More than 140,000 Leaving and Junior Cycle students will turn the page on their English exam at 9.30am today, kicking off the 2026 exam season that finishes on Tuesday, June 23rd with applied mathematics at Leaving Cert level.Key readsLeaving Cert: 10 tips for parents supporting an exam student this monthClassroom to College newsletter: your essential Leaving Cert guideEoin Murphy from Co Mayo explains why he’s annoyed about having to wear his school uniform in the exam hallAnd Danny Goff from Co Wexford on preparing for the exams and having Type 1 diabetesNiamh Towey - 19 minutes agoNerves, excitement, pressure - how are your peers feeling these last couple days? You can watch their video diaries here:Students from across the country look ahead to their exams as the Leaving Cert begins. Niamh Towey - 41 minutes agoToday a record-breaking 66,911 students are due to begin their Leaving Certificate exams.It is the highest ever level of students, breaking the previous record set in 1995 of 66,304.It begins with English Paper One at 9.30am this morning, followed by Home Economics from 2pm.The exams last 15 days, closing out on June 23rd with Applied Maths. The Junior Certificate and Leaving Certificate Applied exams take place alongside this.Much work and preparation has gone into these exams, and its understandable if nerves are frayed in some quarters. For other students today may just be like any other day, no big deal, they have bigger fish to fry.Whatever your approach, your background, or your ambitions, we would love to hear from you as the days go on.I will be here running our live coverage every day, and you can email me at niamh.towey@irishtimes.com.