Naoise Ó Muirí (Dublin Bay North, Fine Gael)
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430. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills if his Department has considered weighting the CAO points of former students to ensure parity with this year’s Leaving Certificate students; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [18189/25]

James Lawless (Kildare North, Fianna Fail)
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The Central Applications Office (CAO) is a not-for-profit company created by the Irish Higher Education Institutions (HEIs). It processes applications for undergraduate, and some postgraduate, courses on the behalf of HEIs. Neither I nor my Department have a role in the operation of the CAO, and queries on points ascribed to Leaving Certificate results are a matter for the CAO and HEIs.

I understand that the Leaving Certificate can be a stressful time for students and their families. This includes the decisions for students in determining their pathways into work or continued education through the Further Education and Training or Higher Education systems.

My Department has been working tirelessly with the higher education and further education sectors to provide increased opportunities and pathways, helping to reduce pressure and open doors to a bright future. I am committed to supporting students, as evidenced by the creation of additional places in high-demand courses such as medicine, nursing, pharmacy, and therapy disciplines. 2025 will also see the introduction of a new dentistry programme. In addition, I am continuing to expand pathways into higher education through Tertiary programmes, part-time supports and new apprenticeships. This will reduce the stress of the “points race” and CAO application process for thousands of students across the country.

My officials are continuing to engage with colleagues in the Department of Education and State Exams Commission (SEC) on this matter. I am supportive of my Cabinet colleague Minister McEntee and her officials as they commence the phased and gradual return to normal Leaving Certificate outcomes, which will begin in 2025. It is widely recognised that it is appropriate to return over time to normal arrangements for Leaving Certificate outcomes in line with the announcement made by the Minister for Education last year (17 April 2024), that the return to normal Leaving Certificate outcomes would begin in 2025.

It is my understanding that this is being done gradually in line with the commitment that there would be no “cliff edge” in overall results so as to minimise, in so far as possible, the impact on students. I am aware that the SEC will again apply a post-marking adjustment after all marking is complete, which, this year, will bring results in the aggregate to a point broadly midway between 2020 and 2021 levels. The Department of Education and SEC will review the process for the following year. The examinations and assessment adjustments that have applied in recent years continue to apply for students in 2025.

This is a complex issue and there is no simple solution. But on balance, the gradual approach to returning Leaving Certificate results to normal is as fair as possible. This approach has been taken in other jurisdictions, including Northern Ireland.