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Leaving Certificate Engineering (NCCA specification), Higher and Ordinary Level, with the SEC examination.
Overview
Leaving Certificate Engineering (NCCA specification), Higher and Ordinary Level, with the SEC examination.
Complete topic map
Every topic recorded for this subject in the curriculum is reproduced below in its full hierarchy. The descriptions reflect the mapped scope without implying additional exam rules.
Section I — the practical processes and their related theory: workshop health and safety; benchwork (marking out, measuring and gauging, drilling, fitting and assembly, grinding); heat treatment (annealing, normalising, hardening, tempering, case hardening); plastics processing; fabrication and finishing of metals (sheet metal, beaten metalwork, forgework, gas and arc welding, casting); machining on the centre lathe and milling machine; and making small tools, working mechanisms and a tested working model from drawings.
First-aid requirements and personal protection, safeguarding machinery and working areas (moving parts, colour codes, mechanical, electrical and human failures). Covers electrical hazards and protective devices (earthing, single- and three-phase), chemical hazards (poisonous, corrosive, combustible, explosive), fire-protection methods, statutory safety provisions and accident statistics.
The table of the elements, metals versus non-metals, chemical symbols, the importance of alloys and the physical properties of metals. Covers an outline of mining and the ores from which iron, copper, lead, zinc, aluminium, tin, silver and gold originate, the extraction of metals from ores, and the main methods of ore dressing and process metallurgy.
Microstructure, factors affecting grain size, recrystallisation and macroscopic examination of specimens. Covers solidification, dendritic structure, the structure of ingots and castings, atomic lattices, equilibrium diagrams for simple eutectics and solid solutions, and how metals combine to form alloys.
The important steel-making processes and the production of cast iron, the structure of plain carbon steel and the influence of carbon content, with the relevant equilibrium diagrams. Covers the classification, properties and uses of carbon steels, cast irons and alloy steels.
The production of copper and aluminium from their ores and the properties and uses of non-ferrous metals and alloys. Covers the classification of brasses, bronzes, gunmetal and bearing metal, together with aluminium- and zinc-based alloys.
Heat treatment of plain carbon steels using the equilibrium diagram: critical points, structural changes, quenching media and stress relieving. Covers case hardening by pack carburising, plus carburising, nitriding, and flame and induction hardening, with furnace types, temperature measurement, the heat treatment of alloy steels and an outline of age hardening.
The mechanism of corrosion, electrolytic action and the factors that influence corrosion. Covers methods of minimising corrosion through protective coatings, design features and environmental control, including anodic and cathodic protection.
Strength of materials in tension, compression, shear, bearing, bending and torsion, with stress-strain diagrams, Young's Modulus and proof stress, and determination of component strength. Covers tensile, hardness, impact, ductility and fatigue testing and non-destructive tests, plus an appreciation of creep, conductivity, expansion and specific heat capacity.
Sources, physical structure, manufacture, classification and forms of supply of plastics, and waste disposal. Covers the properties and uses of common thermoplastics and thermosetting plastics, and processing methods such as injection moulding, extrusion, vacuum, blow and compression moulding, calendering and laminating.
The theory of adhesion, classification of adhesives, and the joining of metals and plastics including mechanical fastenings. Covers soldering, brazing and fusion welding (oxyacetylene and electric arc), fluxes and fillers, the transformer principle and electrode classification, plus specialised welding (inert-gas shielded, resistance) and the welding of plastics.
The construction, specification and cutting action of the lathe, shaper, milling machine and precision grinders, with work-holding and cutting-tool nomenclature. Covers the mechanics of machining (cutting forces, rake angle, chip formation), machinability, tool life versus cutting speed and cutting fluids, plus taper turning, screw cutting, simple indexing and grinding-wheel structure.
Standards of measurement and grades of accuracy, systems of limits, types of fit, and determination of limits and tolerances, including interchangeability, selective assembly and limit gauges. Covers the measurement of screw threads and the principles of the sine bar, slip gauges, precision balls and rollers, and the specification of surface finish.
The principles of manufacture by fabrication, casting, forging, rolling, drawing, extruding, pressing and machining. Covers the properties and common forms of supply of manufacturing products and a general appreciation of the main factors relating to quality control.
The design-and-make project responding to a brief released annually by the SEC: candidates produce a working model or artefact and a supporting design folio covering research, design, manufacture, testing and evaluation. A teacher-assessed and SEC-moderated coursework component worth 150 marks.
A supervised practical-skills examination held in schools, run as two timed sessions, in which candidates demonstrate workshop and machining skills under examination conditions. Worth 150 marks.
Where this subject applies
These pathways and regions are explicitly connected to the subject in the curriculum.
Higher Level
Higher Level — the more demanding level, with broader and deeper content and the H1–H8 grade scale.
Ordinary Level
Ordinary Level — the foundational level covering the core of the syllabus, graded O1–O8.
Official sources
The public sources below are referenced directly by this subject or by one of its topics.
This editorial selection points to the relevant official bodies. Always confirm current requirements, dates and exceptional arrangements with your school and the responsible authority.
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Public references
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