Junior Cycle Hub

What is the Junior Cycle?

Students in 1st to 3rd Year (aged 12 to 15) follow the national Junior Cycle curriculum which offers a broad range of subjects, as well as encouraging key skills in communications, wellbeing, creativity, literacy, and more. Students complete the Junior Cycle Profile of Achievement at the end of their 3rd Year, which includes the State Junior Certificate Exam as well as classroom-based assessments, which students complete in their 2nd and 3rd Year.

What is a Classroom Based Assessment (CBA)?

As part of the reformed Junior Cycle program, students are required to do Classroom Based Assessments in 2nd Year and 3rd Year of their Junior Cycle within the national school timetable (the deadlines for which are published yearly by the NCCA). Classroom Based Assessments take place (as the name suggests) in the classroom under the supervision of the subject teacher and promote a positive and collaborative learning environment for students while also informing them about their learning progress in each of their subjects. 

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What are Other Areas of Learning (OALs)?

OALs stand for “Other Areas of Learning”. This is a record of students’ non-academic achievements within the school community during their first three years in secondary school. OALs are recorded on students' Junior Cycle Profile of Achievement (JCPA) along with their State examinations grades and CBA descriptors.

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