Leaving Cert Overview
Leaving Cert explained: Higher, Ordinary and Foundation levels, exam structure, timing and key facts about Ireland's state examination.
CAO System
How to apply, points requirements, offer rounds, change of mind and everything about college entry in Ireland.
Subject Choice
Choosing Leaving Cert subjects: points scales, subject levels, compulsory subjects and strategic selection for CAO entry.
Points Calculator
Full points conversion: H1=100, H2=88, H3=77, etc., with bonus Maths points and example calculations.
English Guide
Leaving Cert English: Paper 1 & Paper 2, prescribed texts, comparative studies and exam strategy.
Maths Guide
Higher vs Ordinary Level, Project Maths, bonus points, exam papers and study strategy.
Irish Guide
Gaeilge — oral exam (béaltriail), written papers, listening comprehension and exemptions.
Science Guide
Biology, Chemistry and Physics: course content, exam structure, practical work and study advice.
Study Tips
Study timetable, active recall, past paper practice, exam strategy and wellbeing advice.
Results & Offers
Results day, appeals, CAO offer rounds, deferrals and what to do if you don't get your course.
Leaving Cert 2026: Key Dates
The 2026 Leaving Certificate written exams ran from Wednesday 3 June to Tuesday 23 June 2026, with oral and practical exams earlier in the year (Irish and foreign language orals took place from 28 March to 2 April). Results will be published on Friday 21 August 2026 at 10am through the State Examinations Commission's Candidate Self Service Portal (CSSP) and from schools. CAO Round One offers follow on Wednesday 26 August at 2pm, with the Available Places facility opening the next day and the offer season running into October.
One important change for 2026: examination entry fees returned for the first time since 2019 — €116 per Leaving Certificate candidate — after several years of waiver during and after the pandemic. Full dates, fees and documentation are on the SEC website (examinations.ie).
The 2026 Numbers: A Record Year
2026 was a record year for the State examinations. A total of 71,698 candidates were expected to sit the Leaving Certificate — 9% more than in 2025 — and 146,553 students registered for State exams overall, the first time the total has passed 146,000 and a 4% increase on the previous year. The SEC also confirmed that the post-marking adjustment introduced after the pandemic would continue in 2026, with overall results expected to sit just below 2020 levels.
Another notable 2026 development: around 30,000 students received ten minutes of additional time in each exam under an expanded Reasonable Accommodations at Certificate Examinations (RACE) scheme. With numbers this large, competition for CAO places is fierce — which makes understanding the points system more important than ever.
Senior Cycle Reform: What's Changing
The Leaving Cert is in the middle of its biggest reform in decades. Two brand-new subjects — Drama, Film and Theatre Studies, and Climate Action and Sustainable Development — began rolling out in schools from 2025. In 2026, Tranche 2 of the redeveloped curriculum arrived for all schools: Construction Studies, Engineering, Geography, LCVP Link Modules and Physical Education. English and Accounting, originally scheduled for this tranche, have been delayed by at least a year.
The road map continues: Tranche 3 subjects (Agricultural Science, Computer Science, Design and Communications Graphics, History, Home Economics, Mathematics, Music, Physics and Chemistry) arrive in 2027, and Tranche 4 (Art, Economics, French, Gaeilge, German, Italian, Politics and Society, Spanish, Technology) in 2028. If you are choosing subjects now, check with your school which of the new arrangements apply to your year group.
CAO Points: What You Need to Know
Your CAO points are calculated from your best six subjects, with English and Mathematics included for most courses. Each Higher Level grade converts to points — H1 = 100, H2 = 88, H3 = 77, H4 = 66, H5 = 56, H6 = 46 — and Higher Level maths students who score H6 or above receive 25 bonus points, so the absolute maximum is 625. The Points Calculator walks through the full conversion tables, including Ordinary and Foundation levels.
To put those numbers in context, the 2025 CAO Round One showed how competitive the top courses have become: undergraduate medicine required 728–739 points across the five medical schools, Trinity's Dental Science sat at 625, and UCD's Economics and Finance at 625. With a record 71,698 candidates in 2026, points requirements may shift again — check cao.ie after Round One offers on 26 August for the definitive figures.
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