State Examinations Commission


The State Examinations Commission is the organisation that replaced the Department of Education, Examinations Branch of the Minister for Education and Skills in Ireland. The Department of Education and Skills was formerly called the Department of Education until 1997.

History

The State Examinations Commission is a State body established by statutory order on 6 March 2003. The Commission assumed responsibility for the operation of the State Certificate Examinations from the Department of Education and Skills.
The State Examinations Commission has recently launched an online system which allows examination candidates to view their results via the Internet on the official website of the State Examinations Commission.

Organisation

The Commission is staffed by civil servants and there are five Commissioners appointed by the Minister for Education and Skills.

Functions

The commission oversees the state examinations at secondary education level in Ireland. Its offices are located in Athlone, County Westmeath. The two examinations the commission oversees for accreditation and certification are:
Typically about 60,000 students present for each of these examinations each year, generally commencing on the first Wednesday of June. The commission holds the results of public examinations carried out by the Intermediate Education Board for Ireland, these include the Junior Grade, Middle Grade and Senior Grade. A list of the Department's former examinations include: