Rechecks can make all the difference for students

STUDENTS have the option of appealing a grade in any Leaving Certificate subject but the advice is to take the chance to view the corrected exam paper in question first.

For a number of years, the State Examinations Commission (SEC) has allowed for the written exams to be checked by students before they decide whether to make an appeal.

Last year, almost 6,000 students appealed 10,333 grades that were issued in mid-August. These appeals resulted in 2,110 improved grades in almost 30 subjects. The biggest number of appeals was for higher level English, in which 1,605 of the 33,008 who sat the subject at that level sought a recheck. At the end of the process, 204 had been awarded an upgrade. More than 1,110 higher level biology results were appealed — resulting in almost 300 upgrades — and more than 900 appeals each were received in relation to grades for higher level geography and Irish.