Dáil Éireann Debate, Wednesday - 14 October 2020
38. Deputy Bernard J. Durkan asked the Minister for Education the degree to which outstanding issues relating to the upgrading or downgrading of leaving certificate marks has been resolved to the satisfaction of students; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [30271/20]
Amharc ar fhreagraOn 03 October I announced that improved Calculated Grades would issue that day to students impacted by the errors that were found in the Calculated Grades process.
As a result of rectification of the errors, a total of 6,100 students have received higher grades. This breaks down as follows:
- 5,408 students have received a higher grade, by one grade band, in one subject,
- 621 students have received a higher grade, by one grade band, in two subjects,
- 71 students have received a higher grade, by one grade band, in three or more subjects.
CAO Round 4 offers issued on 8 October. As part of that round, I understand that 485 CAO applicants received new offers on this date on foot of having improved results following the errors in the Calculated Grades. These 485 applicants received 422 Level 8 offers and 75 Level 7/6 offers between them.
All of these applicants have an opportunity to start the courses offered in Round 4 in the current academic year.
The Leaving Certificate system has a well-established practice of not reducing the marks or grades of students who have not appealed their results, but who through an appeal by another student or other systemic check are identified as somebody who received higher marks or grades than were merited.
In keeping with that principle, and mindful of the fact that the mistake was not the students’ mistake, students who received higher grades as a result of the errors in the Calculated Grades system will not be downgraded. The Leaving Certificate results of these students will remain unchanged as they do every year in these circumstances.
There has been an increase in the numbers of available places in colleges so that improved CAO offers can be made to all candidates who would have been entitled to them. There were also extensive additional higher education places in 2020 – the most places ever offered – and the Department of Further and Higher Education and the higher education institutions are fully committed to providing further places to accommodate all students who are entitled to improved CAO offers.
As candidates receive and accept improved recent CAO offers, they will move from one course to another and this will create the potential for further offers to other candidates in succeeding rounds of the CAO. This will mean an overall increase in the numbers of students in third-level education and will lessen any risk of candidates not being able to participate in third-level education.
I also announced on 3 October that I had asked that a comprehensive independent review of the design and implementation of the Calculated Grades process should take place when the process is complete. The full scope of the review will be clearly set out in advance.
