The Minister for Education and Skills, Richard Bruton TD, together with Minister of State Mary Mitchell O’Connor TD and Minister of State John Halligan TD, today (Wednesday 15th August) congratulated the 57,149 students who received their Leaving Certificate examination results for 2018.
Minister Bruton said:
I would like to send my warm congratulations to the class of 2018 as they receive their Leaving Certificate examination results today. Today is the culmination of years of hard work and you should all be so proud of the work you have put in and what you have achieved.
The Leaving Certificate is not only an important milestone in your lives, but is also an important moment in the lives of those who have supported you along the way – your teachers, parents and friends and I would also like to acknowledge and pay tribute to their assistance and dedication.
Students receiving your results today, I want you to know that there are more opportunities now than ever before, to help you achieve your ambitions in life. There are a number of pathways to further your education, whether you choose third level, a post leaving certificate course, or the apprenticeship and traineeship routes.
For students who may not have done as well as you might have hoped, don’t panic, take time to consider all your options and remember that there are a number of routes now available to lead you to your chosen career. Whatever your results today – there are plenty of opportunities for you.
This is the first year where the new Leaving Certificate subject of Politics and Society was examined. I would like to welcome this development and the successful examination of the subject. This subject is now available to all schools as a Leaving Certificate option from September 2018. Two further new Leaving Certificate subjects. Computer Science and Physical Education, will also be introduced to schools on a phased basis from September 2018.
The State Examinations are a very significant logistical operation involving over 120,000 students at Junior and Senior Cycle, more than 4 million examination papers and over 5,000 examination centres. I would like to thank the State Examinations Commission for its work in ensuring the smooth running of the examinations.
Minister Mitchell O’Connor said:
Minister Mitchell O’Connor congratulated students receiving their Leaving Certificate results today.
The Leaving Certificate is of course associated with young people completing a vital phase of their lives. With my previous experience as a teacher and school principal I fully appreciate the tremendous dedication and courage all students have shown in completing their Leaving Certificate, and particularly those who have returned to education. I wish you all the very best with your next phase.
Minister Halligan said:
I wish to congratulate every student on their achievements in this year’s Leaving Certificate. I hope that each of you will find a path that allows you to fulfill your future ambitions. The Department of Education and Skills continues to work to open up new avenues of learning to assist students in building on the skills and knowledge they have developed throughout their Senior Cycle. There is a wide range of opportunities in the further education and training sector, including traineeships and apprenticeships, as well as in the third level sector.
The Ministers concluded by saying that they hoped that students getting their results will take the time to celebrate with their friends sensibly and wished them well in the future.
This year, 57,149 students sat the Leaving Certificate this year; of these, 54,440 sat the Established Leaving Cert and Leaving Cert Vocational Programme and 2,709 sat the Leaving Cert Applied Programme. The 15 subjects with the highest participation rates are unchanged from last year, but with a slight change in the order, due to the increased popularity of Home Economics and German. The list remains topped by Mathematics, English and Irish.
A Leaving Certificate Exam Helpline, run by the National Parents Council post primary, will open on Wednesday 15th August at 10.00 and will provide advice to students and parents regarding the examination results. The Helpline, which receives support from the Department of Education and Skills, can be contacted at 1800 265 165. It will remain open until August 22nd 2018.