EXPLAINER: Why Leaving Cert grades are changing again - and what it means for students

Education Minister Helen McEntee has confirmed that Leaving Certificate grades in Ireland will continue to move closer to pre-Covid levels next year, as the the State Examinations Commission phases out the post-marking adjustments introduced during the pandemic.

Speaking this week, Minister McEntee said the changes were necessary to restore "long-term fairness and consistency" across exam years after years of inflated results.

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"We have to ensure that a Leaving Cert result in 2026 means the same as it did before the pandemic," the Minister said, "This will be done gradually, to give schools and students time to adjust."

The confirmation follows growing calls from teacher's unions and university admissions offices to bring grade standards back in line with pre-2020 averages. 

In practice, students sitting the Leaving Cert in the next two years could see slightly lower grades than their predecessors would have received for the same level of performance. Schools are being encouraged to focus on steady progress rather than panicking over points.

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However, parents' groups have warned that students sitting the exams over the next two years could now face tougher competition for college places as grades level out.

Universities and colleges across Ireland have already reported tighter margins for entry into popular courses such as psychology, law, and engineering with some students missing out by just a few points.

Minister McEntee has also launched the largest ever national survey of parents and guardians of primary and pre-school children which asks parents for their views on school ethos, co-education and Irish medium provision, as part of a wider discussion about diversity and inclusion in the education system.