Leaving Certificate Examinations postponed and Junior Certificate Examinations cancelled.
The examinations for the Junior Certificate have been cancelled to provide more space in exam centres for Leaving Certificate students to maintain physical distance under the COVID-19 restrictions.
The Junior Cert exams will be replaced by school based exams during the coming academic year. The Leaving Cert exams and practicals will now take place at the end of July or in early August. These new dates are subject to public health advice. The announcement was made by Minister for Education Joe McHugh who said that the new timetable will be confirmed in June by the State Examinations Commission.
Our preference continues to be to give the Leaving Cert students of 2020 the opportunity to sit their exams and complete their secondary school education.
The late Leaving Certificate will mean a delayed start to the college year for new first year students. There may also be a delay to the start of the secondary school year as teachers will be needed to correct exam papers.
There has been a mixed response from students to the news. One commented,
The stress is not knowing when it's going to happen. It could be cancelled in the end.
Another student is concerned that delaying the exams will mean that they can not get a summer job to help to pay for their college education.
An RTÉ News report broadcast on 10 April 2020. The reporter is Emma O'Kelly.
