Wait is over for 60,000 students as Leaving Cert results released today

The wait ends today for over 60,000 former secondary school students as they take delivery of the 2022 Leaving Certificate results.

A total of 60,210 candidates registered for the Leaving Certificate examination this year and 3,173 candidates registered for the final year examinations in the Leaving Certificate Applied.

When they go to their schools or log in to access their Leaving Cert results through the Candidate Self Service Portal (CSSP) this morning, this year’s cohort will do so almost three weeks later than the traditional mid-August release date.

The deferral of examinations to July for students unable to sit examinations in June due to illness or bereavement was one reason for the delay. An increase in the number of candidates was another factor, and there was also an increased demand for examiners which proved a challenge to meet again this year.

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But an added factor this year was the need to ensure measures adopted in previous years due to Covid-19 would not adversely impact the results of this year’s exam class.

The format of the Leaving Cert had to be significantly altered during the pandemic and a system based on teachers’ estimates was used in 2020 while a hybrid option was adopted in 2021.

However, the move away from the traditional format saw average grades increase across the board over the last two years, resulting in some students being pushed out of contention for college courses they would have normally qualified for.

It was clear that a way would have to be found to somehow work grade inflation out of the system.

The hybrid model was dispensed with for this year and the Class of 22 became the first cohort in three years to sit a full set of Leaving Certificate examinations.

The primary measure announced by Minister for Education Norma Foley designed to counter the impact of grade inflation was a commitment that the overall set of Leaving Certificate results in 2022 would not be any lower than those issued in 2021.

Marks would be increased if necessary through a system of “post-marking intervention” to ensure they would be no lower than last year’s results.

Whether these measures will be enough to ensure the Class of 2022 is not disadvantaged when it comes to securing college places remains to be seen but it is likely that next year’s class will require similar measures to ensure they do not suffer the consequences either.

CAO Round One

For those who receive their results today, the focus will quickly shift to next week and the first round of CAO offers which are due to be released next Thursday at 2pm. As soon as they receive their results, students who have applied for a third-level place through the CAO will invariably seek to convert their Leaving Cert results into points. They can do this by using the CAO’s points calculator at cao.ie/?page=points_calc or they can use a table such as the one below as a quick reference.

The CAO had 78,162 college applications this year which sits just below last year’s all-time high of 79,303. The processing schedule for the CAO’s round one offers begins once colleges receive the Leaving Cert exam results data from the State Examinations Commission.

Round two offers will follow on September 19th at 10am.

Before then, students will have access to a range of online services relating to their results, including a breakdown of their results by component, an option to view marked scripts and the appeal application process itself.

These can be accessed through the Candidate Self Service Portal.

Digs

Soaring rents, rising student numbers and a critical shortage of private rented accommodation has led to third-level institutions appealing directly to homeowners to let a room under the Government’s rent-a-room scheme.

Ensuring the availability of affordable accommodation for students is likely to be one of the greatest challenges facing the third-level education sector in the coming years.

Third-level institutions have had to defer their enrolment process for first-year students by up to three weeks as a result of the late Leaving Cert results.

Continuing third-level students have already had a head start in the rental market which is likely to complicate matters even further for the new crop of first-years as they begin their search for somewhere to stay.

The Irish Times will continue to provide coverage online, in mobile and in print over the coming days and weeks.

Coverage will include news, analysis and expert opinion, plus advice and updates from students, teachers and experts.

Guidance counsellors Brian Howard and Deirdre Garrett will be on hand to answer questions about college offers and any unforeseen fallout from the overall results/CAO process. For more visit irishtimes.com/education