Arabic

Leaving Certificate Arabic aims to develop the ability of students to use the Arabic language for communicative purposes; explore the interdependence between language and culture; foster an appreciation of the value of languages for lifelong personal, educational, vocational and leisure purposes; and derive enjoyment from language learning. 

It aims to develop students’ plurilingual and pluricultural competence through language use and awareness, encouraging the development and use of language-learning strategies, fostering an understanding of how Arabic works, and recognising that making connections between languages can assist the process of language learning.

This Leaving Certificate Arabic specification is intended for students with a basic language proficiency in Arabic and students from a heritage/ community/ home language background who wish to improve their communicative repertoire and plurilingual and pluricultural competence. It aims to develop communicative language competences broadly aligned with the A2 – B1 bands of the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFR) and its descriptors.

Assessment will be offered at both Higher and Ordinary levels.

This specification will be introduced to schools in September 2025. Students currently studying Arabic will continue to study the Leaving Certificate Arabic Syllabus (Interim Syllabus), which can be accessed below.