2024 results aggregate no lower on average than 2023
Minister delivers Leaving Cert update.
Minister for Education Norma Foley has announced the arrangements set to apply for the 2024 Leaving Certificate.
She confirmed that for 2024 the overall results in the aggregate will be no lower on average than those in 2023.
On foot of this announcement, the State Examinations Commission (SEC) has provided clarity to candidates about the intended date for the issue of the Leaving Certificate and Leaving Certificate Applied results later this year.
The SEC intends that the results of the 2024 Leaving Certificate and Leaving Certificate Applied examinations will issue to candidates on Friday, August 23.
This is in line with the date of issue of the results in 2023, which was a week earlier than the 2022 results date.
For 2024, the SEC will again apply a post-marking adjustment after all marking in the Leaving Certificate examinations is completed to ensure that the overall results in the aggregate are no lower on average than last year.
The results of the Leaving Certificate have been maintained at 2021 levels through the application of a post-marking adjustment in both 2022 and 2023. This requires a process of analysis to be undertaken on the marks achieved in the examinations and, on foot of this analysis, an adjustment to the marks awarded to candidates through the marking process.
By its nature, the post marking adjustment can only be applied once all of the marking has been completed and so this step adds time to the results process in comparison to a normal (pre-Covid) year.
The timeline for results must also allow sufficient time for an extensive range of quality assurance checks to be undertaken. 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.
The Minister also confirmed that the gradual return to normal Leaving Certificate outcomes will begin in 2025.
The SEC will be liaising with the Department of Education on the review of the 2025 experience to inform future decisions about the Leaving Certificate examinations and results.
Some 136,300 candidates are entered to take the certificate examinations this year, a slight increase on last year’s entries at the same point in time (+1%, 134,800 in March 2023).
Of the total, 62,700 are entered to sit Leaving Certificate Established or Leaving Certificate Applied examinations.
The 2024 Leaving Certificate Results will issue to candidates through the Candidate Self Service Portal available at www.examinations.ie and on www.gov.ie/leavingcertificate and to school authorities through the SEC’s Schools Portal. The SEC will be issuing direct communications to candidates and to schools about the planned date for issue of the 2024 Leaving Certificate results and about the arrangements for the examinations more generally.