State Examinations Commission


The State Examinations Commission is the organisation that oversees the development, assessment and certification of second-level examinations in Ireland, namely the Junior Cycle and the Leaving Certificate. It replaced the Examinations Branch of the Department of Education in 2003.

History

The State Examinations Commission is a State body established by statutory order on 6 March 2003. The Commission assumed responsibility for the operation of the State Certificate Examinations from the Department of Education.
The State Examinations Commission has an online system which allows examination candidates to view their results on its website.

Organisation

The commission is staffed by civil servants and there are five Commissioners appointed by the Minister for Education.

Functions

The commission oversees the state examinations at secondary education level in Ireland. Its offices are located in Athlone, County Westmeath. The two examinations the commission oversees for accreditation and certification are:
  • Junior Cycle
  • Leaving Certificate
Typically about 60,000 students present for each of these examinations each year, generally commencing on the first Wednesday of June. The commission holds the results of public examinations carried out by the Intermediate Education Board for Ireland, these include the Junior Grade, Middle Grade and Senior Grade. A list of the department's former examinations include:
YearsExamination
1924-1991Intermediate Certificate
1929-1967Primary Certificate
1947-1991Day Vocational Certificate