On this page students will find information relevant to all exams including school exams and state exams.
Leaving Cert: Coursework - Completion & Submission
Coursework is any work completed over an extended period of time, integrated with teaching and learning, and which results in the creation of an item for external assessment by the SEC.
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Coursework must be the candidate’s own authentic and individual work.
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Candidates are required to behave ethically and with integrity in their engagement with coursework.
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Candidates must complete their coursework in line with the subject brief and under the supervision of the class teacher.
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The class teacher is responsible for the regular supervision, monitoring and oversight of candidates’ coursework, enabling the teacher to authenticate the coursework and authorise its submission to the SEC.
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Candidates are required to cooperate fully with their class teacher to enable the teacher to regularly supervise, monitor and provide oversight of candidates’ coursework. This includes making work such as drafts, research notes and other notes available to their teacher as well as engaging in discussions regarding their progress and final authentication requirements. Such cooperation is essential in allowing teachers to monitor candidates progress as well as providing evidence that the work is the candidates own individual work.
It is the responsibility of each student, and their parent/guardian(s), to familiarise themselves with the regulations and requirements of the SEC in relation to coursework in certain subjects and to ensure that they can comply with the regulations and requirements. Coursework must be the candidate’s own individual work, completed under the supervision of the class teacher.
The State Examinations Commission have published Coursework Rules and Procedures which are available on their website here.
Roles and Responsibilities of Candidates
The fundamental principle is that "all work submitted for assessment must be the candidate’s own individual and authentic work, verified by the candidate, the class teacher and the school principal".
Candidates must ensure that:
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They are aware of and fully comply with the State Examinations Commission (SEC) Coursework Rules and Procedures and subject specific requirements.
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They behave ethically and with integrity when engaging with the coursework and must not seek or accept any form of inappropriate assistance.
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All coursework is their own individual authentic work, completed under the regular supervision and oversight of the class teacher.
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They cooperate fully with the class teacher, which involves actions like maintaining a record of work in progress throughout the duration of the coursework.
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They must reference and acknowledge their research sources, including any use of AI.
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They must declare that the coursework presented is their own individual and authentic work and confirm the authentication process by signing the Authentication Form P.2. On signing the Form P.2, candidates specifically confirm that the work is "free from any unacknowledged AI tool assistance".
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They are fully aware of the consequences and penalties that apply if they are found to be in breach of the regulations.
Non-compliance with the Coursework Rules and Procedures
There are many forms of inappropriate behaviour when it comes to coursework for assessment, which may result in non-compliance with the Coursework Rules and Procedures. At its most basic, submitting coursework, which is not the candidate’s own, authentic, unaided work is inappropriate behaviour which represents a breach of the examination regulations. Inappropriate behaviour in the completion of coursework can include, but is not limited to:
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Plagiarising from other sources (e.g. book or internet resource)
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Plagiarising or copying another’s work (including another candidate)
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Seeking to submit work previously submitted by another or others
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Getting another to undertake the work (e.g. a family member or a contracted party - for example, so called essay mills)
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Inappropriate use of AI software or applications
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Inappropriate assistance from another person (e.g. teacher, family member or friend).
Non-compliance with these rules can also arise if a candidate, for any reason, has not enabled the teacher to have adequate oversight of the completion of their coursework.
To fully comply with the SEC Coursework Rules and Procedures, candidates must reference and acknowledge their research sources, including any use of AI. To include material that is not created by the candidate and is not properly referenced is considered to be cheating. This is a breach of regulations and will be investigated by the SEC. It is the responsibility of the candidate, the class teacher, and the school principal to ensure that the work being presented is the candidate’s individual authentic work.
There are serious consequences for candidates whose coursework cannot be authenticated or is found by the SEC to be not authentic and therefore in breach of the regulations. This can include loss of the marks for the component, loss of the entire subject, or more serious penalties. Once a suspected breach of coursework regulations is reported, the SEC will decide whether there are sufficient grounds for further investigation by the SEC.
Deadlines
The SEC makes a distinction between completion dates and submission dates - completion dates are the dates by which all candidates taking the subject must have completed all of their coursework. School authorities do not have discretion to extend completion dates for any individual candidate or group of candidates. Where there are extenuating circumstances, the SEC will consider applications from schools for modest extensions to coursework completion dates on behalf of individual candidates.
Leaving Cert: Oral Exams
The Leaving Certificate Oral exams will takes place on dates from Saturday March 28th 2026 to Thursday April 2nd 2026 (ie during the first week of the Easter holidays). Students must be available during these dates to sit these exams. The final schedule will be available to students closer to this time.
The Leaving Certificate Written exams begin on Wednesday June 3rd 2026.
Leaving Cert: Other Information