After another three-and-a-half months of homeschooling, all secondary school students went back into their classrooms this week.

Leaving Cert students went back just before the Easter break, and with this year's state exams approaching, it turns out the majority of students taking the Leaving Certificate this year have opted for a combination of sitting exams and receiving accredited grades across their subjects. Students taking the Leaving Cert this year can choose between sitting the exams, receiving calculated grades – now being called “accredited grades” – or both. The option that gives the student the best outcome will be recorded on their results. However, there is one subject, in particular, the Leaving Cert students this year are less keen to sit an exam in. According to The Journal, 40 percent of students registered to take the Leaving Cert have opted not to sit the Irish exam, but rather receive an accredited grade under the system put in place for the 2021 Leaving Certificate. Statistically, that means that nearly two in every five students registered to take Leaving Certificate Irish have chosen not to sit the exam this year. 58 percent of students will both sit the exam and receive an accredited grade, while just 946 students, or 2 percent, will take the Irish exam and have turned down the option of an accredited grade. Oral exams and coursework are not included in the accredited grades.