It seemed it was all over. You filled out the answer books, answered the questions in the orals and aurals and said goodbye to your artwork and projects.
Then you tossed the exam papers in the air or crumpled them up and lobbed them in the bin. And the end of June signalled the beginning of a summer which would mark the transition between childhood and adult life.
Today, it's time to take a step back and revisit your old school to collect those results (external candidates, €10s, will receive their results at home). No doubt, memories of the history exam which caused so much controversy are resurfacing in many minds after a summer of forgetfulness.
Amid your own worries and the despair and delight of your companions it may prove a little difficult to get some perspective on those results, which are simply the verdict on how you answered certain questions in a limited time period. They are not a verdict on how you performed over your school years, how well rounded a person you are, how talented you are or your future career prospects.
Also, for aspirants to third-level it's a little early to tell whether those results will earn you a place in the college.
If you have applied for a college place through the Central Applications Office and most Leaving Cert. candidates have, the suspense continues. This year, the CAO received applications from 64,996 people, a slight increase on last year's 64,741.
Third-level college offers will not be posted until next Monday and the cut-off points will be published in the College Places supplement in The Irish Times next Tuesday.
After you have converted your results to points - look at today's Going to College supplement for a helpful chart - there is very little you can do other than sit back and wait.
The Points Commission, which is looking into college entry procedures, has come up with some interesting statistics. First, looking at the school candidates who sat the Leaving Certificate in 1997 only 3.3 per cent received certificates which equated to 450 points or more.
This is a statistic that parents and students should take a little time to digest. If you have achieved in this range, you should be happy that your hard work paid off. Unfortunately, it is within this points range that the most severe disappointments may occur as these students have often focused narrowly on one or two courses and nothing else will satisfy them.
If you are one of the people with more than 450 points, first of all, you should be more than pleased. You have done exceptionally well. Worries about cut-off points should be shelved for a few days as you celebrate your success.
Back with the Points Commission, 13 per cent of the 53,904 candidates who sat the Leaving Cert. in 1997 scored 405 points or more. Slightly less than one-third scored a minimum of 250 points while 50 per cent gained 140 points or more.
This means that over half of the 1997 Leaving Cert. candidates had a minimum of two grade C3s on higher-level papers and four D3s at ordinary-level. This is the National University of Ireland matriculation standard.
Last year, the remaining places on more than 40 third-level courses were offered to students who met the minimum entry requirements. These courses are signified in the points chart by the acronym AQA (All Qualified Applicants) rather than by a number. In the case of many of these courses you would have fitted the category AQA if you had five passes in the Leaving Cert. (five ordinary-level D3s or, in other words, 25 points).
While, for more than half of this year's students the Leaving Certificate is a gateway into third-level, there is an increasing range of options open to students. The Post Leaving Certificate sector is the next largest sector with up to 20,000 first-year places. These innovative courses can lead directly to employment or may be used as a stepping stone to third-level.
There are also education and training opportunities in agriculture and horticulture with Teagasc; in tourism, hotel and catering with CERT; nurse education, and apprenticeships with FAS.
Scripts, appeals and rechecks
Of course, you may be unhappy with your Leaving Cert. results because you do not feel they reflect your performance in the exam.
There have been worries in the past about components of exams, such as art, getting lost, and students not being credited for any work in that particular part of the exam. A supplementary statement will be included with your results if you are not being given credit for a particular component. This should allow you to make sure that you are getting credit for all of the components that you have attempted.
Also, it is now possible for you to view your marked scripts in all subjects. If you are considering an appeal, this should be very useful.
Scripts will be available to you and one other person (nominated by you) in special viewing sessions to be held in three sessions: September 3rd, from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m.; September 4th from 9 a.m. to noon and from 2 p.m. to 5 p.m. Schools may adjust these arrangements to suit local needs.
When you receive your results your school will have a personalised application form provided by the Department of Education which will show your exam details including the subjects you took. If you wish to view a particular script you should indicate this on the form and return it to the school by August 26th.
It is not essential to view a script if you wish to appeal but it should help you make an informed choice. It costs £25 per subject to appeal. This will be refunded only if your result is upgraded.
Appeal applications (made on the personalised appeal form) must be with the Department by 5 p.m. on September 8th. This means schools must post applications on September 7th, at the latest, so you have very little time to get it back to the school. Make sure you got the bank giro provided by the Department (and carrying your unique identification number) stamped by the bank and include it with your appeal form.
The Department's tightly regimented timetable now breaks down as they inform us that the results of appeals will be available in "early October". Each script is sent to an appeals examiner (not the original examiner) for remarking. The same marking scheme is used.
If practical or project work is involved the examiner may have to visit the school to remark work which has been stored there. Remember that results may be upgraded or downgraded. If, in early October, you are still unhappy with the marks you have obtained, you may apply to an examination commissioner to ensure that all appeal processes were carried out correctly. But, there will be no further remarking. Last year, some 7,500 students viewed scripts and, of these, 6,190 decided to appeal their results. This was half the appeal rate of 1997. Of the 434,000 grades awarded last year, only 1,050 were changed at appeal. Of these, the overwhelming majority were upgraded; only a handful were downgraded.
Special maths exams
Students applying for most ab-initio engineering degree courses need a minimum of a C3 in higher-level maths. However, in two colleges there is a fall-back exam available for certain courses.
Students who did not achieve the required grade in their Leaving Certificate can sit these exams in NUI Galway and Athlone Institute of Technology. DIT has discontinued its exam this year.
Success in this exam will be accepted as an alternative to the Leaving Certificate requirement but only for the courses specified in that particular college. These special maths exams may not be used for points purposes. Offers arising from success in these exams will be made in round two.
NUI Galway: will hold a special maths exam this year on August 20th. Applications must be in today, £5 application fee, ring admissions office 091 750437 for syllabus, past papers and application form.
Athlone IT: applicants for the college's polymer engineering degree who do not achieve the required higher C in Leaving Cert maths can sit a special maths exam, usually held in September. Contact Dr Gertrude Taggart at 0902 24400. There is no fee. Dublin IT: has discontinued its special maths exam.
Group orders
The College Places column will appear from Monday to Friday for the duration of the college offers season. Teachers can place group orders for The Irish Times by calling 1 800 798884 from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday to Friday and 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday.