THIS is the first year that the three Leaving Cert programmes the traditionally, applied and vocational - will he examined. Of the 65,881 students sitting the Leaving Cert this year, 1,056 will do the LCA and 2,755 will do the LCV.

The LCV is being marketed by the Department of Education as a "Leaving Cert plus." Students take between five and seven traditional subjects in vocationally oriented subject groupings and three additional shortcourse or link modules. The modules comprise enterprise education, preparation for work and work experience.

The LCV was examined for the first time last year, although the link modules were not counted for the purposes of points. This year regional technical colleges have agreed to consider link modules as one tin it or "subject" and wall award points on the basis of 30 points for a pass, 50 points for a merit and 70 points for a distinction. The Dublin Institute of Technology and the universities have yet to make a decision.

Of the 1,200 students who sat the LCV last year, 16 per cent gained a pass (50-64 per cent); 39 per cent got a merit (65-79 per cent) and 37 per cent gained a distinction (80-100 per cent). Eight per cent were ungraded - they scored less than 50 per cent.

Assessment of link modules differs from that of traditional Leaving Cert subjects. It is subdivided into two elements. A written exam, which students sat on May 7th, counts for 40 per cent of the marks and a portfolio of work accounts for the remaining 60 per cent.

The exam is divided into three sections: audiovisual, where students are shown a video clip and must answer questions; case study, which they receive in advance (minus the questions) and general, on enterprise. Rose Malone, education and research officer with the TUI, says that there has been a positive response among teachers to the innovative exam techniques.

The portfolio is divided into two parts. In the first part, students must complete four tasks - a CV, a formal letter, a completed form and a summary report on an activity or investigation which they undertook. They choose two out of four items for the second section - a record book or diary, a report, a plan or an audio or visual interview.

WE will be hearing a lot more about the LCV in the future. There are now 11,000 students in 270 schools taking part in the programme. A further 170 schools will be coming into the programme in September.

The Department's projected target of participation rate of 30 per cent of Leaving Cert students will soon be achieved if not exceeded. Mr John Hammond, national coordinator of the LCVP, envisages a situation where most schools will have some students undertaking the programme.