Information Booklet Leaving Certificate Examination 2011 External Candidate General Information: The purpose of this information booklet is to provide information to candidates intending to present for examinations in 2011 and who are not attending a recognised secondary school. The State Examinations Commission (SEC) welcomes applications from these candidates referred to as External Candidates. However in all cases candidates are required to get permission from the Principal of a recognised secondary school to be able to take written examinations and certain oral and practical examinations at that location. The purpose of this booklet is to guide you through the process of applying for the certificate examinations and to advise you of what you need to do in advance of making your application.
LEAVING CERTIFICATE EXAMINATION 2011 Welcome Welcome to the 2011 External Candidate information booklet. The purpose of this booklet is to guide you through the process of applying to sit a subject(s) in the Leaving Certificate Examination. Read it carefully and keep it to hand for future reference. You will find the answers to most of your questions here. In addition, the SEC website www.examinations.ie contains a wealth of information for prospective examination candidates. Address: The External Candidate entry service operates from:- Entries Section State Examinations Commission Cornamaddy Athlone Co Westmeath Enquiries regarding entry to the examinations as an external candidate may be made by phone to 090-6442702/3/4/5/6/8 or e-mail to entries@examinations.ie. 1. HOW TO APPLY Applications from external candidates to sit Leaving Certificate examinations in 2011 will be accepted in the period 10 th January 2011-31 st January 2011, inclusive. Applications can be made on-line at www.examinations.ie. The State Examinations Commission (SEC) recommends the use of its on-line application service which will be available on 10 th January 2011. If for some reason you are unable to use the on-line service, please contact us and we will arrange to issue the application form to you. Advantages of Using the On-Line Application ServiceComputer: 1. The on-line service is quick and secure. 2. This service facilitates the use of a credit or debit card for the purpose of paying fees. 3. On-line error messages help ensure the accuracy of the information in your application. 4. On-line validation readily confirms the status of your application. 5. Once your on-line transaction is complete, your Examination Number is confirmed. Certain minimum computing facilities are required, i.e Internet Explorer V 6.0+ or Netscape V6.0+. Further details are provided in the Tips section of the website. 2. COST OF REGISTERING AS A CANDIDATE FOR THE EXAMINATION The fees to register as a candidate for the 2011 Leaving Certificate examinations are unchanged from last year and are as outlined below. Applications received after 31 st January 2011 will be subject to late fees. Detail on late fees is provided below.
A. External Candidate Standard Leaving Certificate Examination Fees 2011 2011 Leaving Certificate Fees 2011 Fees 2011 Fees 2011 Fees 2011 Fees First Time Entry 1 or 2 subjects (External Candidates) 67 First Time Entry 3 + subjects 109 Repeat 1 subject Repeat 2 subjects Repeat - 3 subjects or more 109 199 308 B. Exemption from Fees If you hold a current full Medical Card or are dependent on a parent or guardian who is a holder of a current full Medical Card, you will not have to pay standard examination entry fees. Medical Cards must be valid on 1 st February 2011. All medical card information supplied is subject to verification with the Health Services Executive. The Medical Card fee exemption applies to standard examination registration fees only. Late fees will still be charged for all applications received after 31 st January. C. Fees applicable in respect of applications made after the initial closing date. Applications received in the period 10 th January to 31 st January 2011 inclusive will be subject to the standard examination registration fee. Applications received after that date will only be accepted on payment of a per subject late fee in addition to the standard fee, as follows: Late fee of 30 will apply in respect of applications received between 1 st February to 28 th February 2011 inclusive. Late fee of 49 will apply to applications received from 1 st March to 31 st March 2011 inclusive. For administrative reasons, applications to register for subjects with a practical, oral or project component, will not be accepted after Friday 11 th February 2011. D. Examination Fee Refunds In general, examination registration fees are non-refundable. If however, there are exceptional circumstances such as serious illness which prevent you from presenting for your examinations, you may apply in writing for a refund of fees. The SEC reserves the right to seek additional information in order to verify the nature of such claims.
3. ELIGIBILITY TO REGISTER AS A CANDIDATE OF THE LEAVING CERTIFICATE EXAMINATION N.B. The following provisions are designed to ensure that a student who has left school will not be in a position to sit the Leaving Certificate examination earlier than if he/she had remained at school. Specifically, a student will in no circumstances be permitted to sit the Leaving Certificate examination in the year after the Junior Certificate examination or in the year after Transition Year. You may be admitted to the Leaving Certificate examination as an External Candidate in one or more subjects on payment of the appropriate fee, as follows:- (a) (b) If you did Transition Year (TY) and/or Junior Cycle; There must be a period of at least two years between the date you completed either TY or Junior Cycle, whichever is the later, and sitting the Leaving Certificate or If you were not in Junior Cycle or TY in a recognised secondary school; you must be 17 years of age on or before 31 July of the year of examination. 4. EXAMINATION VENUES The written examinations will be held in the period 8 th - 24 th June 2011 inclusive. The timetables are available on www.examinations.ie. Paper copies of the timetables and schedules of key dates will be issued to all external candidates on completion of the application and confirmation of fee payment. (a) Finding a Venue for your written examinations. You are required to locate an examination centre, usually a secondary school, at which to sit your written examinations. In advance of making your application to the SEC in January, you should seek the approval of the School Principal / Manager of the particular school / venue. The SEC will only assign you to sit your examinations in that school/venue where prior approval from the venue authorities has been obtained. The decision to accept you as an external candidate for the venue rests solely with the authorities of each particular venue. Once accepted as a candidate for that venue, it is your responsibility to familiarise yourself with the specific location for your exams within the venue, including the aural examinations, where applicable. Details of schools in your area are available on www.education.gov.ie. (b) Finding a Venue for your Oral Tests and Music Practical Exams. Oral Tests in the language subjects Irish, French, German, Spanish, Italian, Russian, Japanese and Practical Tests in Music will be held in the period 4 th 15 th April 2011 inclusive.. If you are registered for these subjects you must also select a school/venue for your Oral/Practical test. Again you must seek the permission of the Principal/Manager of that school/venue. It is your responsibility to obtain permission from the School Principal/Manager who have the right to refuse such permission.
5. LEAVING CERTIFICATE SUBJECT CHOICE You can select from the range of subjects below in which to be examined at Leaving Certificate. Examinations in Irish, Mathematics and Project Maths are available at Foundation Level, Higher Level and Ordinary Level. Links Modules is a Common Level subject. There are certain rules and restrictions regarding examinations in some of these subjects. You should read all of the information in this section in order to ensure that you understand what subjects you can and cannot take either because the rules prevent you from doing so or because you are unable to meet the conditions for undertaking the subject or an element of the subject. The codes that are provided in the following table should be used when completing the application form. If applying on-line, you do not need to know these codes as the information will be provided on screen. SUBJECT CODE SUBJECT CODE SUBJECT CODE Irish 001 Italian 013 Japanese 058 English 002 Applied Mathematics 020 Arabic 059 Mathematics 003 Physics 021 Technology 065 Late Modern History 004 Chemistry 022 Music 067 OR Early Modern History 096 Physics & Chemistry 023 Art/Design Option 071 OR Geography 005 Agricultural Science 024 Art/Craftwork Option 072 Latin 006 Biology 025 Home Economics Scientific and Social Ancient Greek 007 Agricultural Economics 026 Russian 099 Classical Studies 008 Engineering 027 Project Maths 200 Hebrew 009 Construction Studies 029 Religious Education 223 French 010 Accounting 032 Link Modules * 462 German 011 Business 033 Spanish 012 Economics 034 Design & Communication 098 562 * Please read instructions at (f) below
A) Restrictions. You may not take at one examination: (i) Physics and Chemistry and either of the separate subjects, Physics or Chemistry, (ii) Economics and Agricultural Economics, (iii) Classical Studies and Latin, (iv) Classical Studies and Ancient Greek. B) Oral/Practical Tests There will be oral tests in Irish, French, German, Spanish, Japanese, Russian and Italian. There will be practical performance tests in Engineering, Construction Studies and Music. The dates of the above tests will be notified to you later. C) Limitations on External Candidates taking subjects with a practical coursework component. External candidates taking any of the subjects listed below and attending a school other than a recognised school should note that, practical coursework must be undertaken in a designated venue with appropriate facilities for individual coursework and must be timetabled (with the timetable available to SEC personnel). The coursework must be undertaken under the supervision of a class teacher with the work validated by the teacher and Principal in accordance with SEC circulars S68/08 and S69/04. It is the responsibility of the candidate to meet the examination and validation requirements, which include providing a basis for proper authentication by the teacher and Principal. Construction Studies, Agricultural Science, Agricultural Economics, Engineering, Technology, Home Economics Scientific and Social, Geography History Religious Education, Design & Communication Graphics Candidates taking a subject with a practical coursework component in a school / venue other than the school / venue where they registered as an examination candidate are required to complete a separate form (P3). Copies of circulars S68/08, S69/04 and form P3 are available on www.examinations.ie External candidates taking private tuition from a qualified teacher and doing coursework should note that the coursework will not be accepted for assessment. This is because coursework must be validated by a School Principal and the school/venue must be available for monitoring by the SEC. This is not possible in the case of work undertaken outside such a school/venue. (i) In the case of Construction Studies, a practical coursework must be undertaken under teacher guidance and be available for inspection in June 2011. The practical coursework must be completed by the 6 th May 2011. Repeat candidates must submit new and distinct practical coursework each year.
(ii) (iii) (iv) (v) (vi) (vii) (viii) (viii) (ix) In the case of Agricultural Science, practical coursework must be undertaken under teacher guidance and be available for inspection in May 2011. Repeat candidates may submit practical coursework from the previous year or submit new and distinct practical coursework. In the case of Agricultural Economics, practical coursework must be undertaken under teacher guidance and be available for inspection in May 2011. Repeat candidates must submit new and distinct practical coursework each year. In the case of Engineering, prescribed practical coursework will be required to be completed between 20 October 2010 and 4 March 2011. Repeat candidates must submit prescribed practical coursework. In the case of Home Economics Scientific and Social, the written examination will take place in June 2011. The completion date for the Food Studies Coursework was the 8 November 2010 with submission to the Commission no later than 5.30pm on 12 November 2010. The Textile Studies Elective Coursework must be completed by 29 April 2011. Repeat candidates must submit a new and distinct practical coursework journal each year. In the case of Geography, a Geographical Investigation must be undertaken and a report completed on the prescribed Reporting Booklet by 6 th May 2011. Repeat candidates must submit prescribed practical coursework in a new and distinct Reporting Booklet each year. In the case of History a Research Study Report (RSR) must be completed on the prescribed booklet by 15 April 2011. Repeat candidates must submit a new and distinct RSR each year. In the case of Religious Education, the written examination will take place in June 2011. A practical coursework booklet must be completed by 15 April 2011. Repeat candidates must submit prescribed practical coursework in a new and distinct practical coursework booklet. In the case of Technology, a practical coursework must be undertaken under teacher guidance and be available for inspection in June 2011. The practical coursework must be completed by 8th April 2011. Repeat candidates must submit new and distinct practical coursework. In the case of Design & Communication Graphics, a practical coursework must be undertaken under teacher guidance. The practical coursework must be completed by 18 th February 2011. Repeat candidates must submit new and distinct practical coursework. D) Chemistry, Physics, Biology As the syllabus in each of these subjects has been drawn up on the basis that candidates will devote an appropriate amount of time to laboratory work (in Chemistry and in Physics), and to practical/laboratory work and fieldwork (in Biology), a candidate will not be admitted to the Leaving Certificate examination in any of these subjects in any case where the SEC considers that an adequate course of
such work has not been followed by the candidate. For this purpose, records of the work done should be kept and be available for inspection or for submission to the SEC. E) Art A candidate taking Art will be required to answer four papers in all, as follows:- (i) Design or Craftwork (ii) Imaginative Composition/Still Life (iii) Life Sketching (iv) History and Appreciation of Art The dates for these examinations will be notified to you later. A separate form for the practical components of the subject will be forwarded to you on receipt of your application. F) L.C.V.P. Link Modules The L.C.V.P. is an integrated programme and to qualify for the award of the L.C.V.P., students have to take all elements of the programme. This means following a recognised programme over two years in a school that offers the programme. If a school is not offering the L.C.V.P. which includes the link modules, a student is not eligible to sit the Link Modules or for the award of the L.C.V.P. L.C.V.P. Repeat candidates The Link Modules with the L.C.V.P. involves two years of study and portfolio preparation. Accordingly, the portfolio element is not capable of being repeated within one year. For assessment purposes the marks obtained in respect of a portfolio assessed previously, will be carried forward and aggregated with the marks from the written examination obtained in 2011. New or revised portfolios will not be accepted. A separate form will be forwarded to you on receipt of your application. G) Music (Higher Level only). A candidate taking Higher Level Music must choose an elective at one of the three components of the examination, i.e., Performing, Listening, Composing. In the case of Music (Higher Level) Composing Elective, the practical coursework must be submitted by 15 April 2011. N.B. The Leaving Certificate Music programme is a two-year course of study. Requests for change of elective after the nomination of same in January in the final year, cannot be entertained under any circumstances. To do so would undermine the educational integrity of the syllabus as a two-year course. It is of the utmost importance, therefore, that great care is taken in selecting the elective. H) Non-Curricular European Union Languages
The SEC also provides examinations in the non-curricular EU languages outlined in the table below. These languages do not appear as part of the normal school curriculum. To opt to be examined in these languages students must meet the following criteria: be following a programme of study leading to the Leaving Certificate be from a member state of the European Union speak the language in which you opt to be examined in as a mother tongue be taking Leaving Certificate English NB. It is not possible to enter for more than one of these subjects. All Non-Curricular EU Language subjects are examined at Higher Level only and include: SUBJECT CODE SUBJECT CODE SUBJECT CODE Bulgarian- 559 Finnish 049 Polish 548 Czech 547 Hungarian 551 Portuguese 018 Danish 038 Latvian 549 Romanian 553 Dutch 017 Lithuanian 550 Swedish 039 Estonian 552 Modern Greek 019 Slovakian. 554 If you would like more information regarding the above subjects, please contact Entries Section at 090-6442703 or entries@examinations.ie. 6 EXAMINATION ARRANGEMENTS FOR CANDIDATES WTH SPECIAL EDUCATIONAL NEEDS (a) The SEC operates a Scheme of Reasonable Accommodations for candidates with special needs during the State examinations. The scheme is intended to provide for candidates with both physical and learning difficulties. Candidates with permanent or long-term conditions, including visual and hearing difficulties or specific learning difficulties, which they believe will significantly impair their performance in the examinations, may apply to the SEC for a reasonable accommodation(s) to be made. The reasonable accommodations are intended to: (i) remove, as far as possible, the impact of the disability on the candidate's performance and thus enable the candidate to demonstrate his or her level of attainment and (ii) ensure that, whilst giving candidates every opportunity to demonstrate their level of attainment, the special arrangements will not give the candidate an unfair advantage over other candidates in the same examination.
(b) Bilingual Translation Dictionaries The range of accommodations for the certificate examinations include provision for the use of bilingual translation dictionaries by candidates whose first language is not English or Irish. If you would like more information about the scheme of reasonable accommodations / bilingual translation dictionaries, please contact Reasonable Accommodations Section at 090 6442784/5 or sec.specialneeds@examinations.ie When applying you will be asked to indicate whether, during your examination, you will require i) reasonable accommodations and/or ii) the use of bilingual translation dictionaries. Please ensure that you tick the appropriate box so that we can commence this process. Entries Section Telephone: 090-6442702/3/4/5/6/8 State Examinations Commission Fax: 090-6442709 Athlone Web site: www.examinations.ie Co. Westmeath e-mail: entries@examinations.ie