Carl O’Brien: ‘Day five is done - and the hardest part is over’

So, day five is done. With English, Irish and maths now tamed, students have already faced down the big beasts of the Leaving Cert with focus and determination. That’s something to be truly proud of.

It helped that both Irish paper two and biology had such good responses from students and teachers alike. It’s a big confidence booster after some challenging maths papers.

We were reminded of when Dr Tom Crawford, who teaches maths at the University of Oxford and the University of Cambridge, decided to try his hand at the Leaving Cert maths paper in real time on YouTube.

His response? “It was a slog. I need to lie down’.

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Students

To students: you’ve shown resilience, discipline and courage. Every exam you finish is a step closer to the finish line. Whether today went exactly as you hoped or not, remember – it’s the overall journey that counts. Keep going. You’re doing better than you think.

Parents

To parents and guardians: your encouragement, patience and quiet support make all the difference. This is the foundation helping these young people stay grounded and keep striving.

There are still papers ahead, but the hardest part – getting into the rhythm and facing the fear – is done.

Post-marking adjustment: how will it work exactly?

We’ve had a few queries from parents asking about how the postmarking adjustment will affect exam results this year.

As you may know, exams will be marked as normal and, when this is completed, the grades will be increased to a level that is 5.5 per cent above pre-Covid norms on aggregate.

These marks that are added on at the end are separate from the marks a candidate gets in the exam itself: you’ll be able to see how much has been added on in each subjects in the candidate portal in late August.

Will all exam results be inflated by 5.5 per cent?

No – and the extent to which marks are added will vary.

For example, last year authorities were aiming to keep the 2024 results the same, on aggregate, as the 2023 results. The gap between then was narrower at the upper grades and wider at the lower grades.

So, the postmarking adjustment gave more marks at the lower end of the marking scale than at the upper end to deal with this.

For example, the adjustment was +12.1 per cent of the examination total at the very bottom of the marking scale, and gradually reduced to +4.8 per cent of the exam total at the very top of the scale.

We hope that clears it up for you.

If you have any further questions, feel free to fill in this below.

How are we doing?

If you are a parent/ guardian of a Leaving Cert student, we’d love to hear from you.

Maybe you have a personal story to share, have a burning question or want to comment on the exams, CAO and further education applications process.

Please click the link to send us your questions or feedback: https://www.research.net/r/LeavingCert