Leaving Cert written exam starts this Monday

The number of students intending to sit the Leaving Cert next Monday is currently "fluid", and it is not yet clear how many students in Westmeath schools intend to take the exam, according to the State Examinations Commission (SEC).

However, the county-by-county figures are to be released before the exams get underway, the SEC said this week in response to questions by the Westmeath Examiner, adding that any school with candidates for the examinations is being provided with extra supports to allow these examinations to be held safely.

Students who sit the Leaving Cert will be waiting some time for their results: the SEC expects that the results will be released in early February.

Those who opted to avail of the Calculated Grade option during the summer as well as sitting the forthcoming written Leaving Cert have the comfort of knowing that if the Calculated Grade they received was higher, that is the one they will be entitled to use for CAO purposes.

"2020 applicants to the CAO will have their final Leaving Certificate results forwarded to the CAO, using their best results of examinations and Calculated Grades, where applicable. They will receive any relevant CAO offers that their results indicate, as a deferred offer for 2021/22," the SEC told The Westmeath Examiner.

"In addition, the Leaving Certificate candidates may also use their results to reapply through the CAO for 2021/22 using results from 2020."

Nationally, some 2,800 candidates have applied to sit the Leaving Certificate examinations in 600 schools and other locations authorised by the SEC to hold the certificate examinations and there are also a small number of candidates (fewer than 100) entered to sit Junior Cycle examinations, the SEC stated.

The examinations will be run by the SEC across the school network with one examination session taking place each weekday evening and two sessions each day on Saturdays and Sundays.

The exams are due to be completed by Friday December 11.