Most of this year’s Leaving Cert students’ grades have been artificially inflated by exam authorities to bring them into line with record highs of recent years.
It follows a direction by Minister for Education Norma Foley that this year’s overall Leaving Cert exam results should be kept in line with record highs of recent years.
The Minister’s intervention has resulted in more than two-thirds (68 per cent) of students’ grades going up.
The post-marking adjustments were made by the State Examinations Commission (SEC) after the exam papers were marked in the normal way. The increase in marks was, on average, 7.5 per cent.
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Continuing with these high grade levels means Leaving Cert results are at unprecedentedly high levels for a fifth successive year, with knock-on consequences for CAO points.
A number of senior higher education figures have expressed concern that high grades are making it difficult to differentiate between top candidates, given so many students are achieving top marks.
It is likely that colleges will have to use random selection to choose candidates in some high-demand and high-points courses when college offers issue next Wednesday.
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The move to keep grades inflated will also disadvantage students from Northern Ireland and further afield who have applied for university places here.
A-level results in the UK, for example, have returned to pre-pandemic norms, which means students there are competing with Irish candidates on inflated grades.
Grades surged during the Covid-19 era due to the use of teacher-predicted marks for the first time and measures aimed at giving candidates more choice in exams to make up for disruption to their education.
However, the Minister has pledged to begin a “phased” approach to returning Leaving Cert results to more normal patterns next year.
As a consequence, the class of 2025 is set to receive results which will be lower than the aggregate results for this year’s candidates.
Critics have pointed out that any controversy linked to students missing out on college places as a result is likely to fall upon Ms Foley’s successor as minister, if she is no longer in the post following the general election.
Today, meanwhile, almost 61,000 Leaving Cert students will be able to avail of their results online from 10am. CAO offers for college places are due to issue on Wednesday.
The SEC has confirmed that this year’s results are at the same level on the aggregate as in 2023, with no additional grade inflation.
To give an indication of the extent to which grades are higher than normal, a total of 14 per cent of candidates who sat higher level papers this year scored top grades, or H1s. This compares to about 5-6 per cent of candidates who scored top grades of H1s in the years before the pandemic.
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The SEC also said it intends to issue the results of any Leaving Cert appeals on Friday, September 27th, while Junior Cycle results will issue on Wednesday, October 9th, a week earlier than last year.
In a statement, Ms Foley said today was a “momentous day” in the lives of almost 61,000 students across Ireland.
“Whether your next step will take you into the world of further or higher education, an apprenticeship, work, or other possibilities, I would like to wish you every success and happiness for all to come,” she said.
Irish Secondary School Union president Jack McGinn said this year’s cohort of students had experienced Covid lockdowns and remote online learning, alongside the usual challenges the Leaving Cert brings.
“These unique challenges make this day even more special,” he said.
– The Irish Times exam help desk (irishtimes.com/helpdesk), staffed by our team of guidance counsellors, will be available to answer students’ queries online from 12pm on Friday
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