Dáil Éireann Debate, Wednesday - 13 January 2021
527. Deputy Jackie Cahill asked the Minister for Education when the results of the third appeal for leaving certificate results 2020 will be available; and when the results of the exams that were taken in October and November 2020 will be available. [1715/21]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe 2020 Leaving Certificate Calculated Grades appeals process has concluded and the appeal outcomes were made available to students on 16 October 2020 through the Calculated Grades Student Portal.
In the processing of the appeals, a total of 33,301 individual subject records belonging to 12,216 students were reviewed. This number excludes students who initially entered for an appeal but later withdrew their application.
As a result of the process, a total of 18 increased grades were awarded to 18 individual students.
The appeals process was a process review focussed on looking for errors in the transmission and processing of student data through the process. It was not possible to appeal the information (estimated percentage mark or rank order) provided by the school. Due to the nature of the Calculated Grades system the professional judgement of the school was outside of the appeals process. The design of the statistical model and the application of the national standardisation process was also outside of the scope of the appeals process.
The CAO were also notified of changes to students’ results on 16 October. Candidates who are eligible for a new offer as a result of the upgraded mark received following the appeals process will be contacted as soon as possible.
Students unhappy with the outcome of the above process could invoke a separate process to have their appeal reviewed by independent Appeals Scrutineers. These scrutineers are independent of my Department. The independent Appeals Scrutineers will check to ensure the correct procedures were followed throughout the appeals process. The scrutineers will have access to the records and documentation considered in the appeals process.
The closing date for application to this process was 23 October. Applications for this stage of the appeals process were submitted by 302 candidates in respect of 900 subject results. Every effort will be made to complete this review stage as quickly as possible and to provide the outcomes to students. At this stage, it is not possible to specify the exact timescale for completion of the review process.
The postponed Leaving Certificate 2020 written examinations concluded on 11 December.
The decision to hold the postponed examinations in November and December 2020 was taken in order to minimise the impact on candidates by holding the postponed examinations at the earliest possible date and to minimise the impact on the integrity of the school year to the greatest extent possible. It is expected that provisional results of these examinations will issue in February 2021.
