By Michelle Crean 

Major changes to the Leaving Cert have been announced today (Tuesday) which will include spreading exams over a two year period. 

Secondary school students who will be heading into Senior Cycle in September 2023 will now sit English and Irish Paper One at the end of Fifth Year in a move which is set to reduce final year stress. Two new subjects will also be available for students from September 2024; Drama, Film and Theatre Studies, and Climate Action and Sustainable Development.

Announced today by Education Minister Norma Foley, she said that new approach will enable students to follow a broad curriculum, develop their interests and skills and participate in a final assessment process consistent with international best practice, which will support them in their next phase of life whether that’s third level, further education and training, apprenticeships or the world of work.

While she said that the "current system has many strengths" it "can be improved". 

"Today I am setting out a new plan for Senior Cycle education in Ireland,” Minister Foley said.

"This is an ambitious programme of reform. It will enrich students’ educational experience by increasing their choices to match their interests and enhancing teaching and learning. It will reduce the pressure on students that comes from final assessments based primarily on examinations. We will move to a model that uses other forms of assessment, over a less concentrated time period, in line with international best practice." 

Key changes to Senior Cycle

* Managing the assessment burden
* New and revised subjects will be developed
* From September 2023, students will take Leaving Certificate Irish and English Paper One at the end of Fifth Year
* The marks for Paper One will be 'banked' and added to the marks awarded for Paper Two which students will take in June of Sixth Year
* The experience of running Orals and Practical Music Examinations at Easter in the last two years is being reviewed. It is hoped to run the examinations in this way in future
 

New subjects and new ways of assessing students

New subjects will be developed and new subject curricula, which outline what material is taught and assessed in a subject, will be devised. The process of doing this will involve teachers, students and school communities as well as other education experts. The NCCA will publish a curriculum review by September 2023. This will set out a plan for new and revised subject curricula to be delivered in annual blocks.

Three Senior Cycle science subject curricula; Biology, Chemistry and Physics as well as Business will be ready for introduction to the network schools and revised specifications in Latin, Ancient Greek and Arabic will be introduced for all schools in September 2024.

A Senior Cycle Reform Programme Delivery Board will be established to oversee and drive the changes.