Quick answer
An ordinary scientific calculator is allowed in both Leaving Cert maths papers. A calculator is not allowed if it is programmable, plots graphs, does symbolic algebra or can store text. The SEC publishes feature rules rather than a definitive approved list, so judge your model by what it can do, not by the brand.
Every June somebody discovers, in the exam hall, that the calculator they have used all year is not allowed, or that its battery has other plans. Both problems are avoidable in about ten minutes, months in advance. Here is what the rules actually say, what they mean for the calculator in your pencil case, and the small habits that stop your calculator costing you marks.
The short version of the rules
You can use a calculator in both maths papers, Paper 1 and Paper 2. The State Examinations Commission does not publish a definitive list of approved models. Instead it publishes rules about features, along with a reference document listing models that have been queried over the years. That surprises people, but it makes sense: new models appear every year, so a fixed list would be out of date before the mocks.
The feature rules are the part worth memorising. A calculator is not allowed if it can be programmed, plot graphs, carry out symbolic algebra, or store and display text. If your calculator does none of those things, it is an ordinary scientific calculator and it is fine. This site is unofficial and not affiliated with the SEC, so if you own something unusual, the SEC's own calculator document is the place to settle it.
What those banned features mean in practice
Programmable means the calculator can record a sequence of steps and replay it later, which is a way of smuggling notes into the hall. Graph plotting means a screen that draws curves, the classic graphing calculator you may know from American films. Symbolic algebra means the machine can rearrange or solve expressions with letters in them, doing the algebra that the exam is testing. Text storage is exactly what it sounds like: anywhere notes could hide.
None of this affects the calculator most Irish students already own. The standard scientific models sold in every school stationery order, such as the Casio fx-83 family, are the kind of machine the rules are written to allow. Fractions, trig, logs, statistics functions and a natural display are all fine.
Know your calculator before June
The rules are the easy half. The marks are in familiarity. A calculator you know saves you time on almost every question, and a calculator you do not know invents errors out of nothing. The classic one is mode: a trig answer that looks bizarre usually means the calculator is in radians when you wanted degrees, or the reverse. Find out how to check and change the mode on your model now, not mid-paper.
The same applies to the fraction button, standard form, and the statistics functions you will need for Paper 2 topics. If you are heading into the mocks, use the exact calculator you plan to bring in June, for every practice paper, so its quirks are boring by then. Our guide to studying for the mocks makes the same point about the exam paper itself: rehearse with the real tools.
Remember that the calculator is one of two helpers you get on the day. The other is the Formulae and Tables booklet, which is handed to you free in the exam, and we walked through exactly what is in it. The pair covers arithmetic and reference; everything else has to live in your head.
Exam-day habits that save marks
Batteries are your responsibility, so put a fresh one in before the exams start, and bring a spare calculator if you can borrow or afford one. Superintendents are not a lending library, and the exam does not pause while you shake a dying machine. Write your name on both.
The maths answer booklet asks for the make and model of your calculator, so fill that box in when you sit down. And one habit worth building all year: write down what you are putting into the calculator before you press anything. If a slip of the thumb gives you a wrong answer, the written line shows the examiner your method, and method is where most of the marks live. That matters on every question, from the short parts to the long Paper 1 problems.
Test yourself: 3 quick questions
Real Higher Level questions from the H1 Owl bank.
You may either take €4 in cash or roll a fair die once and receive the score shown in euro. Judging purely by expected value, the better choice is:
The expected value of one die roll is (1 + 2 + 3 + 4 + 5 + 6)/6 = 21/6 = €3.50. Since €4 > €3.50, taking the cash is better on average, by €0.50. The possibility of rolling a 6 does not change the average: expected value weighs ALL outcomes, including the rolls of 1, 2 and 3 that fall well below €4.
The function f(x) = x³ - 6x² + 9x + k has a local maximum value of 7. The value of k is:
Differentiate: f′(x) = 3x² - 12x + 9 = 3(x - 1)(x - 3), so the turning points are at x = 1 and x = 3. Since f″(x) = 6x - 12 gives f″(1) = -6 < 0, the local maximum is at x = 1. Then f(1) = 1 - 6 + 9 + k = 4 + k, and 4 + k = 7 gives k = 3. Calculus locates the point; algebra finishes the job.
Solve e^(2x) - 5e^x + 6 = 0.
This is a quadratic in disguise: let u = e^x, so e^(2x) = u² and u² - 5u + 6 = 0 factorises as (u - 2)(u - 3) = 0. Then e^x = 2 or e^x = 3, and taking natural logs gives x = ln 2 or x = ln 3. Both are valid since 2 and 3 are positive. The answer x = 2 or 3 forgets to undo the substitution with logs.
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Frequently asked questions
Are graphing calculators allowed in the Leaving Cert?
No. Anything that plots graphs is out, along with programmable models, symbolic algebra and text storage.
Do both maths papers allow a calculator?
Yes, Paper 1 and Paper 2 both permit one, and you should assume you will need it on both.
Will the exam centre give me a calculator if mine breaks?
No. Batteries, spares and the machine itself are your responsibility, which is why a fresh battery in May is such cheap insurance.
H1 Owl trains the part no calculator is allowed to do: the algebra, the method and the judgement. Five minutes of Leaving Cert maths a day, worked solutions that show the step you missed, and an indicative grade so you always know which strand needs work. Join the waitlist below and get access first.