on and I have only French and art to cloud the view.

Merci, Henry.

Speaking of being good with your hands, I can’t manage the sticky part of the exam envelope. The invigilator now comes to my desk after each exam to help me put my paper to bed.

I could say it’s humiliating but everyone in the hall gets such a giggle out of it that I’d hate to deny them their bit of slapstick at the end of the ordeal.

I’d also hate to mess up the Leaving Cert over a little thing like manual dexterity (hang on, isn’t he the Spanish goalkeeper?)

For my amusement, I have been following the fortunes of Fine Gael. Forget the political correspondents, Leaving Cert students can provide the most astute commentary on the whole business.

The party division mirrors the action of King Lear eerily closely.

Lear rashly banished his noble sidekick Kent and placed his trust in those he should not trust. Word to the wise on the front bench – nobody benefits at the end of this story.

I say to Bruton, stand your ground, “do not serve a cast-off king”.

It's like a VERY expensive season of Big Brother.Who will get kicked out this week, Bruton, Kenny, or (the least likely), Brian Cowen? It's the last BB on Channel Four but the Dáil report may yet pick up the baton.

So, with the end in sight, how do I feel about this whole Leaving Cert business? I still think it’s a rubbish test of ability.

I made huge strides in Irish this year, I think I reached A-grade standard, but the stress of the exam will not, I believe, reflect the work I did.

On the flip side, I’m starting to look more favourably on my performance. Maybe it’s the tea talking (on my 14th cup today) but the further away I get from each paper, the better I feel about them. Nostalgic, even? Well maybe that’s taking it a little too far.

I have experienced some brand new emotions in the last week. The Leaving Cert may not be a hike in the Himalayas but it’s no walk in the park either.

I also learned who my friends are. My friends, as it turns out. And my family. And as for the teachers at Christ King, well, they played a blinder. The atmosphere at my school has been so supportive and warm – it was a big help.

It’s all great inspiration – my head is just bursting with new songs that I will set to writing as soon as I’ve slept 24 hours straight.

Then I’ll set up the camera, get out the guitar and let her rip.

YouTube doesn’t know what’s coming.

Jessica Leen is a student at Christ King , Cork.

This is Jessica’s last exam diary entry. She will be writing on her Leaving Cert results and CAO choices in The Irish Times in August.