THE FEES FOR the 2022 Leaving and Junior Cert exams have been waived.

The announcement was made by Education Minister Norma Foley this afternoon, with fees also being waived for the exams in 2021.

The waiver means that a fee of €116 for the Leaving Cert exams and €109 for the Junior Cert exams will not have to be paid by students.

Plans for the traditional Leaving Cert exams were only announced on Tuesday, with Foley also confirming the return of the Junior Cert exams, following its cancellation in 2020 and 2021.

“We have sought to bring clarity and certainty for students this week by confirming the arrangements for the 2022 examinations and I am pleased to confirm today that fees for this year’s State examinations are being waived,” said Foley following the announcement.

The full list of changes to the Leaving Cert are not set to be published until next week, with some changes, like additional choice on Maths Paper 2, being confirmed by the Minister.

Exam timetables will also be released within the coming days and can be found on examinations.ie

The Department of Education has said that schools will be supported and “given clear guidance” on the arrangements for the exams this year, and that they will be guided by public health advice.

An alternative set of exams are also being planned shortly after the main set of exams, for students who are bereaved of a close family member or contract Covid-19 during the exam period.