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Leaving Certificate English

Irish Leaving Cert English for CAO points and third-level entry

Courselo drafts the full syllabus, lessons and practice from the verified LC English format in a few minutes.

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At a glance

Set by
State Examinations Commission (SEC), Ireland
Level
Upper secondary (5th-6th Year, age 16–18)
Region
Europe
Programme
Irish Leaving Certificate (Established)
2 versions
Higher LevelOrdinary Level

The format, as published

  • Two written papers.
  • Paper 1 (2 h 50 min, 200 marks): comprehension and composition.
  • Paper 2 (3 h 20 min, 200 marks): single text, comparative study and poetry, with prescribed texts that change yearly.
  • No oral or coursework.
  • Graded H1-H8 (Higher) / O1-O8 (Ordinary); results convert to CAO points (H1 = 100).

Summarised from official sources. Always confirm dates and rules with the exam board.Official information(opens in a new tab)