James Browne (Wexford, Fianna Fail)
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209. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills if he will review the impact of leaving certificate changes on CAO applicants for the 2020-2021 college year that completed the leaving certificate in 2019; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [10729/20]

Joe McHugh (Donegal, Fine Gael)
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On Friday 8th May I announced the decision to postpone the 2020 Leaving Certificate and offer students calculated grades, which can be used as a basis for entry into tertiary education. This decision was made following the assessment of public health advice, and was made in the best interests of students and all those involved in running the state exams.

The system whereby calculated grades are generated includes a process of national standardisation in which marks and rankings submitted by schools will be examined and may be adjusted using statistical methods to ensure a common national standard is applied. Profiles of achievement at Leaving Certificate level over the last three years will be used as part of this process and this will help ensure that the grades issued remain in line with national performance standards over time.

However CAO points naturally fluctuate from year to year because of the volume of applications, the number of applicants who meet the entry requirement, the performance of applicants, and the number of places on offer.  It is not possible to predict whether points will go up or down in any year, due to these variable elements.