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Education Minister Ruairí Quinn and Training and Skills Minister Ciarán Cannon are sending their best wishes to all the students who are beginning the Leaving and Junior Certificate examinations today.

118,673 students are due to take their places in 4.962 exam centres across the country from this morning. English is the first subject on the timetable and the exams will continue until June 19th for Junior Cert and June 20th for the Leaving Cert.

This year, 54,933 students will sit the Leaving Cert, including the Leaving Cert Vocational programme, 3,042 will do the Leaving Cert Applied while 60,698 will sit the Junior Cert.

Minister Quinn said:

This is a nervous time in households right around the country as our students wait for the State Exams to finally begin. I want to wish all those sitting the Leaving Cert and Junior Cert well in their exams. Hopefully, the hard work and long hours that they have put in over the past months and years will pay off.

But, it is also worth bearing in mind while the State Exams are an important milestone in a young person’s life, they are not the only one. There are a vast array of opportunities for education, training and to get new skills throughout their lives.

Minister Cannon added:

As well as wishing students all the best, I want to acknowledge the support and encouragement they are receiving from their parents, families and of course their teachers. This is often a difficult and stressful time for the students involved and their families and support networks deserve a special word of thanks for keeping them calm and focused at this time.

Both Ministers also welcomed the high number of Leaving Cert students who have indicated they will sit higher level Maths, some 17,065. While there is expected to be a drop off in the number who actually sit the exam, traditionally in the region of 2,000, this is the highest number yet. The Ministers attribute this to the introduction of 25 bonus points for higher level Maths and the new Leaving Certificate Maths syllabus (Project Maths).

The results of the Leaving Certificate will be issued on Wednesday 13th of August and will be available on line from 12 noon that day. Junior Certificate results will be issued in mid-September.