55,500 students to get Leaving results tomorrow

TOMORROW marks the end of a nervous two-month wait for more than 55,500 Leaving Certificate students.

The State Examinations Commission (SEC) is delivering the eagerly awaited results to schools around the country today. The results will be available for collection by students tomorrow morning and for those unable to attend their school, including those who are overseas working or on holiday, an online results service will also be available from the SEC website (www.examinations.ie) from midday tomorrow. The service was used by more than 20,000 candidates last year from 40 countries, including New Zealand, Dubai, China, Thailand and Peru.

With their exam number and a personal identification number previously issued, exam candidates can also access their results by phone, by calling 1530 719 290 or from outside the Republic 00 353 1 6885312.

For more than 42,000 of those who get their results tomorrow, the real tension will be in the lead-up to offers of college places from the Central Applications Office (CAO) next Monday. They are among a record 68,112 applicants hoping to gain one of around 40,000 places on offer, with growing numbers of mature students and further education graduates competing with them each year.

The financial pressures felt by college students was highlighted by Institute of Guidance Counsellors (IGC) president Eilis Coakley yesterday, when she called on Education Minister Batt O’Keeffe to review the freeze on third-level grants.

“Students should not have to reject a place at third level because of financial constraints,” she said.

Ms Coakley was speaking at the launch of the National Parents Council post-primary student helpline which will be operated by IGC members, from 10am tomorrow and also on Thursday and Friday. They will offer advice on third-level courses, points calculation for Central Applications Office (CAO) applicants, exam appeals, repeat options and other issues of interest .

The service (free phone [phone]) will also operate three days the following week to coincide with the first round of college offers from the CAO on Monday, August 18.

Headsup Text, a free and confidential service operated by Rehab, expects a surge of contacts in the coming days from young people awaiting results and college offers. The service can be accessed by mobile phone on all networks by texting the word ‘Headsup’ to 50424, allowing young people to receive information on a range of topics, including teen issues, alcohol, suicide, drugs, relationships and mental health.

“It can be a particularly difficult time for students, whether they have concerns over their grades, decisions about their future or anxiety over starting college. While, for some, it is undoubtedly a time of celebration, for others it can still be a time of stress and isolation,” said Rehab chief executive Angela Kerins.