The Department of Education have issued a 27 page 'Guide to State Examinations and Accredited Grades for Leaving Certificate 2021' to schools. The document provides further details of the exam and the accredited grades process and also advises schools against the holding of mock or pre-Leaving Certificate Exams.

The document also sets out further changes to try and reduce the impact on students who have had considerable disruption in school both this year and last year. The adjustments provide for the reducing of the number of questions that students will be required to answer in the examinations although the time dration of the exams will remain unchanged. Further subject-by-subject guidance in relation to these adjustments will be issued by the SEC in the week of 22 March.

The document also cnfirms that oral examinations in Irish and modern foreign languages will go ahead in schools over the period 26th March to 15th April but schools have been advised that the exams should be held outside normal tuition time including at weekends or during the Easter holidays. The oral exams will be recorded electronically in the schools under examination conditions and will be sent to the State Examinations Commission for marking.

The document also sets out three scenarios where SEC Accredited Grades will be provided as follows: