Leaving Cert and Junior Cycle exams: Live reaction to today’s papers

And they’re off… tens of thousands of students have started on day four of the State examsLeaving Cert: maths paper 2 (9.30-12.00pm) and Irish paper one (2-4.20pm)Junior Cycle: science (9.30-11.30am) and business studies (1.30-3.30pm)‘I’ve one exam left… already I feel very grown-up and responsible’: Our student diarist Leah O’Callaghan is relieved to be on the home stretch

First look: Junior Cycle science

The exam paper for today’s common level Junior Cycle science exam has landed.

You can scroll through it below — we’ll have reaction here shortly

First look: Leaving Cert maths paper 2

The exam papers for today’s Leaving Cert higher level and ordinary maths paper are now available.

You can check them out below– we’ll have reaction here shortly.

‘I’ve one exam left… already I feel very grown-up and responsible’

Leah O’Callaghan of Stepaside Educate Together Secondary School is one of our Leaving Cert diarists.

She is sitting the Leaving Cert Applied (LCA) and is relieved that she has just one exam left: horticulture on Wednesday.

Not everyone knows what the LCA is, and it isn’t on offer in every school.

“For me, however, it was the obvious fit. I went into transition year and really enjoyed it, as there was more focus on learning through doing, and experiencing life, than you otherwise get in second-level education. I dreaded the idea of going back to intense academic study. I always knew that I learned more by doing than by learning from a book.

“At that time, I spoke to one of my teachers and she told me about the LCA, which has a greater focus on life skills and experience over pure academics.”

You can read more on her diary here.