Over 70 thousand students will receive their Junior Cert results today.
Students can either pick up their results in schools today, or access them online from 4 o'clock.
This is only the second year all candidates sat exams under the fully reformed Junior Cycle curriculum.
Junior Education Minister Josepha Madigan wishes everyone receiving their results today the best of luck:
"I just want to wish all those who are receiving their junior search results today the absolute best
of luck for most of them at their very first state exam.
And it can be a tricky exam for all of them.
But they should congratulate themselves and no matter how they do today for fitting the exam and
enjoy their celebration."
Changes to the JC
The Junior Cert curriculum saw a major overhaul in 2022. It involved revising current subjects and adding short courses.
Some of these including a personal project on caring for animals and exploring forensic science.
The grading system has also changed. Gone are the days of As, Bs and Cs.
Instead students will now receive one of 6 grade descriptors. They go in order from Non graded to Partially Achieved, Achieved, Merit, Higher Merit and Distinction.
Eoin O'Brien, Education Editor with the Irish Times, says the changes have had both positive and negative results:
"There's also a concern among students that they're doing loads of classroom based assessments that, actually it's creating maybe more stress than it was meant to.
On the plus side, there is evidence that students are doing more independent learning, inquiry based learning.
They're using more initiative rather than being spoon fed...
So it is very much a mixed bag."
