Some 55,000 Leaving Cert students start their exams today in the knowledge that each paper, for the first time, has been sat in advance by an independent expert to check for errors.

The State Examinations Commission introduced the measure after what it described as an "unacceptably high" level of errors in last year's papers.

A spokesman for the commission said a “subject expert” had been nominated to sit each exam under secure conditions to minimise the risk of error as it was felt the drafters and setters who traditionally carried out such checks were “overly familiar” with the questions.

“The ideal would be to get a student who sat last year’s exams to do it, but you have to balance that with the need to ensure secrecy of the project.”

Instead, a panel of teachers was drawn up and asked to sit the papers in confidential circumstances “exactly as any candidate would have done”.

Junior Cert

All the Leaving Cert written papers underwent such trials, along with a small number of Junior Cert papers, and the outcome of the initiative will be reviewed for next year.

The commission said it was impossible to guarantee the exams would be “completely error-free” but it said this year’s preparations were the best yet.

If that wasn’t good enough news for candidates this year, the weather forecast is poor for the next few days, offering an added incentive to stay indoors and study.

Wishing the candidates well, commission chairman Richard Langford said it was "an emotionally and physically demanding time for pupils who will benefit from the calm and sustained support of family, schools and community".

More than 118,000 students start State examinations today: 54,933 in the Leaving Cert, 3,042 in the final year of Leaving Cert Applied and 60,698 in the Junior Cert.

The Leaving Cert runs until June 20th, with results due on August 13th.