Software mechanism for accurately handling exceptions generated by instructions scheduled speculatively due to branch elimination

Methods for handling exceptions caused by speculatively scheduled instructions or predicated instructions executed within a computer program are described. The method for speculatively scheduled instructions includes checking at a commit point of a speculatively scheduled instruction, a semaphore associated with the speculatively scheduled instruction and branching to an error handling routine if the semaphore is set. A set semaphore indicates that an exception occurred when the speculatively scheduled instruction was executed. For a predicated instruction the method includes checking a predicate of an eliminated branch and a semaphore associated with the speculative instruction at a commit point of the speculative instruction and branching to an error handling routine if the semaphore indicates that an exception occurred when said speculative instruction was executed, and the predicate is true, which indicates that said speculative instruction was properly executed.