1,706 Kerry students are undertaking their Leaving Certificate this year.
Nationally, more than 61,500 candidates are doing the Leaving Certificate.
Students were given the choice to sit their examinations, to receive accredited grades or to do both on a subject-by-subject basis.
In Kerry, 1,511 students have opted to sit the written exams which begin today, while 1,684 registered for accredited grades.
Meanwhile, 107 students in Kerry are undertaking the Leaving Certificate Applied this year.
105 of them applied for accredited grades, while 87 opted to sit the written exams.
Meanwhile, Leaving Cert students are being advised to make sure they show up for their first written exam this morning.
With many opting for calculated grades this year there is the chance that some will make a last minute decision to not do the written tests.
More than 5 thousand exam centres have been set up across the state to ensure that social distancing is maintained through the 2021 exams.
Carl O'Brien is Education Editor with the Irish Times - he says the choice should ease some students' tensions:
