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If you’re a student, parent, or teacher gearing up for the new Leaving Cert Maths spec, thereâs a lot coming down the tracks from September 2027. The changes are pretty major: new assessment types, new structures, aims to reduce stress, but with potential pitfalls too. Letâs break it down and see what might go well, what might trip people up, and what to watch out for.
What Exactly Is Changing
The NCCA is rolling out a revised specification for Leaving Cert Maths in schools from September 2027.
One big shift: there will be Additional Assessment Components (AACs) in many subjects. These are assessment tasks not based solely on the traditional written exam. The AACs will account for at least 40% of the total mark in any given subject under the new scheme. That means written exams will drop to ~60% of the grade in those subjects.
These AACs might take the form of projects / written investigations / experiments / possibly oral components or presentations or practicals depending on the subject. For example, in the science subjects: students will do a project involving research and experimentation and submit a written report. All the assessment components will be externally assessed (by the State Examinations Commission) rather than purely marked in-school in a loose / internal way. There will also be some work to manage integrity, things like school / teacher authentication of student work, development of guidelines for AI / integrity of projects etc.
You can read about the AAC redevelopment in full here. I also have a video talking about it here.
Will It Be Better Or Harder?
Here are some possible upsides and downsides to the Leaving Cert Maths reform. It could go either way depending on how well everything is done.
Potential Improvements
More ways to show what you can do: Not everyone does their best in a high-stakes, time-pressured exam. With projects, longer investigations, and practical / research components, thereâs more chance to show deeper understanding, communication skills, problem solving, etc. If you’re somebody who thinks more clearly in slow burn tasks rather than exam sprint, this is good news.
Potential to spread out stress: Instead of having one massive exam decide everything, having AACs means assessments are more spread over time. That could help avoid the panic-mode of last week before exams. Less cramming, maybe more steady work.
More relevant / âreal worldâ skills: Doing investigations, writing up experiments or projects, maybe giving presentations or real-life tasks can help build skills that are valuable outside the exam hall. Research, planning, communicating, working scientifically etc.
Greater alignment with modern education trends: Many countries are moving away from purely terminal exams toward mixed assessment. It makes sense in a world with more emphasis on skills, critical thinking, communication, etc. Leaving Cert Maths updating is catching up with that. The NCCAâs review indicates that this reform is meant to respond to changes in society, policy, technology, and how people learn.
Potential Downsides
More to keep track of: Projects, reports, possibly oral or practical or presentation tasks. All of those add workload and deadlines throughout the school year. It isnât just the exam you prepare for; you’ll be juggling many pieces now for Leaving Cert Maths. If you fall behind, catching up can be tough.
Consistency and fairness concerns: Because a lot of this work is done over time, in school, with teacher supervision, thereâs risk of uneven supports between schools. Some schools have more resources, more lab time, better supervision, more teacher capacity. That might advantage some students over others.
Authenticity & cheating worries, especially with AI: Projects or written investigations are vulnerable to students using generative AI tools (ChatGPT, etc.) to write or help with large chunks of the work. How do you know whatâs the studentâs own work? Thatâs already a concern noted by Leaving Cert Maths teachers. There will need to be good rules, supervision, perhaps multiple stages of drafts, or in-class components, or teacher / principal authentication.
Risk of cumulative stress: Ironically, while the goal is to reduce âone big exam stress,â if there are several AACs, possibly an oral exam / presentation, a project, and the usual written exam, students may end up with many deadlines and pressures. Teachers already warn this might become âassignment overloadâ across subjects.
The Projects, Orals, & Presentations
The new specification for Leaving Cert Maths is under development. The NCCA background paper (2025) confirms that this is part of Tranche 3 of the Senior Cycle Redevelopment.
For Leaving Cert Maths, there arenât definitive details yet publicly confirming exactly which AAC forms will be used (e.g. oral, presentation) but it is expected that some of the assessment will move away from purely written exams. The consultation period and development group are considering the lived experience of schools, teachers, students.
If a project / practical / presentation / or oral part is introduced, issues to think about will include: How much of it is done in class vs at home, how itâs authenticated, rubrics and transparency (students need clarity on how the non-written parts will be marked), teacher workload (supervising, marking, verifying projects / oral etc.)
Watch my Video about an oral exam for Leaving Cert Maths below.
AI: Threat or Tool?
This bit deserves its own chat, because AI is changing fast and the reforms are trying to anticipate that.
On one hand, AI could cheat things up: students might ask AI to write up the project / investigation / write drafts, maybe even presentations, leaving less genuine student work. That undermines what AACs are meant to assess.
On the other hand, AI tools could also help: modelling structure, helping with planning, giving feedback, supporting research. If used properly and transparently, AI might make some of the harder bits (like writing a report) more manageable for students who struggle with writing or planning.
The government / SEC are aware of AI; guidelines are being developed about use of AI in school, how to authenticate student work, etc. Because of AI, there may need to be more in-class / supervised stages of projects (drafts, checkpoints) so that teachers can see the progress and corroborate that the student has done the work.
Will It Make The LC Easier or Harder?
This depends a lot on the student, the school, and how well the changes are implemented. Here are some general predictions:
For students who are organised, get good support from their teachers, and donât freeze under exam pressure, things might feel easier in some ways because you wonât have to rely solely on one big set of final exams.
But for students in under-resourced schools, or for those who struggle with self-directed work / project deadlines, or who donât get strong feedback or supervision, this can make Leaving Cert Maths feel ten times harder.
Also, while written exams still matter (60%), changing 40% to AAC means 2/5 of your final grade depends on non-exam work. Thatâs significant. If projects / oral / presentation arenât well scaffolded (i.e. lots of guidance, mock practice, clear assessment criteria), then many could lose marks they didnât expect.
The reform aims to reduce stress, but thereâs a risk it just changes when and how stress happens. Culminating deadlines for several AACs + written exams might lead to bunching of work instead of a single burst.
My Take: Will the New System Be a Win?
I think yes, it can be a win, if done properly. The idea has a lot of merit: more balanced assessment, recognition that students learn in different ways, not placing all the weight on one big exam. It suits people who are more project or presentation or process-oriented. It could help reduce lastâminute exam cramming.
But I worry that without proper support, resources, and fairness checks, it could also widen gaps. Students in bigger or well-resourced schools will likely navigate the change more smoothly. Also, change management is hard. Teacher workload, aligning assessment criteria across schools, combating AI misuse. There are big risks.
If you’re doing Leaving Cert Maths, my advice: get early acquainted with sample AACs (once theyâre published), stay organised, seek feedback often, donât leave the project / non-exam parts to the last minute. It’ll make a huge difference.
Final Thoughts
So: yes, the Leaving Cert Maths reform from 2027 represents a shift. A meaningful one. It could make things better for many students. More ways to shine, less sole pressure on final exams, more relevance. But it also poses real challenges: workload, fairness, authenticity, resource inequality, and the need to adapt both how students learn and how teachers teach.
Change always comes with growing pains. But with good support, transparency, and care, this could be a refreshing update for Maths. If you want, I can pull together sample AACs or mock-projects and how to prep for them so students arenât caught off guard.
