AN ROINN OIDEACHAIS AGUS EOLAÍOCHTA
                LEAVING CERTIFICATE
             CHEMISTRY
               SYLLABUS
                (ORDINARY LEVEL AND HIGHER LEVEL)
                                   LEAVING CERTIFICATE PROGRAMMES
                                                Aims and Principles                                                               The Leaving Certificate (Established)
                        1. The general aim of education is to contribute                                                           The Leaving Certificate (Established) programme
                              towards the development of all aspects of the                                                        offers students a broad and balanced education
                              individual, including aesthetic, creative, critical,                                                 while allowing for some specialisation.
                              cultural, emotional, expressive, intellectual, for                                                   Syllabuses are provided in a wide range of sub-
                              personal and home life, for working life, for liv-                                                   jects. All subjects are offered at Ordinary and
                              ing in the community and for leisure.                                                                Higher levels. In addition, Mathematics and Irish
                                                                                                                                   are also offered at Foundation level.
                        2. Leaving Certificate programmes are presented
                              within this general aim, with a particular empha-                                                    The certificate is used for purposes of selection
                              sis on the preparation of students for the                                                           into further education, employment, training and
                              requirements of further education or training, for                                                   higher education.
                              employment and for their role as participative,
                              enterprising citizens.                                                                                 The Leaving Certificate Vocational
                        3. All Leaving Certificate programmes aim to pro-                                                                                 Programme (LCVP)
                              vide continuity with and progression from the                                                        The Leaving Certificate Vocational Programme is
                              Junior Certificate programme. The relative                                                           an intervention within the Leaving Certificate
                              weighting given to the various components  —                                                         (Established). LCVP students study a minimum
                              e.g. personal and social  (including moral and                                                       of five subjects (at Higher, Ordinary or
                              spiritual) development, vocational studies and                                                       Foundation levels), including Irish and two sub-
                              preparation for further education and for adult                                                      jects from specified vocational subject groupings.
                              and working life — within the programmes may                                                         They are also required to take a recognised
                              vary.                                                                                                course in a Modern European language, other
                                                                                                                                   than Irish or English. In addition LCVP students
                        4. Programmes leading to the award of the Leaving                                                          take three Link Modules on Enterprise Education,
                              Certificate are of two years duration and are                                                        Preparation for Work and Work Experience.
                              offered in three forms:
                                                                                                                                   In particular, the LCVP aims to foster in students
                              i.    The Leaving Certificate (Established)                                                          a spirit of enterprise and initiative and to devel-
                                                                                                                                   op their interpersonal, vocational and technolog-
                              ii.   The Leaving Certificate Vocational Programme                                                   ical skills. 
                              iii. The Leaving Certificate Applied                                                                       The Leaving Certificate Applied
                                                                                                                                   The Leaving Certificate Applied is a distinct, self-
                        5. All Leaving Certificate programmes, in contribut-                                                       contained Leaving Certificate programme.  It is
                              ing to a high quality education, emphasise the                                                       designed for those students who do not wish to
                              importance of :                                                                                      proceed directly to third level education or for
                                                                                                                                   those whose needs, aspirations and aptitudes
                              •     self-directed learning and independent                                                         are not adequately catered for by the other two
                                    thought                                                                                        Leaving Certificate programmes. The Leaving
                                                                                                                                   Certificate Applied is structured around three
                              •     a spirit of inquiry, critical thinking, problem                                                main elements – Vocational Preparation,
                                    solving, self-reliance, initiative and enterprise                                              Vocational Education and General Education -
                                                                                                                                   which are interrelated and interdependent. This
                              •     preparation for further education, for adult                                                   programme is characterised by educational expe-
                                    and working life                                                                               riences of an active, practical and student-cen-
                                                                                                                                   tred nature.
                              •     lifelong learning.
                   LEAVING CERTIFICATE
              CHEMISTRY
                     (ORDINARY AND HIGHER LEVEL)
                                    •     LEAVING CERTIFICATE CHEMISTRY SYLLABUS                           •
             Preamble 
             Policy Context
             Science education in the senior cycle should reflect          The three components should be integrated within
             the changing needs of students and the growing                each science syllabus, with the first component
             significance of science for strategic development in          having a 70% weighting. The remaining 30% should
             Ireland.                                                      be allocated to the other two components in the ratio
             Leaving Certificate science syllabuses are designed to        3 to 1.
             incorporate the following components:                         The syllabuses, which are offered at two levels,
             •  science for the enquiring mind, or pure science, to        Higher and Ordinary, will have approximately 180
                include the principles, procedures and concepts of         hours of class contact time over a two-year period.
                the subject as well as its cultural and historical         They should be practically and experimentally based
                aspects                                                    in their teaching.
             •  science for action, or the applications of science
                and its interface with technology
             •  science, which is concerned with issues – political,
                social and economic – of concern to citizens.