State Examinations Commission

State Agency of the Department of Education overview
Formed	6 March 2003
Preceding State Agency of the Department of Education	Examinations Branch, Department of Education
Jurisdiction	Ireland
Headquarters	Cornamaddy, Athlone, County Westmeath
Employees	185
State Agency of the Department of Education executives	Andrea Feeney, Chief Executive Patrick Burke, Chairman
Key document	State Examinations Commission (Establishment) Order 2003
Website	www.examinations.ie

The State Examinations Commission (Irish: Coimisiún na Scrúduithe Stáit) is the organisation that replaced the Examinations Branch of the Department of Education in Ireland.^[1]

History

The State Examinations Commission is a State body established by statutory order on 6 March 2003.^[2] The Commission assumed responsibility for the operation of the State Certificate Examinations from the Department of Education.

The State Examinations Commission has an online system which allows examination candidates to view their results on its website.

Organisation

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

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:

• Junior Cycle
• Leaving Certificate

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 (1879-1924), these include the Junior Grade, Middle Grade and Senior Grade. A list of the department's former examinations include: