Michael Moynihan (Cork North-West, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Deputies for the question. It gives me an opportunity to outline the issue from the side of the Department. It is under the remit of the Minister, Deputy McEntee in this regard.

I am conscious that the leaving certificate can be a very stressful time for students and their families. This includes the stress of the examinations themselves and the decisions for students in determining their pathways into work or continued education. Following the implementation of calculated grades in 2020 and the dual approach of examinations and accredited grades in 2021, two types of intervention have been implemented in recent years. These are the adjustments to examination and assessments arrangements and a post-marking adjustment to outcomes. The first of these - the adjustments to assessment arrangements - assisted students by leaving intact the familiar overall structure of the examinations while incorporating additional choice for students.

In some cases, the adjustment measures provide more time for tuition, for example, by reducing preparation work for practical examinations. The adjustments to the assessment arrangements have been applied in recent years and will continue to apply in the 2025 leaving certificate year. The second intervention, the post-mapping adjustments, has ensured the results in the aggregate have remained the same as an average since 2021. Aggregated grades rose significantly in 2020 by 4.4 percentage points and by a further 2.6 percentage points in 2021.

It is widely recognised we must return towards pre-pandemic levels. In April 2024, it was announced by the then Minister for Education, Deputy Foley, that this would be done gradually in line with the commitment that there would be no cliff edge in overall results. In 2025, the State Examinations Commission, SEC, will again apply a post-marking adjustment after all markings are completed. This will bring results in the aggregate to the point broadly midway between 2020 and 2021 levels, resulting in the aggregate for 2025 being expected to be above the 2019 levels by at least 5.5 percentage points on average. This return will be done in a gradual way to minimise the impact on students so far as is possible.

The CAO system is distinct from operations and accreditations of the leaving certificate by the State Examinations Commission and access to higher education is a matter for the Department for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science. My Department is working closely with the Department for further and higher education, which has emphasised it is strongly committed to supporting students, as evidenced in the creation of additional places in several high-demand courses in recent years. These additional places have been created in medicine, nursing, pharmacy and the therapy disciplines, among others. I have been advised that further additionalities in place for 2025 include a new programme in dentistry.

The Department has also been advised the proportion of higher education entrants who complete their leaving certificate the previous year is typically approximately 13%. There currently are no indications of a significant variation this year in the proportion of students applying with pre-2025 leaving certificate results when compared to previous years.

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