The Minister for Education and Skills, Joe McHugh T.D., today (19 December, 2018) announced that two days are being been added to the Leaving Certificate written examinations timetable from June 2019.
The additional days allow for new scheduling options for examinations, which are intended to minimise clashes for students and promote the wellbeing of students sitting exams.
The revised schedule follows the addition of Politics and Society to the Leaving Certificate examinations timetable in 2018 and it is also being made in anticipation of Physical Education and Computer Science being added in 2020.
The Leaving Certificate examinations written timetable has traditionally been for a 13-day period, starting on the Wednesday after the June bank holiday. The addition of two more days brings the total examination period to 15 days, with the final date for examination in 2019 being Tuesday, 25 June.
Speaking during a visit to Our Lady of Mercy, Drimnagh, Dublin, Minister McHugh said:
I am delighted to be able to announce the revision to the Leaving Certificate timetable from next June.
The State Examinations Commission has worked to determine what examinations should be moved from their traditional day in order to give students the best chance in their exams.
I am confident that the small number of students who may have to sit three examinations in a single day will be significantly reduced as a result of these changes.
The change is about trying to ease pressure. From talking to Leaving Cert students I hear how the exams play on their minds and any changes that we can make to ease that are really welcome.
The State Examinations Commission will also continue to be mindful of changes in students’ subject choices and how the exams and the timetable should be set to minimise clashes and limit unnecessary stress.
The 2018 timetable had 35 curricular and 18 non-curricular language subjects timetabled during 26 examination sessions over a 13-day period. The new timetabling arrangements allow for 30 examination sessions over a 15-day period.
No exam has been scheduled for the afternoon of day 15 in the June 2019 timetable. From 2020, this session will be used to facilitate the placement of new examinations.
The SEC has today published the Leaving Certificate timetable for 2019 which is available here.
