Students around Ireland will not receive their Leaving Certificate results until early September, the Department of Education announced today.
In a statement released this evening, the department confirmed that calculated grades will be made available on Wednesday September 7, with first round CAO offers going out on September 11. This is more than three weeks later than the usual release date, which is ordinarily in mid-August.
Students will be able to formally opt-in to receiving calculated grades from next Monday, July 20, when the Student Portal goes online. 61,000 students are eligible this year, and those who registered for the system when it initially opened in May will receive a text on Monday afternoon.
Addressing students directly in the statement, Minister for Education Norma Foley said: “Calculated Grades will provide you with a formal record of your work and achievements in second-level school. They will be fair and reliable, and will be accepted by employers and colleges.”
She added that results will “operate seamlessly with the CAO system and UCAS in the UK.”
The release of the statement follows questions addressed to Minister Foley in the Dáil earlier today. Labour TD Aodhán Ó Ríordáin asked for confirmation that release of results was being delayed, but the Minister did not then commit to a specific time frame.
Replying to Mr Ó Ríordáin, she promised that “whatever announcements are made and arrangements put in place there will be a joined-up approach and no student will be disadvantaged in any shape or form”.
She added that students would soon have an opportunity to “re-engage with the portal regarding their desire to receive calculated grades. At that time the date for receipt of those results will also be revealed.” The timetable was then clarified in the department’s press release some hours later.
Third level institutions across the country have already announced their plans to delay the start of classes by several weeks due to the pandemic. Trinity’s Michelmas term is scheduled to begin on September 28, with orientation for new students starting on September 21.
