Framework for Junior Cycle

Ireland

A student-centered framework for the first three years of post-primary education in Ireland. It focuses on 8 key skills, 24 statements of learning, and a move toward a dual approach to assessment involving both state exams and classroom-based assessments.

Framework for Junior Cycle (2015)

A student-centered framework for the first three years of post-primary education in Ireland. It focuses on 8 key skills, 24 statements of learning, and a move toward a dual approach to assessment involving both state exams and classroom-based assessments.

Governing Body: National Council for Curriculum and Assessment (NCCA) / Department of Education

Year Adopted: 2015

Grade Levels Covered

First Year, Second Year, Third Year

English

Full Junior Cycle (Years 1-3)

OL.1 Oral Language

Know and use the conventions of oral language interaction, in a variety of contexts, including class groups, for a range of purposes.

Key skills: Communicating, Working with others
R.1 Reading

Read texts with fluency, understanding and competence, decoding groups of words/phrases and not just single words.

Key skills: Being literate, Managing information and thinking
W.3 Writing

Write for a variety of purposes, for example to analyse, evaluate, imagine, explore, engage, amuse, narrate, inform, explain, argue, persuade, criticise, comment.

Key skills: Being creative, Communicating

Mathematics

Full Junior Cycle (Years 1-3)

U.1 Unifying Strand

Recall and understand the concepts that underpin each strand, and be able to carry out the resulting procedures accurately, effectively and appropriately.

Key skills: Being numerate, Managing information and thinking
N.1 Number

Investigate the representation of numbers and relationships between them, including fractions, decimals, percentages, and indices.

Key skills: Being numerate
AF.3 Algebra and Functions

Use the idea of equality to form and interpret equations, and the syntactic rules of algebra to transform expressions and solve equations.

Key skills: Managing information and thinking
GT.1 Geometry and Trigonometry

Analyse characteristics and properties of two- and three-dimensional geometric shapes.

Key skills: Working with others, Being numerate

Science

Full Junior Cycle (Years 1-3)

NoS.1 Nature of Science

Appreciate how scientists work and how scientific ideas are modified and developed over time.

Key skills: Managing information and thinking, Being creative
BW.1 Biological World

Investigate the structures of animal and plant cells and relate them to their functions.

Key skills: Communicating, Managing information and thinking
CW.2 Chemical World

Develop and use models to describe the atomic nature of matter and account for conservation of mass.

Key skills: Being numerate, Communicating
PW.2 Physical World

Identify and measure/calculate length, mass, time, temperature, area, and volume.

Key skills: Being numerate, Staying well

History

Full Junior Cycle (Years 1-3)

1.1 The Nature of History

Develop a sense of historical empathy by viewing people, issues and events encountered in their study of the past in their historical context.

Key skills: Working with others, Communicating
1.7 Working with Evidence

Develop historical judgements based on evidence about personalities, issues and events in the past, showing awareness of historical significance.

Key skills: Managing information and thinking
2.7 The History of Ireland

Investigate the causes, course and consequences, nationally and internationally, of the Great Famine.

Key skills: Being literate, Managing information and thinking
3.3 The History of Europe and the Wider World

Discuss the general causes and course of World War II and the immediate and long-term impact of the war on people and nations.

Key skills: Communicating, Managing myself

Implementation Notes

The Junior Cycle is a three-year programme. Learning outcomes are designed to be achieved over the full duration rather than year-by-year. Schools have flexibility in how they sequence these outcomes across the three years. Key skills (e.g., Being Literate, Being Numerate, Staying Well) are embedded across all subjects.

Assessment

Assessment is dual-pronged: 1) Classroom-Based Assessments (CBAs) occur in 2nd and 3rd year, marked by the teacher. 2) A terminal State Examination is taken at the end of 3rd year. Results are compiled into the Junior Cycle Profile of Achievement (JCPA).

About This Standard
Added:
January 13, 2026

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