Leaving Cert. for Adult Learners
If you are an adult learner, repeat student or still in school, be sure to have a look at our full Leaving Cert Courses.
When you return to sit the leaving certificate as an adult candidate there a number of steps to consider.
Registering to sit the Leaving Certificate
If you want to sit the Leaving Certificate as an external candidate, you must apply through the State Examinations board.
The opening date for external candidate registration is the beginning of January each year. The closing date for External Applications is usually the middle of February in the year of sitting examination. Entries can be accepted after that date but they will be subject to late fees.
Before applying as an External Candidate you must first download the School request form and present it to the Principal of the school you wish to sit your exams in.
Once this form is complete, you should retain it and bring it to your examination centre on the 1st day of examination.
YOU MUST ALSO PRESENT PHOTO I.D. AT YOUR ORAL / PRACTICAL / WRITTEN EXAMINATIONS. i.e. Public Services Card, Passport, Driving License.
How to apply
You can either apply and pay online or get a form from the Entries section via the State Examinations Commission website External candidates who hold a current medical card do not have to pay the fee but are still liable for late fees if they apply after the deadline.
Fees
As a guideline in 2018 the fees payable to the SEC were:
- School-based students sitting the Leaving Certificate examination for the first time in 2018 must pay a fee of €116.
- External candidates sitting the exam for the first time pay a fee of €71 for one or two subjects and €116 for 3 or more subjects. If your parents or guardian hold a current medical card, you do not have to pay the fee.
- School-based students repeating the Leaving Certificate must pay a fee of €301
- External candidates repeating the Leaving Certificate in 2018 pay fees on a sliding scale as follows:
| Number of subjects | Fees per subject |
|---|---|
| 1 subject | €116 |
| 2 subjects | €211 |
| 3 or more | €326 |
You can find further information about Leaving Certificate fees on the State Examinations Commission website.
Reasonable Accommodations
The State Examinations Commission operates a Scheme of Reasonable Accommodations for candidates with special needs at the state examinations. For further details on the scheme of Reasonable Accommodations and how to apply, please click here and select relevant form from the Reasonable Accommodations dropdown menu. The range of accommodations for the examinations has also been extended to include provision for the use of bilingual translation dictionaries by candidates whose first language is not English or Irish.
Leaving Certificate Examination Timetable
You can view the current SEC exam timetable here
Any Leaving Certificate oral examinations are typically held around Easter and the aural and written examinations are held in June of each year.
Contact Details
Entries Section
State Examinations Commission
Cornamaddy
Athlone
Co. Westmeath
N37 TP65
Telephone: 090-6442890, 6442703, 6442706
E-mail: entries@examinations.ie
Homepage: http://www.examinations.ie
Make sure you cover the entire syllabus
You can check that you are covering the entire Leaving Certificate Syllabus by visiting the Department of Education leaving cert syllabus list.
All Kilroy's College Leaving Cert Courses cover the entire syllabus.
For further information on leaving cert and adult education in general, you can visit AONTAS (the National Association of Adult Education) or Careers Portal.
