It's D-Day for more than 124,000 students who begin their Junior and Leaving Cert exams on Wednesday.
Despite the absence of the usual “exam weather” 56,882 senior students, 2,774 Leaving Cert applied students and 64,723 junior pupils will tackle their first papers.
Junior Cert students sit their English papers this morning, followed by Civic, Social and Political Education (CSPE) in the afternoon.
English paper 1 will also be the first faced by sixth years, with Home Economics on the menu in the afternoon.
In advance of the exams, more than four million papers were delivered to around 5,200 exam centres in schools and exam venues nationwide.
And experts are advising students to eat properly and ensure they get enough rest, exercise and down time during.
President of the Association of Secondary Teachers Ireland [ASTI], Breda Lynch, called on students to remember that the exams are just “one aspect” of their education.
She also advised students to “avoid post-mortems and the inevitable social media hype” after each exam.
She added: “Students and parents can rest assured that each exam will be marked objectively and that their efforts will be evaluated in a fair and transparent way.’’
This year two extra days have been added to the traditional 13-day exam window in a bid to relieve pressure and improve the wellbeing of students as they sit multiple exams.
The State Examinations Commission said that by doing this, they hope to avoid timetable clashes which have resulted in students sitting three papers in one day.
Chairman of the commission, Pat Burke, said that during exams they would “continue its work in ensuring that the examinations meet the highest standards of fairness and transparency”.
He added that the two new measures, including the extended period and time-off allowances for the death of a loved one, would help support student wellbeing during exams.
Mr Burke said: “Leaving Certificate candidates who, sadly, suffer the bereavement of a close relative during the examinations can opt to defer their examinations for up to three days, with the alternative examinations taking place in early July.”
The Samaritans yesterday advised exam students to put their well being ahead of their grades.
Deputy Regional Director, Teresa Bell, said: “The exam season can be an incredibly stressful time for students, their parents, other family members and even teachers.
“By keeping results in perspective, and by balancing study with relaxation, playing sports or socialising with friends, young people are more likely to do themselves justice”.
Leaving Cert students will get their results on August 13 while Junior cycle students will get theirs in late September.
