How to collect your Leaving Cert results

There are two ways for students to get their Leaving Cert results. You can collect them in person from your school from 9am on August 13th or you can wait a little while longer and view them online.

The results are out a day earlier than usual this year due to a rejigged schedule. About 700 school principals will have collected them from their local post offices at the first opportunity on the day of release. After reviewing how their students have fared, they will prepare for the school doors to open at 9am, which is the earliest opportunity students will get to view their results.

There is merit in calling to the school to collect the results as teachers and guidance counsellors will be on hand to talk to and advise students who may not have done as well as anticipated. Sometimes, a quiet word of advice can make the difference.

Understandably, most students opt to collect them in person from the school but the latter option might well suit those who are away or unable for whatever reason to collect them themselves.

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Whichever option you choose, and no matter where you are, you will probably experience some excitement and a little trepidation before you discover how you did. If collecting them in person, you will have the opportunity to meet your classmates outside while waiting for the signal from the principal to collect that envelope. When you get that envelope into your hand, you should take a few minutes and move away from your friends to read your grades.

If you feel a specific grade in one or more subjects falls below your expectations, you will have the opportunity to apply to view that script on the new Leaving Cert Self-Service Portal.

If you are not collecting the results in person, you can do so instead through the Candidate Self-Service Portal on examinations.ie. The results will also be on the SEC's website from 10am.

What is the Candidate Self-Service Portal?

In line with changes required to bring forward the Leaving Certificate appeals process this year, the State Examinations Commission has developed a Candidate Self-Service Portal.

The portal is an extension of the SEC’s online examination results service and the application to view scripts, the viewing of scripts marked online, the appeal application and the appeal results services are being provided exclusively online this year.

To access the range of results, viewing and appeals services, students must have registered with the portal. Not only are these services being provided earlier than in previous years but the time window for accessing these services is narrow. Students will not have much time to decide whether they want to view their scripts or to appeal the results.

Do I need to register on the portal?

It is worth registering with the portal if you want to get your component marks, view scripts or appeal any of your results.

How do I register?

Students will have received a letter in June containing their exam number and a PIN. This letter was accompanied by an information leaflet containing information about the guide to the simple registration process.

Registration requires the student to use their Leaving Cert exam number and PIN in the initial step. They will then be asked to provide an email address and a mobile phone number. They will need to create a password and the final step is to activate the account by replying to a link that will be sent by email.

Students will then log in to the portal using their account details (exam number and password) to access all the services which will become available, commencing with the results.

What if I did not receive my PIN letter from my school?

If you did not receive the PIN letter from your school, please ensure you ask the school authority to provide this to you as you need this information to complete the registration process.

I am an external candidate – how do I get my PIN?

The SEC posted this to your contact address.

What do I do if I have not already registered – can I do this now?

The time windows for making decisions about viewing scripts and appealing results have changed. The windows are shorter, and the deadlines are much earlier than was the case previously. If a student has not registered and is now in a state of panic, they need to calm down and just get on with completing the process this morning. If they wait beyond this morning to complete the registration process, they run the risk of missing the deadlines for applying for services.

Where do I get more information about the portal?

Link to information about the portal is examinations.ie.

The email address for assistance is candidateportal@examinations.ie.

Where do I get more information?

Refer to the SEC’s Candidate Information Booklet on examinations.ie. It explains the results process, how to view scripts and how to appeal a result.

Calculate your CAO points

You are likely to do this exercise only once in a lifetime and it is easy to get it wrong and cause yourself and your parents’ unnecessary anxiety. So, take a few minutes away from the excitement and carefully determine your CAO points score. You should have a points chart to hand and your teachers or guidance counsellor will help you make sure your calculations are correct.

No matter how you did, it is worth remembering that success comes in many forms. For one student, a score of 560 points may be devastating in terms of studying veterinary medicine at UCD; for another, 250 points may represent a huge achievement. Whatever your results, accept them as a fair reflection of your work over the past six years.

Remember, you count the best six scores you’ve achieved across all subjects. If you did the LCVP and your score for the module is better than your lowest of the six scores, you can include the LCVP instead. If you got at least a D3 in higher-level maths, you add 25 to the normal points score attached to the grade you achieved.

There are some slight variations in how points are calculated by some third-level colleges, and all such variations are clearly outlined in the CAO handbook. If you cannot find your copy, it is online at cao.ie.