Leaving Certificate Computer Science Exam

Explore the structure and components of the Leaving Cert Computer Science exam. Learn about the assessment breakdown, including written and programming sections, coursework requirements, and the types of questions you'll encounter across different strands.

Learning Goals Learning Outcomes Teacher Notes

Warning: Your screen size is quite small for viewing this. Rotate your device into landscape mode if you can.

1 Overview of the Leaving Certificate Computer Science Exam
2 Assessment Components
3 Exam Structure and Timing
4 Types of Questions

1 - Overview of the Leaving Certificate Computer Science Exam

The Leaving Certificate Computer Science exam assesses students' knowledge, skills, and understanding across computational thinking, programming, and ethical aspects of technology. It is available at Higher and Ordinary levels, with differentiation in depth and complexity.

The total assessment is worth 300 marks, comprising an end-of-course examination (70%, 210 marks) and coursework (30%, 90 marks). The exam is a combination of written and computer-based components, lasting 2.5 hours in total.

2 - Assessment Components

End-of-Course Examination
Worth 210 marks (70%). This includes a written paper (Sections A and B, 130 marks) and a programming component (Section C, 80 marks). It evaluates recall, application, problem-solving, coding, and evaluation of computer systems.

Coursework Assessment
Worth 90 marks (30%). Completed individually over a 10-week period (typically January to March), involving the creation of a computational artefact (e.g., using Python or JavaScript) in response to a brief set by the State Examinations Commission (SEC). Submitted electronically, including a report and video.

3 - Exam Structure and Timing

The exam is divided into three sections:

Sections A and B (written): 1 hour 30 minutes, 130 marks.
Section C (programming): 1 hour, 80 marks.

Questions draw from three strands: Practices and Principles, Core Concepts, and Computer Science in Practice. Topics include algorithms, data representation, ethics, abstraction, and programming.

4 - Types of Questions

Section A (Short Answer Questions): 12 questions, 60 marks. These are concise, requiring definitions, explanations, calculations (e.g., binary conversions, logic gates), or analysis of code snippets (Python, JavaScript, or HTML). Questions test basic knowledge and quick application.

Section B (Long Answer Questions): 3 questions, 70 marks. Multi-part questions involving deeper analysis, such as essay-style responses (using Point-Example-Explain structure), calculations (e.g., sorting algorithms, Turing machines), opinion-based answers on ethics, or problem-solving scenarios.

Section C (Programming): 1 question with multiple parts, 80 marks. Practical Python programming tasks that you do on your digital device, such as modifying existing code, writing functions (e.g., calculating medians, processing lists), testing, and debugging. In 2025, it included tasks like grading functions, finding extremes in data, and handling list operations without using built-in libraries for certain functions.

Unlock the Full Learning Experience

Get ready to embark on an incredible learning journey! Get access to this lesson and hundreds more in our Digital Skills Curriculum.

Get started

Copyright Notice
This lesson is copyright of DigitalSkills.org 2017 - 2025. Unauthorised use, copying or distribution is not allowed.

Your Answer or Description of Your Work

Project URL This can be a link to your project (e.g. a Scratch, Microbit, Arcade or CodePen URL link).

Upload File

You must be logged into Scratch to share your project, otherwise the link will not work.

To get the URL link of your Scratch project:

Make sure you're logged into Scratch.
Click on the Share button in the project editor.
Click on the Copy Link button.
Click on the Copy Link link. This will save the URL of your project page into your clipboard.

To get the URL link of your Microbit project:

Click on the button in the project editor.
Click on the Publish Project button.
Click on the Copy button. This will save the URL of your project page into your clipboard.

To get the URL link of your Arcade project:

Click on the button in the project editor.
Click on the Publish Project button.
Click on the Copy button. This will save the URL of your project page into your clipboard.

To get the URL link of your CodePen project:

Make sure you're logged into CodePen.
Open your project in the editor.
Click on the Save button at the top of the editor.
Copy the link from the address bar in your web browser (e.g. https://codepen.io/Jane-Smith/pen/gOVXxBQ)

Leaving Certificate Computer Science Exam

Teacher Class Feed