Leaving Cert class of 2023 awakes to adjusted grades
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More than two thirds of all grades were bumped up to ensure the Leaving Cert class of 2023 fared as well as last year's students.
As almost 62,000 Leaving Cert students receive their results on Friday, 291,100 of the 410,0000 exam grades have been adjusted upwards following the initial marking of this year’s Leaving Cert exam papers.
Following a direction from Education Minister Norma Foley that the 2023 results should be no lower in the main than in 2022, this year's marks were boosted by the State Examinations Commission (SEC) by an average of 7.9 through a post-marking adjustment to bring them in line with last year’s results.
SEC chairman Pat Burke said the measure is intended to ensure that the Leaving Cert class of 2023 is not disadvantaged when competing with the class of 2022 or previous years when it comes to education or employment opportunities.
While no further grade inflation was recorded during 2023, and the overall results are at the same level as last year, the rate of grade inflation remains at 7% across the board when compared to 2019 after four cycles of changes and upheaval to the exams caused by the covid-19 pandemic.
With no major drop-off in results, competition for college places is likely to remain tight again this year when the first round of CAO offers is issued to students on August 30.
For the Leaving Cert class of 2023, the exams in June were their first experience of State examinations after the cancellation of the Junior Cycle in 2020 due to the pandemic.
Over the course of the pandemic, exam papers have been adjusted to grant students more choice and flexibility during written exams.
However, this reverted somewhat for 2023, with the exam experience being closer to 2019, as there were not as many adjustments to the papers as during the pandemic years.
As a result, students' results were lower this year after the initial marking had been completed. Post adjustment, across the board, at all levels, the proportion of grades in each band is broadly similar this year to 2022.
However, data from the SEC shows the number of students receiving top marks in most higher-level subjects has remained at record highs when compared to 2019, pre-pandemic.
This includes Irish, which saw just over 6% of students taking the higher-level exam receiving a top mark in 2019 compared to 15.4% in 2023, and English, in which 3% of students at higher-level received a H1 in 2019 compared to 7.4 % in 2023.
This summer, the 2023 higher-level maths paper prompted widespread condemnation from students, parents, and teachers.
While the number of students receiving top marks in the subject fell this year when compared to last, from 3,848 to 2,236, the number of students failing the subject remained comparatively small. Feedback after the exam was taken into account by the SEC in its overall marking scheme.
Last year, Ms Foley indicated it was her intention to reduce grade inflation in stages over the coming years, and promised students that there would be no ‘cliff edge’ when it came to a drop-off in grades.
A spokesman for the minister confirmed that a decision regarding next year's exams has yet to be made.
A spokeswoman for the Department of Education said it is considering the approach for future years, and in doing so "seeks to balance all the impacts and ensure an approach that is as fair as possible given the circumstances, with the overarching aim of returning to normal grade levels in a phased way".
In a statement, Ms Foley congratulated the 61,736 students receiving their Leaving Certificate exam results.
"Whether the next step on your journey will take you to work, an apprenticeship, further or higher education, or other possibilities, I hope you can enjoy today and reflect on all that you have achieved so far to bring you to this point," she stated.