Ireland · Leaving Certificate · Live online

Leaving Cert Computer Science grinds online

Leaving Certificate Computer Science is unusual among Irish subjects: part of the marks come from a program the student builds and documents alone, and the written exam assesses Python. A grind for it therefore has two jobs. It has to build the fluency that lets a student read, trace and write code under exam conditions, and it has to build the skills the coursework assumes, without ever touching the coursework itself. This page sets out the subject as its specification describes it: the strands, the weighting, the languages assessed and the coursework rules. It also covers the redeveloped subject that reaches schools from September 2027. And it explains how our live online grinds for Fifth and Sixth Years work, one to one or in small groups, taught by a specialist at an Irish hour. We make no promise about grades or points. What we promise is a student who understands their code.

Book the free first class See the subject in brief Ask on WhatsApp

Live teaching since 2020 · 10,000+ students · Python taught for understanding

In short

Leaving Certificate Computer Science is designed for 180 hours of class contact time and, under the current specification, assessed by an end-of-course examination worth 70 percent and coursework worth 30 percent: one computational artefact with a report, done individually. Python is the language assessed in the exam, Python and JavaScript in the coursework. From September 2027 a redeveloped subject moves to a 60 percent exam and a 40 percent coursework project. Our grinds build what both parts reward: fluent, well-understood Python, algorithms and data handled with confidence, and the testing and reporting habits a project needs. We never write or edit coursework. Classes run live online, one to one or in groups of five to ten; the first class is free, then USD 150 a month one to one or USD 100 in a group.

Start here

Three courses that match the subject's demands

Python for the exam, problem solving for the algorithms, and web development for the JavaScript side of the coursework. Each card opens its syllabus.

Python for Teens course thumbnail

LCCS / 01

Python for Teens

The language the exam assesses, taught until reading, tracing and writing it are second nature.

Open the syllabus →
Problem Solving for Teens course thumbnail

LCCS / 02

Problem Solving for Teens

Algorithms reasoned out and explained in words, the way a written exam asks for them.

Open the syllabus →
Full Stack Web Development for Teens course thumbnail

LCCS / 03

Full Stack Web Development for Teens

JavaScript and the web, the other language the current coursework assesses.

Open the syllabus →

The subject

Leaving Cert Computer Science, as the specifications set it out

Two specifications matter to students now: the current one, which applies for examination up to June 2028, and the redeveloped one, for introduction in schools from September 2027. The details below are quoted or closely paraphrased from both.

The current and the redeveloped Leaving Certificate Computer Science
Current specificationRedeveloped specification
WhenFor examination to June 2028For introduction in September 2027
HoursDesigned for 180 hours of class contact timeDesigned for a minimum of 180 hours of class contact time
AssessmentAn end-of-course examination (70%) and coursework (30%)A final examination (60%) and a Coursework Project (40%) on a common brief
LevelsHigher and Ordinary, with the same coursework brief for bothHigher and Ordinary
LanguagesDoes not require a specific language; Python is assessed in the exam, and Python and Javascript in the courseworkPython is the language assessed in the final examination
Coursework timeAbout ten school weeks for one computational artefact with reportStudents may need up to 25 hours to complete the Coursework Project

The current specification has three strands: Practices and principles, Core concepts, and Computer science in practice. The third is taught through four applied learning tasks, set in the contexts of Interactive information systems, Analytics, Modelling and simulation, and Embedded systems.

The redeveloped specification adds learning outcomes on artificial intelligence, among them "1.11. explain factors empowering AI systems", and asks students to acknowledge their sources, including the use of AI.

The change is part of the redevelopment of the Senior Cycle. Computer Science is in the third group of subjects, introduced to all schools in 2027, and the new assessment components are worth at least 40 percent of the marks and externally assessed by the State Examinations Commission.

For a student in Fifth Year now, the practical point is simple: check with the school which specification your class will sit, because the weighting and the coursework format differ.

Sources, read 16 September 2026: LCCS specification (current); Structure of Leaving Certificate Computer Science; Coursework assessment guidelines (August 2023); Computer Science specification for introduction in 2027; Senior Cycle redevelopment: what it means for me; Senior Cycle redevelopment. The current coursework guidelines give ten school weeks in one place and eight in another.

The coursework

One artefact, one report, and the student's own work

The coursework is where a grind has to be most careful. It is also where understanding pays off most.

What is submitted

Under the current specification, one computational artefact with a report. The guidelines ask for the report in HTML format, including video evidence of the final artefact in operation, and the State Examinations Commission sets the brief towards the end of the first term of the course's second year.

Whose work it is

The specification says the coursework "must be carried out individually", and the guidelines say only work which is the student's own can be accepted. Irish guidance treats AI-generated material as material the student did not produce.

What a grind can do

Teach the skills the brief will need, on other examples: planning a program, testing it, handling data, building a simple interface, and describing honestly what a program does and does not do.

The line we never cross

We never write, edit, debug or review a student's actual coursework artefact or report, and we do not suggest code for it. During the coursework weeks our lessons move to different examples of the same ideas.

This is not only about rules. A student who builds the artefact alone, from skills they own, can write the report about it truthfully and explain every design choice.

What the four contexts ask of a student

Interactive information systems need a working interface and stored data; Analytics needs data read, cleaned and interpreted; Modelling and simulation need a model whose assumptions are stated; Embedded systems need code that talks to hardware.

Our lessons practise each kind of task on separate projects across Fifth Year, so no brief arrives as a surprise. More on AI and your own work is on understanding the code instead of copy-pasting.

The written exam

What exam practice looks like in a Computer Science grind

A written paper tests whether a student can reason about code without a computer to check it. That is a skill, and it is practised.

Trace before you run

Students read short Python programs and write down exactly what they print, then check. The habit of predicting code is the single best preparation for a paper that cannot be run.

Say it in words

Algorithms are explained in plain sentences as well as in code: what a sort does, why a search stops, what happens with an empty list. Written answers reward clear explanations.

Write under time

Short functions written by hand against the clock, then compared with the teacher's version line by line, including the edge cases that cost marks.

The 2026 Leaving Certificate written examinations ran from 3 June to 23 June 2026. We do not quote the date of any individual paper here: the State Examinations Commission publishes the timetable, and students should take it from there. Nothing on this page is a prediction of exam content or results.

Good grinds

What a good Computer Science grind looks like, from any provider

Four things worth asking before booking Computer Science grinds, with our own answers.

Four questions for any Computer Science grind
QuestionWhy ask itOur answer
Is it live, with the same teacher?Recorded lessons cannot notice where a student is stuck.Live every time, with one specialist through the year.
Does it teach understanding or answers?A paper that cannot be run rewards reasoning, not memory.Every program is predicted and explained before it is written.
How does it handle the coursework?The coursework must be the student's own work.Skills on other examples only; the artefact is never touched.
What does it promise?No one can promise a grade or CAO points.We promise a student who understands their code, and nothing we cannot keep.

Fifth and Sixth Year

A two-year plan around the subject's calendar

The plan fits the current specification's timing, with the coursework brief arriving towards the end of the first term of the second year. Each student's plan is adjusted to their school.

A typical two years of Computer Science grinds
WhenFocusBy the end the student can
Fifth Year, autumnPython fluencyRead, trace and write Python without looking things up
Fifth Year, springAlgorithms and dataExplain and code sorts, searches and data handling
Fifth Year, summer termProject skillsPlan, test and document a small program of their own
Sixth Year, first termPractice on other briefsHandle each of the four coursework contexts on separate examples
Sixth Year, after the briefExam practiceAnswer written questions on code and algorithms under time

Starting late

Students who start in Sixth Year skip nothing, but move faster through the first rungs and spend more time on tracing and written answers. One-to-one lessons usually suit a late start best.

Students who have not yet chosen the subject can begin with a general coding class in the Junior Cycle or Transition Year.

During the coursework weeks

While the student builds the artefact, grinds switch entirely to exam practice and to different example projects, so there is no question about whose work the coursework is.

After the coursework is submitted, the final months go to written practice.

The catalogue

Eight live courses that support Leaving Cert Computer Science

The courses our Computer Science students draw on, grouped by what they support. The free first class decides the mix.

I

For the exam

Python, algorithms and reasoning

LCCS / EXAM / 01

Python for Teens

The language of the paper, learned to fluency.

Open the syllabus

LCCS / EXAM / 02

Problem Solving for Teens

Algorithms and data structures, reasoned out.

Open the syllabus

LCCS / EXAM / 03

Maths Through Coding

The mathematics that algorithms quietly rely on.

Open the syllabus
II

For coursework skills

Practised on separate projects, never on the artefact

LCCS / SKILL / 01

Full Stack Web Development for Teens

Interfaces, stored data and JavaScript.

Open the syllabus

LCCS / SKILL / 02

Data Science for Teens

Reading, cleaning and interpreting data.

Open the syllabus

LCCS / SKILL / 03

Git and GitHub for Teens

A clear history of the student's own work.

Open the syllabus
III

For the redeveloped subject

AI outcomes and deeper projects

LCCS / NEXT / 01

AI and Machine Learning for Teens

How AI systems learn, and what makes them work.

Open the syllabus

LCCS / NEXT / 02

App Development for Teens

A complete app, built and documented.

Open the syllabus

How the grinds run

Live grinds on Irish evenings and weekends

Lessons are live, taught from India, at a weekly hour set in Irish time. Irish time runs five and a half hours behind India time in winter and four and a half in summer, so Senior Cycle students usually meet their teacher in the early evening or at the weekend.

Early evening

After study, on school days, Irish time.

Saturday

Longer sessions for written practice.

Sunday

For students with busy weekday evenings.

A free first class

The student traces and explains some Python, and the teacher says honestly where they stand.

One to one

The usual choice for Sixth Years: one specialist, one student, the whole hour.

Small groups

Five to ten Senior Cycle students at the same level, often from several schools.

Specialist teachers

Teachers who program, not generalists covering the subject for a term.

Coursework kept separate

Skills on other projects only; the student's artefact is never seen or touched.

Progress you can see

Parents hear what the student can now do, in plain terms, as the months go by.

Student work

Projects our students built, outside any coursework

Four live projects by our students. More on the student labs page.

NutriLife AI nutrition coach project screenshot

AI and ML

NutriLife

An AI nutrition coach that reads what you eat and works you toward a target.

by Bhavya · Open it

Misti AI chatbot for maths and coding screenshot

AI and ML

Misti

A chatbot that answers mathematics and programming questions, built and deployed by a student.

by Harshit · Open it

GuardianX AI internet safety assistant screenshot

AI and ML

GuardianX

An assistant that helps a young person recognise unsafe situations online.

by Vivaan · Open it

SkyCast weather forecast application screenshot

Web app

SkyCast

A weather forecasting site with live conditions for any location.

by Krish

Fees

Fees for Computer Science grinds

Charged monthly in US dollars, the one rate we use outside India. No registration fee, and you can stop at the end of any month.

Free first class

USD 0

no card required

  • A first class with a specialist
  • An honest assessment of the starting point
  • No card needed
Book it

Group batch

USD 100

a month, billed in US dollars

  • Five to ten Senior Cycle students
  • The same teacher each week
  • Written practice every week
  • A certificate at the end
Start here

One to one

USD 150

a month, billed in US dollars

  • A specialist for one student
  • Paced to the school calendar
  • The usual choice for Sixth Year
Enquire

What families say

Rated 4.9 across 547 Google reviews

Copied from Google exactly. We do not write or pay for reviews.

★★★★★

"The one step solution for my son. Modern Age Coders make learning coding so simple that kids love it. The teachers explain complex concepts clearly with practical exercises and interactive content."

Ria Mukherjee

Parent

★★★★★

"Modern Age Coders has been a game-changer for me. I struggled to grasp IT concepts and coding before joining, but their classes transformed everything. I can now confidently write complex programs with ease."

Samriddha Mondal

Student

★★★★★

"One of the most wonderful education centres out there. Education is not limited to school syllabus but focuses on skill development."

Vansh Agarwal

Student

★★★★★

"My child Dhairya is really enjoying the Modern Age Coders classes. This is his first online class and he eagerly looks forward to it. I can already see his improvement, and the teachers are very cooperative."

Sonam Oswal

Parent of Dhairya

★★★★★

"Modern Age Coders have wonderful teachers who teach in a clear, easy and practical way. The teacher boosts students' confidence and inspires them to learn without hesitation."

Sonu Goyal

Parent

★★★★★

"I highly recommend this computer coding class! The teachers are incredibly knowledgeable and passionate about coding."

Ritu Kedia

Parent

Questions from Senior Cycle families

What students and parents ask about Computer Science grinds

How is Leaving Cert Computer Science assessed?

Under the current specification, by an end-of-course examination worth 70 percent and coursework worth 30 percent. The redeveloped subject introduced from September 2027 moves to a 60 percent examination and a 40 percent Coursework Project.

Which programming language is assessed?

The current specification does not require a specific language, but Python is assessed in the exam, and Python and JavaScript in the coursework. In the redeveloped subject, Python is assessed in the final examination.

How many hours is the course?

The specification is designed for 180 hours of class contact time, and the redeveloped one for a minimum of 180 hours.

Will you help with my coursework?

We teach the skills the coursework needs on different examples, before and after it. We never write, edit, debug or review the artefact or the report itself, because it must be the student's own individual work.

Can you guarantee a H1 or CAO points?

No, and no honest provider can. We promise a student who understands their code and has practised the kinds of task the subject sets.

Are online grinds as good as in person?

For Computer Science, often better: the teacher and student share one screen, the code is on it, and every lesson can be recorded in the student's own notes.

When should grinds start?

Fifth Year autumn is ideal. A Sixth Year start works too, usually one to one, with more time on tracing and written answers.

What do Computer Science grinds cost?

The first class is free. One-to-one grinds are USD 150 a month and a group place is USD 100 a month, both charged in US dollars, with no registration fee.

When are lessons, in Irish time?

At a weekly hour set in the free first class, usually early evening or at the weekend. Irish time is five and a half hours behind India time in winter and four and a half in summer.

What happens after I send the form?

We ring back at a suitable Irish hour to arrange the free first class. Nothing is charged unless the student continues.

Elsewhere on this site

More for Senior Cycle students

Related pages for the subject and beyond.

Understand the code, do not copy-paste

AI and your own work, in Irish guidance.

Best online coding classes in Ireland

Where Computer Science sits in Irish schools.

AI and machine learning classes in Ireland

For students drawn to the AI side of the new subject.

Coding classes in Ireland

The national page.

How to read code

Tracing, the core exam skill.

The best coding class in the world

Eight tests for any class, grinds included.

Start here

Book a free Computer Science class

Leave a number and we will ring at a suitable Irish hour. In the first class a specialist works through some Python with the student and tells you plainly what to work on first.

To read first: the course pages list every syllabus, how we teach explains the method, and how to read code shows the tracing skill the exam rewards.

WhatsApp us · +91 91233 66161 · contact@modernagecoders.com

WhatsApp from an Irish phone is free and usually quickest. The number is Indian; we have no Irish office or classroom.

No card and no commitment. One call to book.

Keep exploring Modern Age Coders

Related courses and guides

Learn more

Free resources

From the blog

Start here