John Lahart (Dublin South West, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

The weather outside is absolutely stunning, which can mean only one thing: leaving certificate students are knee-deep in preparation for mock exams and the leaving certificate season. I send my best wishes to them. This morning, I wish to ask about leaving certificate grade inflation, a subject on which I know the Minister has received a lot of correspondence. Apparently, 25% of those competing for CAO places in the autumn of this year will have completed their leaving certificate over a number of previous years.

The concerns of the leaving certificate students in my constituency are that the 2025 students are competing at a systemic disadvantage. They fear they may risk losing CAO places, not because of their academic ability but because of inconsistent grading standards, as they see it. They also fear the current system undermines the integrity and fairness of the CAO process. What can the Minister say to reassure them as they head into probably the most challenging academic period of their lives?

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