The 2020 Leaving Cert gets underway this evening

Today 2,569 candidates will commence the postponed 2020 Leaving Certificate and Leaving Certificate Applied examinations at 574 locations across the country.

The opportunity to sit Junior Cycle examinations was offered to adult learners and early school leavers and 60 candidates are due to take these examinations which also commence on Monday.

The examinations are being conducted with the support and assistance of post-primary schools and other venues recognised by the State Examinations Commission to hold the certificate examinations. Candidates will take their examinations in the school or other venue at which they were scheduled to sit the June 2020 examinations had those examinations proceeded.

There will be one examination each weekday evening and two examination sessions at weekends, on both Saturdays and Sundays. The Leaving Certificate examinations commenced today and conclude on Friday, December 11. Examinations at Junior Cycle conclude on Monday, November 30.

All aspects of these examinations will be run in accordance with public health advice which includes social distancing and the wearing of appropriate face coverings by superintendents and candidates. Candidates have previously been advised that they must not attend for the examinations if they have tested positive for Covid-19; if they are experiencing any symptoms or are required to self-isolate or restrict their movements, and must otherwise comply with public health advice.

Following updated guidance from the HSE, the SEC has recently notified candidates that if they are a close contact of a confirmed case; have no symptoms and are restricting their movements, that in certain limited circumstances, and with 24 hours’ notice, the State Examinations Commission (SEC) will seek to make arrangements for candidates in this category to sit their examinations at an alternative location where appropriate controlled arrangements can be made to enable the sitting of the examinations without compromising public health. Candidates must be able to attend the examinations through their own/immediate household transport.

Candidates in this category must not attend the examinations at their school but have been advised to contact the SEC. The SEC will seek to put in place arrangements to accommodate these candidates noting that this will not always be possible depending on the individual’s circumstances.

It continues to be the case that any candidate diagnosed with Covid-19, self-isolating or experiencing any symptoms should not attend the examinations and no accommodation will be possible given the risks to public health.

Candidates who are within a restricted movement period following travel into the country (sometimes called quarantining) must also not attend for the examinations in that period.

There will be one sitting of the Leaving Certificate 2020 examinations in November 2020. Candidates unable to attend an examination for which they have entered can apply to sit the Leaving Certificate examinations in 2021.

Pat Burke, Chairperson of the State Examinations Commission and his fellow commissioners extend their very best wishes on behalf of the SEC to all those sitting state examinations.

Speaking before the examinations, Mr Burke said: “This year has been particularly difficult and stressful for Leaving Certificate candidates and their families, in these unprecedented times amidst the COVID 19 pandemic when the holding of Examinations was cancelled for the first time in the history of the State and an alternative to state examinations, the Calculated Grade, was introduced.

Mr Burke added: “The Board and staff of the State Examinations Commission are very aware of the particular effort which candidates and their families have invested in the forthcoming examinations and extend our best wishes to all candidates”

It is expected that the provisional Leaving Certificate/LCA 2020 results will issue in early February 2021. Candidates who receive an improved CAO offer on foot of these results, will receive a deferred college offer to start their course in the 2021/22 academic year. The SEC wishes to express its sincere thanks to school authorities for hosting these examinations at a time when schools are operating as normal.