GOING TO COLLEGE: Congratulations! You may have celebrated with a night on the town or a quiet night in with a video - like Vera Coughlan, of St Aloysius in Carrigtwohill, Co Cork, who got 600 points and six A1s.
Among callers to The Irish Times yesterday there were students delighted with 200 points, and a few who felt "robbed" though they got 580. How happy you were with your results depended entirely on your expectations.
One question that arose was: what is a Leaving Cert? Passes in five subjects is the answer.
While maximum Leaving Cert points are calculated by adding up the scores in your best six subjects, you do not need any more than five passes to be awarded the Leaving Cert.
If, say, you fail maths but pass five other subjects you've got your cert.
If the course you've applied to the CAO for doesn't require maths, then you will still be considered for the course as long as your other points are sufficient.
However, if you have failed a course that is necessary for entrance you will not be offered a place no matter how many points you have in other subjects. You may want to consider taking a PLC (post-leaving cert) course for a year, during which you can improve on the subject that you failed before resitting it next year.
Adding up the points and checking them against last year's CAO list was the top priority for third-level bound students yesterday. Nobody can be certain until the CAO offers are made on Tuesday, but last year's points should give a fair idea.
There was some confusion over how to count LCVP courses into the total.
Link modules - which are Leaving Cert vocational exams - may be counted for points, but may not be used to meet minimum entry requirements.
If a hypothetical course requires English, Irish, French, maths and geography, you count these six scores towards your total. For the sixth course you may add an LCVP score, which you will want to do if it is higher than your sixth Leaving Cert score.
Universities give an LCVP grade of "distinction" 50 points, "merit" 40 points and "pass" 30 points. Institutes of Technology, fairly or not, give higher points for LCVP grades. "Distinction" is 70 points, "merit" is 50 and "pass" is 30 points.
Another way to boost points is to do well in maths and apply to the University of Limerick. The university awards applicants 40 bonus points for an A1 in higher maths, 30 points for an A2 and on down the list in increments of five. For details see Page 6 of the CAO handbook.
Bonus points for higher maths are also awarded to applicants to Dublin Institute of Technology in electrical and electronic engineering and a number of science subjects.
Some students were disappointed yesterday to learn that the points they achieved are insufficient to qualify them for any course for which they applied.
All is not lost. These candidates should look for "vacant places" - last-minute openings which occur in both Irish and UK colleges.
The CAO website will be listing vacant places starting from Tuesday.
And from today, the British version of the CAO - UCAS - will start listing its vacant places. Check www.ucas.ac.uk. When you find one that appeals, contact the college's admissions officer directly.
Another option for those whose points are lower than expected is to take a two-year certificate or three-year diploma in an Institute of Technology. If you achieve a credit or distinction in your IT certificate or diploma, you may then apply to transfer to a university. Again, contact IT admissions officers directly as they are always delighted to get good students.
Some callers to The Irish Times Leaving Cert helpline yesterday were wondering if we had forgotten to list points for certain courses on the CAO list. No, we didn't omit them. We haven't got them. A course's points are mainly determined by the calibre of students who apply. For example, TCD has introduced two certs and a diploma in dental nursing. We won't know what the points level for entry is until the CAO processes the scores of those who have applied.
You have an option to ask to view your paper in the hope that your mark will be re-examined and revised upwards. You must apply to your secondary school by Wednesday next and pay €33 per subject to do this. You will be given an appointment on August 29th or 30th, and you may bring one person with you, ideally your subject teacher.
Irish Times Helpline: (Telephone 1850 200592/3)
Kathryn Holmquist, Education Correspondent, and the careers expert, Sile Sheehy, will be available to take your queries from 10 a.m.-2 p.m.
Or log on to Skoool.ie, Ireland's leading education website. E-mail your queries from 9 a.m.-9 p.m. today.