Primary and secondary education

Primary education is compulsory for children aged 6 to 12.

Secondary education is for pupils aged 12 to 17 or 18. Compulsory education ends when they reach the age of 16.

There are 2 phases of secondary education:

• lower secondary education (junior cycle);
• upper secondary education (senior cycle).

At the end of lower secondary education (junior cycle), students take exams for the Junior Certificate.

• Duration: 3 years.
• Content: the junior cycle consists of a mix of general education subjects and short courses. See also the Curriculum Online website: Junior Cycle Subjects and Short Courses.
• Diploma: Junior Certificate.

After obtaining the Junior Certificate, students may proceed to the senior cycle of secondary education. They can obtain the Leaving Certificate in the senior cycle.

There are 3 different programmes in the senior cycle:

• Leaving Certificate, the established programme;
• Leaving Certificate Vocational Programme (LCVP);
• Leaving Certificate Applied programme (LCA).

Please note: students in all programmes obtain a Leaving Certificate. The diploma name does not show in which programme the student has obtained the diploma.

Below, we describe the content of the 3 programmes and explain to which Dutch diplomas you can compare a Leaving Certificate.

Students who choose the established programme follow general secondary education in the upper years. This programme prepares students for higher education.

• Duration: 2 years or 3 years (2 years + a voluntary orientation year, the Transition Year – TY).
• Content: students usually take exams in 6 to 8 general education subjects of the established programme. See also the Curriculum Online website: Senior Cycle Subjects. There are different levels for the subjects.
• Diploma: Leaving Certificate.

Different levels

For the Leaving Certificate, students can take subjects at 3 levels, from high to low:

• Higher Level;
• Ordinary Level; and
• Foundation Level.

Ordinary Level and Higher Level

The study load of a course both at Ordinary Level and at Higher Level is 180 hours. It does not matter at which level students take the subject. In a Higher Level subject, more teaching material is covered in these 180 hours. The teacher also covers the subject more thoroughly.

Foundation Level

Students can take the subjects Irish and Mathematics at Foundation Level. Students cannot take other subjects at Foundation Level. Subjects at this level have a lower study load than subjects at Ordinary and Higher Level. Foundation Level subjects do not give students access to Irish Higher Education (see Access to higher education).

Compared to Dutch diplomas

To which Dutch diploma can you compare a Leaving Certificate of the established programme? This depends on the subjects and study results.

Please note:

• For the results of the school-leaving exams, schools now use grades 1 to 8, with 1 being the highest grade. Schools have been using these grades since 2017. You can find the grades that schools used before 2017 in the table under Grading systems.
• The grades and levels are often combined on websites. For example, O6 means Ordinary Level with grade 6 as the result, and H7 means Higher Level with grade 7 as the result.

Students who choose the Leaving Certificate Vocational Programme (LCVP) in upper secondary school take general secondary education with a small vocational part. This part prepares students for work.

If students pass the exams, they receive the Leaving Certificate, just like in the established programme.

• Duration: 2 years or 3 years (2 years + a voluntary orientation year, the Transition Year – TY).
• Content: students usually take exams in at least 5 general education subjects at Higher, Ordinary or Foundation Level: Irish, 1 modern foreign language (not Irish or English), 2 vocational subjects (Vocational Subject Groupings) and 1 subject of their choice. Students must also complete the Link Modules. The Link Modules are practical assignments, not exam subjects. See also the Curriculum Online website: Leaving Certificate Vocational Programme.
• Diploma: Leaving Certificate. At the bottom of the certificate, you can see the Link Modules. This shows that the student has taken the vocational programme and not the established programme.

Students who choose the Leaving Certificate Applied programme (LCA) in upper secondary school take general secondary education with a large vocational part. This part prepares students for work.

Please note: with a Leaving Certificate (LCA), students cannot continue to higher education in Ireland.

• Duration: 2 years.
• Study load: 44 modules (each module stands for 30 hours of study).
• Content: students take general and vocational subjects, see LCA (Senior Cycle). They also do an internship. There are 2 clear differences with the Leaving Certificate established programme and the Leaving Certificate Vocational Programme. There are no different levels of subjects, and the grading system is different. The diploma shows 1 of the following 3 grades, from low to high: pass, merit or distinction.
• Diploma: Leaving Certificate.