If you did the old Junior Cert, the Junior Cycle can look unfamiliar. Here is what has changed and what it means for your child.
Classroom-Based Assessments (CBAs)
In most subjects, students complete Classroom-Based Assessments during second and third year. These are projects, presentations or investigations done in class. They are marked by the teacher and reported on the school's own report, not as part of the final exam grade.
The final exams
Most subjects still have a written exam at the end of third year, set by the State Examinations Commission.
Grades are words, not letters
Instead of A to F, results use descriptors: Distinction, Higher Merit, Merit, Achieved, Partially Achieved and Not Graded. Maths, English and Irish still have Higher and Ordinary Levels.
What really matters
The Junior Cycle does not decide college places. What it does decide is confidence and foundations: a student who leaves third year solid in Maths, English and Irish has a much easier Senior Cycle.
How a tutor can help
Grinds in Junior Cycle are often less about exam cramming and more about filling gaps early, building good study habits and choosing Senior Cycle levels with confidence.
On GrindSpot you can find a Junior Cycle tutor, online or near you.
Details can change from year to year. Your child's school and curriculumonline.ie have the current rules for each subject.
