[Questions 16-24 relate to persons aged 15 years and over]
Education received [Q.16 and Q.17] (to be completed only for person's whose full-time education has ceased)
Q.17 What is the highest level of education (full-time or part-time) that was actually completed?
Insert a check mark in the appropriate box.
[] 1 No formal education
[] 2 Primary education
[] 3 Lower secondary (intermediate certificate, group certificate, "O" levels)
Upper secondary:
[] 4 Technical or vocational
[] 5 Leaving certificate
[] 6 Both technical/vocational course and leaving certificate
Third level:
[] 7 Sub-degree qualification
[] 8 Primary university degree
[] 9 Professional qualification (of degree status at least)
[] 10 Both a degree and a professional qualification
[] 11 Post-graduate degree
Explanatory notes
Question 17: Education received (highest level of education completed)
Persons who received their education when institutional arrangements were different to those currently in place or who were not educated in Ireland should select an equivalent option.
(i) Box 2 should be selected for a person who has attended some form of specialized education. Schooling for handicapped children should be taken as having the equivalent to Primary.
(ii) Box 2 should be selected for a person who has attended Primary level only. Moreover, without sitting for the Intermediate Certificate, Group Certificate or '0', box 2 should be selected for a person who attended a second level school but dropped out Levels.
(iii) A person who sat for the Intermediate Certificate, Group Certificate results achieved or '0' (but no higher level) should select box 3 irrespective of the Levels.
(iv) Completing an apprenticeship should be regarded as equivalent to completing a technical or vocational education at the second level, and box 4 should be selected. However, if the apprenticeship was completed in addition to the Leaving Certificate, then Box 6 should be selected.
(v) A person who sat for the Leaving Certificate (but who completed no further course) should select box 5 irrespective of the results achieved.
(vi) A person who attempted a third level course but did not obtain the certificate, diploma or degree in question should select the appropriate box for the upper secondary level.
(vii) A sub-degree qualification at the third level (i.e., box 7) should be selected for a person who obtained a certificate/diploma (not equivalent to a university degree) from a course for which the entry requirement was the completion of the upper secondary level to a certain minimum standard.
(viii) A post-graduate degree refers to a degree at the masters or higher level. A person with a post-graduate diploma such as the higher diploma in education (but without a masters or higher-level degree) should select box 8 for Census purposes.
Appendix 1
Q.16 and Q.17: Education received
Entries in this section of the form are required for persons aged 15 years or over who have ceased full-time education. No entries are required for persons who are still at school/college or who are fulltime students at universities or who are attending day courses in vocational schools or business colleges. The age (in years) at which a person ceased to receive full-time education should be inserted at Question 16. Only one box should be chosen at Question 17 and that should reflect the highest level of education completed (general criterion of completion: "Exam sat for" below third level; diploma/certificate/degree received at third level) irrespective of whether it was on a full-time or part-time basis. In the case of a person with a job who is attending a technical school or university part-time, no entry in respect of this part-time education should be made; the particulars entered should be ill respect of the highest level of education which that person has completed (full-time or part-time). You should ensure that you are thoroughly aware of the content of the Notes relating to these questions in particular.