The waiting is over. Tomorrow morning, Wednesday, 3rd June 2026, thousands of students across the country will sit down for the Leaving Certificate and Junior Cycle examinations. As English Paper 1 lands on desks, the annual collective breath is held by families, classrooms, and communities.
Whether you are a parent trying to keep the peace at home, a teacher giving that final pep talk, or overseeing the exam centres, we are all in this together. Here is a quick guide to what’s new this year, along with practical tips to ensure smooth sailing over the next few weeks.
Key Updates – What is Different?
The State Examinations Commission (SEC) has introduced a few key procedural changes and structural adjustments that all candidates and supervisors should know:
- Date of Birth Requirement: On the front cover of all answer books, students must now write their full date of birth, including the year, alongside their exam number.
- Extra Time Allowances: Under the temporary extension of the REACH scheme, approximately 30,000 students qualifying for specific support (like scribes, readers, or laptop access) will automatically receive an extra 10 minutes per exam paper.
- Gradual Grading Return: The Minister for Education has confirmed that the gradual removal of post-marking adjustments continues, bringing aggregate results just below 2020 levels. However, the popular pandemic-era paper choices and expanded question options remain fully intact.
- Junior Cycle Grade Bands: For those sitting the Junior Cycle, the top four grade bands (Distinction, Higher Merit, Merit, and Achieved) have been evenly redistributed into 15-percentage-point increments, making the grading more reflective of student effort.
Tips for Students
- The 30 Minute Rule: Arrive at least 30 minutes before your very first exam tomorrow morning. For subsequent papers, the standard half an hour rule applies.
- Highlight Keywords: Read the entire instruction block first. Highlight or underline key action verbs (e.g., evaluate, contrast, describe) to ensure that your answers stay on track.
- Avoid Blank Spaces: An educated guess or an attempted formula can still earn partial marks. A blank space will get you zero points.
- Banish the Post-Mortem: Once a paper is handed up, avoid dissecting answers on social media or with friends. Instead, switch your focus immediately to the next exam.
How Parents Can Keep the Peace
- Fuel and Fluids: Keep the kitchen stocked with easy, nutritious meals and plenty of water. Dehydration quickly mimics exam fatigue.
- Normalise the Nerves: Remind your teenager that feeling anxious is a completely normal physical response to a major milestone.
- Prioritise Sleep Over Cramming: Late night frantic cramming rarely pays off. A well rested brain can recall stored facts much faster than an exhausted one.
- Keep Perspective: Remind them that while these exams matter, they do not define their future or their worth. The modern Irish educational landscape offers endless alternative pathways, from apprenticeships to post-leaving cert (PLC) courses.
To the class of 2026: you have put in the hard work, your teachers believe in you, and your families are backing you all the way. Take a deep breath, read the paper carefully, and do your best.
Go n-éirí an t-ádh libh!
