Tom Byrne, 24 May
The State Examinations Commission (SEC), intends to issue the 2023
Leaving Certificate and Leaving Certificate Applied examination results
to candidates on Friday 25 August.
Following the announcement at the start of the school year by Minister
for Education Norma Foley TD, of the adjustments to the assessment
arrangements for students taking examinations in 2023, and the
Minister’s commitment that there would be no ‘cliff edge’ or automatic
return to pre-pandemic grade profiles for Leaving Certificate results
this year, the SEC has been engaged in the planning and delivery of all
aspects of the examinations across Leaving Certificate, Leaving
Certificate Applied and Junior Cycle examination programmes.
The intended Leaving Certificate results day of Friday 25 August is a
full week earlier than the 2022 results date. This follows extensive
work by the SEC to improve the timeline to the greatest possible degree
taking account of all of the factors which feed into the process and
ensuring adequate time for extensive checks and balances.
Some 134,800 candidates are entered to take the certificate
examinations this year, an increase of almost 2.6% (+3400) compared to
last year, which was the first time a full set of examinations were run
since 2019. Of the total, 60,200 are entered to sit the Leaving
Certificate Established examinations while 3,800 are entered to sit the
Leaving Certificate Applied examinations.
Similar to 2022, there are a number of significant factors which have
made providing a date for the issue of the Leaving Certificate results
difficult until now. There will again be a series of deferred
examinations for candidates who miss their examinations in the main
sitting due to close family bereavement or serious illness, accident or
injury.
The SEC has set out to address shortages in the number of teachers
undertaking roles with the SEC, especially to mark the written
examinations, through a whole-of-system review, in which all of the
education partners were included. Arising from this process which has
included a revitalised recruitment campaign, enhanced rates of payment,
and very active support from teacher unions, school leadership and
management bodies, the number of written examiners is at a higher level
than at this time in 2022.
The commitment to avoid a “cliff-edge” in the profile of results is
likely to require an adjustment to the marks awarded to students
through the marking process which can only be applied once all of the
marking has been completed. This step will add time to the results
process in comparison to a normal (pre-Covid) year.
The SEC has an absolute responsibility to examination candidates to
ensure that their work is marked to the highest standards of quality
and integrity and the Commission must be able to stand over the results
it issues each year.
Results will issue to candidates through the Candidate Self Service
Portal available at www.examinations.ie and
on www.gov.ie/leavingcertificate. The SEC will be issuing a direct
communication to candidates by email about the planned date for issue
of the Leaving Certificate results and about the arrangements for their
examinations more generally.