Mar 20

Leaving Cert 2026: Full Exam Timetable, CAO Points & Preparation Guide

For most students, the Leaving Certificate is the biggest set of exams they will ever sit. Two years of hard work, hundreds of hours of study, and a huge amount of personal pressure all come down to three weeks in June. That's a lot to carry - and it's exactly why getting organised early makes such a difference.

Whether you're just entering 6th Year or already deep into revision, knowing the full 2026 timetable, understanding how CAO points are calculated, and having a realistic study strategy will help you approach June with your head clear and your preparation solid.

Leaving Cert Written Exam Dates 2026

The State Examinations Commission has confirmed that the Leaving Certificate written examinations will run from:

Wednesday, 3 June 2026 to Tuesday, 23 June 2026.

That's three and a half weeks covering up to seven or eight subjects per student. The schedule alternates between morning and afternoon sessions each day, which means most students will have natural gaps to decompress between papers rather than facing exams back-to-back.

One important thing to note: you must arrive at least 30 minutes before your first exam of the entire sitting. After that, the half-hour rule applies to each new subject you sit for the first time.

Date Morning Session Afternoon SessionAfternoon Session
Wed 3 Jun English, Paper 1 - H & O (9.30 - 12.20) Home Economics, Scientific and Social - H & O (2.00 - 4.30)
Thu 4 Jun Engineering - O (9.30 - 12.00) / Engineering - H (9.30 - 12.30) English, Paper 2 - H & O (2.00 - 5.20)
Fri 5 Jun Geography - H & O (9.30 - 12.20) Mathematics, Paper 1 - H & O / Mathematics - F (2.00 - 4.30)
Mon 8 Jun Mathematics, Paper 2 - H & O (9.30 - 12.00) Irish, Paper 1 - H incl. aural (2.00 - 4.20) / Irish, Paper 1 - O incl. aural (2.00 - 3.50) / Irish - F incl. aural (2.00 - 4.20)
Tue 9 Jun Irish, Paper 2 - O (9.30 - 11.50) / Irish, Paper 2 - H (9.30 - 12.35) Biology - H & O (2.00 - 5.00)
Wed 10 Jun French - H & O - Written (9.30 - 12.00) + Aural (12.10 - 12.50) History - H & O (2.00 - 4.50)
Thu 11 Jun Business - O (9.30 - 12.00) / Business - H (9.30 - 12.30) Construction Studies - O (2.00 - 4.30) / Construction Studies - H (2.00 - 5.00)
Fri 12 Jun German - H & O - Written (9.30 - 12.00) + Aural (12.10 - 12.50) Art, Visual Studies - H & O (2.00 - 4.30)
Mon 15 Jun Polish, Lithuanian, Portuguese & Mandarin Chinese - H & O - Written (9.30 - 12.00) + Aural (12.10 - 12.50) / Hebrew Studies, Ancient Greek & Non-Curricular Languages (9.30 - 12.30) Agricultural Science - H & O (2.00 - 4.30)
Tue 16 Jun Spanish - H & O - Written (9.30 - 12.00) + Aural (12.10 - 12.50) Chemistry - H & O (2.00 - 5.00)
Wed 17 Jun Physics - H & O (9.30 - 12.30) / Physics and Chemistry - H & O (9.30 - 12.30) Accounting - H & O (2.00 - 5.00)
Thu 18 Jun Design and Communication Graphics - H & O (9.30 - 12.30) Music - Listening Core - H & O (1.30 - 3.00) / Music Composing - H & O (3.15 - 4.45) / Music - Listening Elective - H (5.00 - 5.45)
Fri 19 Jun Economics - H & O (9.30 - 12.00) Physical Education - H & O (2.00 - 4.30)
Mon 22 Jun Italian - H & O - Written (9.30 - 12.00) + Aural (12.10 - 12.50) / Russian - H & O - Written (9.30 - 12.00) + Aural (12.10 - 12.50) Classical Studies - H & O (2.00 - 4.30) / Latin - H & O (2.00 - 5.00) / Technology - O (2.00 - 4.00) / Technology - H (2.00 - 4.30)
Tue 23 Jun Japanese - H & O - Written (9.30 - 12.00) + Aural (12.10 - 12.50) / Politics & Society - H & O (9.30 - 12.00) / Arabic - H & O (9.30 - 12.30) Religious Education - O (2.00 - 4.00) / Religious Education - H (2.00 - 4.30) / Applied Mathematics - H & O (2.00 - 4.30)

Don't Forget: Orals, Practicals and Computer Science

The June timetable only tells part of the story. Irish and Modern Language orals take place in March and April, while Art, Home Economics, Engineering, Construction Studies, and Technology all have project or practical components assessed throughout the year. Music Performance is examined separately from the June listening and composing papers.

Computer Science is the one written subject that sits outside the June window entirely, with its exam scheduled for April or May 2026. Exact dates will be confirmed by the SEC separately, so students taking this subject need to plan their revision around an earlier deadline than the rest of their timetable.

CAO Points and the Grading System

Unlike the Junior Cert, Leaving Cert results feed directly into the CAO points system that determines college entry. Understanding exactly how grades translate into points is essential for making smart decisions about subject levels - particularly when it comes to Higher vs Ordinary Level.

Grade Percentage Higher Level Points Ordinary Level Points
H1 / O1 90 – 100% 100 56
H2 / O2 80 – 89% 88 46
H3 / O3 70 – 79% 77 37
H4 / O4 60 – 69% 66 28
H5 / O5 50 – 59% 56 20
H6 / O6 40 – 49% 46 12
H7 / O7 30 – 39% 37 0
H8 / O8 0 – 29% 0 0

Your total CAO points come from your best six subjects. A few things worth keeping in mind:

  • Higher Level Maths bonus: Students who achieve H6 or above in Higher Level Maths receive an additional 25 bonus points. This is a significant incentive but should only be pursued if the student has a genuine chance of reaching at least H6.
  • The Higher vs Ordinary Level decision: An H5 (56 points) and an O1 (56 points) yield the same score, but an H7 scores 37 points while an O1 scores 56. Students who are borderline should think carefully and get advice before committing either way.
  • Six subjects, not seven: If you're sitting seven subjects, only the top six count. This gives a useful safety net, but don't neglect any subject on the assumption it'll be the one that gets dropped.

Mocks: Make Them Count

With school mocks now behind most 6th Years, the question is what you do with the results. Go through your marked papers carefully - identify where marks were lost, which questions you avoided, and where your timing fell apart. That analysis gives you a precise revision blueprint for the weeks between now and June. A poor mock result is not a prediction of what happens in the exam hall; it's a map of what still needs work.

Students who continue working through Leaving Cert mock papers under timed conditions right through April and May arrive in June calmer, faster, and better prepared than those who don't.

Subject-by-Subject: Planning Around the Timetable

The Leaving Cert schedule has a logic that rewards students who plan around it rather than treating all subjects as equally urgent at all times.

  • English is the only core subject with back-to-back papers on consecutive days. Paper 1 (language and composition) lands on Wednesday morning and Paper 2 (literature) follows Thursday afternoon. They require very different preparation styles and both need to be exam-ready from day one of the sitting.
  • Maths Papers 1 and 2 fall on Friday and the following Monday, giving a weekend to consolidate after the first paper. Students who have been consistently doing timed past papers throughout the year tend to find the gap useful rather than stressful.
  • Irish both papers land in week two, with the aural component built into Monday afternoon's Paper 1. Students who have already completed their oral in spring should treat this purely as a written technique question - know your prescribed texts, practise your essay structures, and don't let the oral prep bleed into written preparation time.
  • Sciences - Biology (week two), Chemistry and Physics (week three) - are spaced well enough to allow focused preparation for each. But they carry long syllabuses and detailed marking schemes. Starting science revision earlier than feels necessary is almost always the right call.
  • Languages with aurals (French, German, Spanish, Italian, Russian, Japanese) have their written and aural components on the same morning. The aural follows immediately after the written paper, so students move from one to the other without a break. Practising both components in the same sitting during revision is good preparation for that transition.

Six Habits That Actually Improve Leaving Cert Results

Advice about study is everywhere in 6th Year and most of it says roughly the same thing. What actually separates students who improve significantly between September and June isn't motivation - it's consistency and method.

  • Work from past papers and marking schemes together. The Leaving Cert rewards specific language, structure, and content. Knowing how marks are allocated for a given question tells you far more than re-reading a textbook chapter. Read the Chief Examiner's reports too - they say plainly what examiners want to see and what most students get wrong.
  • Practise under timed conditions regularly. Writing a full essay or working through a full exam section in the time allowed is a skill that only improves with repetition. Students who have done this dozens of times before June are calmer, faster, and more strategic in the exam hall than those who haven't.
  • Keep your oral language warm all year. Spoken Irish and modern languages deteriorate quickly without regular use. A few minutes of spoken practice every day from October is far more effective than a panicked sprint in the two weeks before your oral date.
  • Use the Easter break as a second mock window. Two weeks without school is too valuable to coast through. A structured Easter revision plan - full past papers, timed answers, weak-topic catch-up - can move you up a grade in multiple subjects if used well.
  • Don't neglect project and practical deadlines. Engineering coursework, Home Economics projects, Art practicals, and Construction Studies folios all carry significant marks and all have submission deadlines that arrive before June. Treating them as secondary to written exam prep is a common and costly mistake.
  • Protect your sleep. It's the single most underrated performance factor in the Leaving Cert. Memory consolidation happens during sleep. Stress regulation depends on sleep. Students who routinely study past midnight and rise early for school are not gaining extra hours of productivity - they are borrowing against their June performance.

Going Into June Ready

The Leaving Cert is a serious exam, but it is one that responds directly to preparation. Students who go in having worked consistently through the year, drilled past papers under timed conditions, and sorted their orals and practicals well in advance give themselves a genuine chance of performing at the top of their range - not just on a good day, but across three weeks of sustained effort.

For students who want expert, subject-specific support - whether that's tackling a difficult Higher Level course, sharpening exam technique, or preparing thoroughly for orals - Leaving Cert grinds provide targeted guidance that makes a measurable difference. Sometimes a few sessions with the right tutor at the right time is exactly what's needed to move from one grade band to the next.