Mary Lou McDonald (Dublin Central, Sinn Fein)
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164. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills the contingency plans to oversee the admissions process for further and higher education for the 2020-2021 academic year. [5627/20]

Joe McHugh (Donegal, Fine Gael)
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As I announced on Friday 8th May, a decision has been made to postpone the Leaving Certificate and to offer students a system of calculated grades. These calculated grades will form the basis of admission to further and higher education in the same way that Leaving Certificate grades are used.

Students’ calculated grades will be transferred directly to the CAO, in the same way that examination results usually are. The CAO timelines will run as close as possible to normal to allow for students to take up offers and to transition to tertiary education.

Students will also have the option to sit the Leaving Certificate exams at a later stage in the year. Those who receive an improved CAO offer on foot of these results will receive a deferred offer to start their course in the 2021/2022 academic year. If a candidate who has started the first year of a course becomes entitled to a higher CAO offer and chooses to accept it, attendance for the first year on the new course would remain eligible for free fees and SUSI funding as appropriate.