Junior Cycle

The Junior Cycle (An tSraith Shóisearach ) is the first stage of the education programme for post-primary education within the Republic of Ireland. It is overseen by the Department of Education and the National Council for Curriculum and Assessment (NCCA), and its terminal examination, the Junior Certificate, by the State Examinations Commission. New specifications and curriculum reforms saw the Junior Cycle replaced the original Junior Certificate programme (as first introduced in 1992). The revised curriculum was introduced on a gradual phased basis from 2014, and the process was completed in 2022. A Junior Cycle Profile of Achievement is issued to students who have successfully achieved a minimum standard in their Junior Cycle assessments and examinations. A "recognised pupil" who commences the Junior Cycle must reach at least 12 years of age on 1 January of the school year of admission and must have completed primary education; the examination is normally taken after three years' study in a secondary school. Intermediate Certificate ("Inter Cert"): (Teastas Idirmheánach) introduced in 1924; originally for pupils at voluntary secondary schools (often boarding schools) after 3 or 4 years of study. Group, or Day Vocational, Certificate ("Group Cert", or "Day Cert"): (Teastas Grúpa, Teastas na nGairmchúrsaí Lae) introduced in 1947 for pupils at vocational schools after 2 years of study The syllabuses of the Group Cert and Inter Cert were coordinated from 1968. The first Junior Certificate syllabus was introduced in 1989 and examined in 1992. The new, modern Junior Certificate course was acclaimed as it was much more flexible than its predecessors. It quickly became the minimum requirement for getting a job in Ireland. Near the end of the 1990s, the Department of Education and Science began to replace many subject curricula, particularly those that were deemed dated, such as History and Geography. In 1999, Civic, Social, and Political Education was introduced as a subject and made mandatory from 2000, when Religious Education was also brought in.