More than 140,000 Leaving and Junior Cycle students have turned the page on their English exam this morning at 9.30am, kicking off the 2026 exam season that finishes on Tuesday, June 23rd with applied mathematics at Leaving Cert level.
Key reads
- Leaving Cert: 10 tips for parents supporting an exam student this month
- Classroom to College newsletter: your essential Leaving Cert guide
- Eoin Murphy from Co Mayo explains why he’s annoyed about having to wear his school uniform in the exam hall
- And Danny Goff from Co Wexford on preparing for the exams and having Type 1 diabetes
Leaving Cert English paper one a ‘lovely’ exam, teachers say
English paper one proved a perfect way to “lance the boil” on this year’s Leaving Certificate exams, teachers have said in what they called a “lovely” exam.
Siobhan O’Donovan, teacher at The Patrician Academy in Mallow, Co Cork, said when her students came out of the exam “you could see the relief on their faces” and they were “very happy with it”.
You can read our full paper review here.
Our photographer Dara Mac Dónaill was in Gaelcholáiste na Mara, Arklow, Co Wicklow this morning as students were preparing to head into English paper one.
Here is a selection of those photographs:g
The ordinary level English paper one is now available to view here on the State Examinations Commission website.
The Home Economics exam has now started, and we will have a review of the paper for you later.
One student, Grace McNamara from Lisdoonvarna in Co Clare, told Jen Hogan this week that it was the exam she felt best prepared for.
It’s a subject she has loved since first year, she said, so she was hoping day one of the exams would see her off to a good start.
Best of luck to Grace, and everyone else in those exam halls right now.
Jen Hogan has been speaking to English teacher Robert McDermott of St Andrews in Booterstown, Dublin.
Here’s what he had to say about it:
“The kids who are readers, and maybe given to creative writing as well, they’ve really got a terrific paper.”
The texts were “quite diverse”, he said, giving students a wide option to choose from. “The writer Stephen King said if you want to be a good writer, you have to write a lot and read a lot. If you want to do a good Leaving Cert in English, you have to read a lot.”
McDermott described the essay options as “terrific”.
“There were two short stories which were eminently accessible to those who had practiced that”.
“Two personal essays which was delightful. And they were both really lovely. The first one was on the influence of creative arts….that’s a real gift to those kids who read, who are creative, who have written journals.”
“The other personal essay was a moment that enriched lives in a variety of ways. That could be as simple as a kind word from somebody, or it could be a much more complicated experience”.
“I thought it was great that the speech was for or against the motion that social media influencers are best ignored. And then there was a nice opinion piece on the value of music. Once again it was stuff that kids could access.”
“A good paper for all levels and abilities. I suspect that this paper will be answered quite strongly across the board.”
Here is this year’s Leaving Certificate English paper one at higher level:
Good afternoon. Jen Hogan here. A fellow State exam parent this year. Well, we’ve got through the first exam, mums and dads - well done. Here’s a lovely poem by Ciara Nolan which was sent to me this morning. No I’m not crying, you are.
Exam parents you have done your best,
Fate, luck and hope will do the rest
Tomorrow make them a breakfast they love
Sent them out with a hug and gentle shove
And a reminder it’s only an exam
Do your best more importantly stay calm
Life invites so many chances
Society needs variety, teachers to dancers
So at 0930 as they sit in the hall
And you await the “it was OK” call
Reflect on a job well done
Be proud of your daughter or son
Time is almost up on English paper one and initial reaction from teachers is positive.
Gillian Chute, Head of English at The Tuition Centre, says the Higher Level paper was “student-friendly and approachable”.
Video analysis from The Institute of Education is here:
We are waiting to see the full exam paper before publishing it for you here. We are told there has been a delay in the SEC publishing it online due to a technical issue.
This is the first year that students who qualify for the Reasonable Accommodations at Certificate Examinations (RACE) scheme will receive an extra 10 minutes to complete their exam.
The arrangement is designed to help students with special educational needs who have difficulty in communicating what they know to an examiner because of a physical, visual, hearing and/or learning difficulty.
Some of these accommodations can include reading assistance, scribes, voice-activated computers and being able to take the exam in a hospital.
The scheme is under review by the State Examinations Commission and at the start of 2026 a pilot measure was introduced giving RACE students an extra 10 minutes in each exam. This is a provisional measure that will be reviewed before the 2027 exams.
One parent of a Leaving Cert student with dyslexia, Anita Reid Murphy, said the 10 minutes is “frankly insulting” to students like her daughter Caoimhe.
“It isn’t even proper compensation for further reading of their papers, never mind the battle that they have with their assistive technology, labelling, structuring and working between hard copy and their laptop. Ten minutes is absolutely nothing,” she told The Irish Times this week.
You can read her full story here.
On that subject, I think it is worth mentioning the students who may not come from the most straightforward backgrounds. Those who may have experienced trauma, have special educational needs, who maybe do not learn the same way as others.
Dr Katriona O’Sullivan, a senior lecturer in the psychology department of Maynooth University, wrote a memoir about the poverty she grew up in, her parents who had addiction issues, her teenage pregnancy and her time living in a care home.
That memoir, Poor, certainly changed the way I thought about class, privilege and the trauma some children in this country experience.
She took to her Instagram page this week to remind us all that not every child is equal, and sometimes the Leaving Certificate exams can be a blunt instrument in assessing potential.
These are her words:
“The Leaving Cert is influenced by your brain and bodies capabilities to focus and feel safe, by the school you go to, by your family background, by how diverse you are, by anxiety, by friendships ... by how many grinds you had, by how much money you have.
“It does not accurately measure potential. Please remember this is not the end no matter how it goes. There is a world of ways to achieve your dreams. To find your dreams. I left school age 15 no Leaving Cert no hope.
“I’m a professor
“I’m a bestselling author
“And I’m happy.
“This is not the end this is just the beginning.”
So that’s it, the clock has started on this year’s exams, the pages are turned and the wheels are spinning.
English Paper One has been handed out to students, while many parents must be sitting over a cup of tea taking in what is a big moment in their lives too.
Brian Mooney has some advice for those parents here.
I think this is my favourite:
10) Do not overhype the importance of any examination
It is very easy in the middle of a stress-inducing experience such as a major examination to get the whole event totally out of perspective. Parents need to be aware that sons or daughters taking terminal examinations can sometimes mistakenly believe that their standing in their parent’s eyes is dependent on their examination success. Parents should ensure that their son or daughter facing the State examinations over the coming weeks is absolutely clear, that your unconditional love and regard for them is in no way dependent on how they perform in the Leaving Certificate. This affirmation is the greatest gift you can give them on the eve of their examinations.
Here is the Leaving Certificate timetable:
What happens if I’m late or sick for an exam?
Candidates are required to be seated in the test centre 30 minutes before the exam is due to start – so that’s 9am today.
However, if you are late, you will still be admitted into the hall up to 30 minutes into the exam.
If you are sick, you might be able to defer your exam – but a simple headcold won’t do it.
It must be a “life-threatening medical emergency”, according to the State Examinations Commission, and you need supporting evidence from a medical consultant – not a GP.
Candidates who suffer bereavement of a close family member between May 29th and 23 June 23rd may also be eligible to defer.
The deferred exams take place between Wednesday, June 24th, and Saturday, July 11th.
Nerves, excitement, pressure – how are your peers feeling these last couple days? You can watch their video diaries here:
Today a record-breaking 66,911 students are due to begin their Leaving Certificate exams.
It is the highest ever level of students, breaking the previous record set in 1995 of 66,304.
It begins with English Paper One at 9.30am this morning, followed by Home Economics from 2pm.
The exams last 15 days, closing out on June 23rd with Applied Maths.
The Junior Certificate and Leaving Certificate Applied exams take place alongside this.
Much work and preparation has gone into these exams, and it’s understandable if nerves are frayed in some quarters.
For other students today may just be like any other day, no big deal, they have bigger fish to fry.
Whatever your approach, your background, or your ambitions, we would love to hear from you as the days go on.
I will be here running our live coverage every day, and you can email me at niamh.towey@irishtimes.com.
