Pupils begin State exams

 

More than 2,830 young Clare people began their State exams on Wednesday.

In glorious sunshine, 1,313 pupils filled study halls across the county starting their Leaving Certificate, while a further 1,441 kicked off their Junior Certificate with English Paper 1.
According to the State Examinations Commission, 667 girls and 646 boys were expected to sit the Leaving Cert in the county, compared with 690 girls and 751 boys undertaking their Junior Cert exams.

A further 76 pupils began their Leaving Cert Applied exams at 9.45am on Wednesday, made up of 29 girls and 47 boys.
Wednesday marked the start a two-week slog for the Junior and Leaving Certificate pupils, with examinations concluding for the junior cycle on June 20, and June 21 for the senior cycle. Meanwhile, Leaving Cert Applied exams conclude on June 13.

Leaving Certificate pupils will receive their examinations results this year on Wednesday, August 14 from 12 noon, with a deadline of August 20 to return completed application forms to view scripts.
Those who wish to appeal must submit their applications by Wednesday, September 4. Junior Certificate pupils will receive their results in mid-September.

Leaving Certificate pupils completed English Paper 1 and Home Economics exams on Wednesday while Junior Certificate pupils completed English Papers 1 and 2 on Wednesday and Leaving Certificate Applied pupils began their exams with English and Communication and Social Education.

This is the first year that all Junior Cert pupils will be examined on elements of the new Project Maths curriculum, while Leaving Certificate pupils will be examined on the new syllabus for the second year.
In 2012 bonus points for Leaving Certificate Mathematics were introduced by the third-level institutions to encourage greater numbers of pupils to continue with the study of Higher Level Mathematics.

According to the State Examinations Commission, “This appears to have had the effect of increasing the numbers of candidates applying to sit Higher Level Mathematics in the Leaving Certificate 2013.”

Coláiste Mhuire school principal Jean Pound, English Paper 1 at both levels did not present any problems or surprises for the pupils but she did say that Project Maths has been difficult for the pupils due to the new curriculum.

“The new Project Maths honours paper was difficult last year. They are challenging papers but with the extra points, more pupils are doing it,” she said.
Leaving Certificate written exams continue on Thursday with engineering and English Paper 2, while Junior Certificate pupils sit Irish papers 1 and 2 on Thursday.