Years 1 to 3: Junior Cycle Programme
The Junior Certificate is a three-year programme, which prepares students for the Junior Certificate State Examination at the end of the third year. The aim of the Junior Certificate is to provide students with a broad and balanced curriculum. The Junior Certificate Programme can be divided into three broad areas:
Core Subjects
All students must study these subjects unless the individual student has a Department of Education & Skills exemption or in the case of Religious Education, a written parental request to be exempted from the subject.
The core subjects are:
- Irish
- English
- Mathematics
- History
- Geography
- French
- Science
- Civic, Social and Political Education (CSPE)
- Religious Education
- Physical Education (PE)
- Social, Personal and Health Education (SPHE)
- Information Technology
Optional Examination Subjects
Students will also study two subjects from the list of seven below. Students will be given the opportunity to choose the subjects they wish to study. However, the availability of any subject is conditional on sufficient demand for its provision.
These option subjects are:
- Art
- Business Studies
- Home Economics
- Materials Technology, Metal
- Music Materials Technology, Wood
- Technical Graphics
A new Junior Certificate is being rolled out, on a phased basis from September 2014. English, followed by Science and Business have been introduced and the other subjects will be introduced by 2020.
Follow the link below for further information:
http://ncca.ie/framework/doc/NCCA-Junior-Cycle.pdf
Other useful websites are:
www.education.ie for general information on the Irish education system
www.ncca.ie for general information on curriculum
www.examinations.ie for general information on state exams