Revised JC MFL specification published

A revised specification for Junior Cycle Modern Foreign Languages (JC MFL) (French, German, Italian, Spanish) will be introduced in schools for incoming 1st year students in September 2026. In line with the Framework for Junior Cycle (2015), a new subject specification for JC MFL was introduced in schools in September 2017. An early insights review conducted by the National Council for Curriculum and Assessment (NCCA) in 2023 identified several strengths, a number of challenges leading to some  revisions to the JC MFL specification. NCCA convened a development group in January 2024 to progress the proposed revisions. The revised specification for JC MFL (French, German, Italian, Spanish (2025) has now been published. Key amendments include:

• strands, elements and learning outcomes have been reviewed and updated.
• the order of Classroom- Based Assessments has been reversed, with ‘CBA 1: Examples from my Student Language Portfolio’ to be assessed in 2nd year and ‘CBA 2: Oral Communication Task’ to be assessed in 3rd year.
• clarifications have been added regarding the CEFR and its key concepts, the role of the student language portfolio (SLP) and the development of oral proficiency.
• a glossary of terms has been added to explain key terminology.
• a suite of additional support materials has been developed to support teaching and learning.

The revised curriculum specification, along with additional support materials can be found  here.

Revised assessment guidelines and portfolio guidelines will be published ahead of the specification being introduced in schools. Once introduced, additional examples of student work will be developed.