Error in Leaving Cert results declaration; Students are concerned about their higher education as they have received incorrect grades

Dublin: The Department of Education has confirmed that an error occurred in the announcement of the Leaving Cert results. About 6,500 Leaving Cert students did not get the marks they deserved.

It has now been confirmed that their grades are incorrect. The number may increase further. The issue was confirmed by Education Minister Norma Foley. The exact number is not yet known, the minister said.

The problem was two coding errors in the system used to standardise this year’s mark. This error from the Irish government has affected the future of 10% of students. Students who received a lower grade than expected were unable to pursue the desired higher studies. Few of them accepted low-grade offers.

The future education of the students is in doubt due to the fault of the education department. The full extent of the problem will only come to light after a review being carried out by a US company is completed.

Minister Norma Foley said she would inform the concerned students as soon as the review was completed, but they could not even say when the review would be completed. So all the students are confused. Although the minister apologised for the mistake, the issue is still pending.

The coding was developed by a Canadian company Polymetrika.

The error occurred when the moderation junior certificate issued by the Department of Education was used in the results.

Instead of selecting the two subjects with the highest marks after English, Irish and Mathematics, the system considered the two subjects with the lowest marks. The system also mistakenly included Junior Cycle marks from the subject CSPE.

The minister said most of the students who get better grades will get upgradation in only one subject. Few students get high grades in more than one subject. The Minister said that the students who are eligible for the top CAO offer will get that offer and will be guaranteed admission in that course this year. Students who receive renewed grades may receive a better CEO offer. They may have already paid the fees for another course. The Department of Higher Education said such students can accept the new offer without paying extra fees.

Minister Foley said the CAO and higher education institutions would consider students who receive the revised higher grades in the review eligible for a higher priority offer in the previous rounds of the CAO process.

The Minister said that in collaboration with the CAO and higher education institutions, facilities will be provided for students who get revised results to start the course. She said the Leaving Cert exam will go ahead as planned in November and students will be able to choose the grade that benefits them the most.

Minister Foley will make a statement on this in the Dáil this afternoon. A more detailed Q&A session will be held next week. In any case, it is expected that there will be a commotion in Dáil over the Leaving Cert error.

Meanwhile, Harold Hislop, Chief Inspector at the Department of Education, reiterated that none of the grades issued on September 7 would be reduced. He also explained that those who are offered under the CAO system have the option to get that position. About 54,000 students applied for the CAO process. 24,500 first priority offers have already been made – Hislop said.

Higher Education Minister Simon Harris said an additional 1,000 college seats were needed to fix bugs in the grade system. He told, the Fine Gael parliamentary party meeting that 3,000 successful appeal has been received last year, which required 600 seats.

Sinn Féin leader Mary Lou MacDonald has accused the education system of collapsing. Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire, the party’s education spokesman, said the situation was “absolutely extraordinary”. The department should clarify whether third level education will be allowed this year for students who have been demoted through the wrong system. Laoghaire said a number of questions remain to be answered, including whether their third-level admission will be postponed to next year.