Grades rise ‘proves need for exam changes’

RISING numbers of college applicants getting top grades in the Leaving Certificate highlight the need to introduce changes that will reduce pressure on students, a parents’ representative has claimed.

Figures from the Central Applications Office (CAO), which processes entry to most third-level undergraduate courses, show that almost 17% of the 55,223 Leaving Certificate students applying for places this year had at least 450 points. The maximum score in the CAO system is 600 points, only possible with six A1s in higher level subjects.

By comparison, only 15% of students in 2001 had similar grades and 12.6% of CAO applicants three years earlier had 450 points. There has also been a fall in the number students with less than 200 points applying for college places, from almost 34% in 1998 to less than 27% this year.