This afternoon (Monday, June 21), Leaving Certificate agricultural science students will sit their written exam, from 2:00p.m to 4:30p.m.
A new specification for Leaving Cert agricultural science was introduced in September 2019 and will be examined for the first time this year.
This written exam is worth 75% of the overall grade in this subject.
A practical project – the individual investigative study (IIS) – makes up the remaining 25%.
This project entailed investigating a research question, which students had to link to a chosen enterprise, using the theme of ‘Improving Sustainability in Irish Agriculture’.
Over 60% to sit written exam
Based on the most up-to-date figures available from the State Examinations Commission (SEC), over 60% of all 8,583 agricultural science students this year have chosen to sit the written exam.
The SEC is running the system of exams and accredited grades and it will issue candidates with a single set of provisional results which integrates both processes.
Those who have sat exams only will be provided with exam results; those who have opted for accredited grades only will be provided with accredited grades; and those who have opted for both will be provided with the better result between the two processes.
Candidates confirmed their choices of exams, accredited grades, or both on a subject-by-subject basis through the Candidate Self Service Portal earlier this year.
60% (5,190) of all agricultural science students this year have chosen the option of both the written exam and accredited grade, and will receive the better of the results.
Less than 1% (35) have chosen to only sit the exam; while 37% (3,214) have chosen to receive an accredited grade only and not sit the exam. 2% (144) of students did not select on option.
These numbers remain provisional, and the SEC has said that candidates’ final choices will not be known until results issue in September.
Leaving Cert Applied
The Leaving Cert Applied agriculture/horticulture exam already took place on June 16, with a provisional 98 students having opted for both accredited grades and the written exam; one candidate opted to do the written exam only; and 198 opted for the accredited grade only.
The main exam session began on June 9, and will run until June 29 for the Leaving Cert, while the Leaving Cert Applied exams finished up on June 17.
Overall, 90% of all (61,500) Leaving Cert candidates indicated their intention to sit exams in one or more subjects, with almost 40,000 indicating their intention to present in five or more subjects.