The Leaving Certificate (Established) is a two-year programme that aims to provide learners with a broad, balanced education while also offering them a chance to specialise towards a particular career option.
Students following the programme are required to study at least five subjects, one of which must be Irish. In general, students take five or more subjects (usually seven) for examination. Subjects are normally studied at either Ordinary or Higher Level. Two subjects, Irish and Mathematics, can be studied at Foundation Level. Foundation Level is geared to the needs of students who might have difficulty with those subjects at Ordinary or Higher Level.
Syllabuses are available in 33 subjects. Each of these belongs to a subject group as shown in the table below. Two subjects, Home Economics and Physics and Chemistry, belong to two groups.
| Languages group | English, French, German, Irish, Italian, Latin, Greek, Spanish, Arabic, Japanese, Russian, Classical Studies, Hebrew Studies |
| Science group | Applied Mathematics, Biology, Chemistry, Mathematics, Physics, Physics and Chemistry |
| Business studies group | Accounting, Business, Economics |
| Applied science group | Agricultural Science, Construction Studies, Engineering, Home Economics, Physics and Chemistry, Design and Communication Graphics |
| Social studies group | Art, Geography, History, Home Economics, Music |
In addition to these subjects, the State Examinations Commission will provide examinations in any of the recognised languages of the European Union, where the status of the applicant/candidate is seen as appropriate.
The documents available for download are in PDF format. You will need Adobe Acrobat Reader on your computer to access the files. To download, right-click the desired file and choose "Save Target As". Note or choose the name of the file and the location where it is to be saved. When download is complete open the file in the usual manner. Once saved, the file may be read offline.
Related links
Leaving Certificate (Established)
State Examinations Commission