Colman Noctor: What about the Leaving Cert students who fall short? Six tips for parents

If your child fails to get the points or CAO offer they had hoped to achieve, parental support is vital 

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The wait is over - the Leaving Certificate results and the CAO offers are out and the dreams of more than 50,000 young people will be realised or dashed.   

Regardless of our criticisms of the process and the ‘fairness’ of the Leaving Cert system, it is one of the most significant milestones in a student’s life.  The pressure attached to the results is growing too. When the CAO system was introduced in 1992, only 6% of students reached 450 points, rising to over 54% achieving between 400-500 points in 2022.