How to Cheat in the Leaving Certificate

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How to Cheat in the Leaving Certificate
Directed by	Graham Jones
Produced by	Ciara Flanagan Graham Jones
Written by	Graham Jones Tadhg O'Higgins Aislinn O'Loughlin
Starring	Garret Baker Aileen O'Connor Philip Bredin Alison Coffey John Wright Tara Ford
Release date(s)	April 17, 1998 (Ireland) October 4, 1997 (USA)
Running time	80 Minutes

How To Cheat In The Leaving Certificate (1998) is an independent film directed by Graham Jones, in which six teens devise a plan to cheat on their Leaving Certificate.

The film was shot in black and white with Super 16mm. After being hailed by critics it was blown up to 35mm for theatrical distribution.

The film caused controversy in Ireland^{[citation needed]}, due to the glorification of cheating, even drawing condemnation by then-Junior Minister for Education Willie O'Dea. Some regard the 2004 American movie The Perfect Score as a remake^[who?].

[edit] Plot

Upon being caught cheating in his Leaving Certificate, and therefore banned from taking the test for another three years, a young boy commits suicide. A close friend of his subsequently plots to cheat in his own Leaving Certificate in order to get revenge against the system. With the help of a rag-tag group of friends this young man organizes a complex scheme to steal copies of the test papers from the Department of Education, and upon winning, to show the world he has beat the system...