Better exam results may hike degree cut-off

There are almost 600 more students than last year who scored more than 450 points in the Leaving Cert competition for college places, which are due to be offered on Monday.

The Central Applications Office received data earlier this week from the State Examinations Commission about the results of just over 54,000 people who got Leaving Certificate results on Wednesday. Almost 46,000 of them are among 77,977 people to seek college places through the CAO.

The figures show that 11,345 got 450 out of a 600 maximum points, as the figures do not include any bonus points for maths. The figure is up from 10,754 this time last year, or from 20.4% to 21% of all Leaving Certificate candidates.

Also revealed in the CAO statistics is that:

n3,688 students had between 500 and 545 points, 6.8% of those who took this year’s exam;

- That is up from 3,400, or 6.4%, in 2013;

- Three fewer than last year had 550 points or more, (1,562, or 2.9% of this year’s school leavers);

- 345 or 350 points were the scores of middle-ranked students, slightly higher than last year.

The 9,584 with 200 to 295 points is just 18 more than last year and represents 17.7% of this year’s students, down from 18.1% in 2013.

There are 4,771 with fewer than 100 points — down from 9.7% to 8.8% of Leaving Certificate students. But there were 345 fewer repeat and external candidates than a year ago, which may include students taking one or two subjects only, down from 4,691 to 4346

The impact of these figures on CAO points requirements will be unclear until Monday, but it could mean higher cut-offs for many degrees which traditionally have higher points. Any increases could be further influenced by the rise from over 12,500 to nearly 14,000 in the numbers with 25 bonus points for passing higher-level maths.

Last year, when bonus points recipients also increased, but fewer students than the year before had 500 points or more, the first-round points for 41% of all 1,370 courses went up.

The use of bonus points for other subjects, but only counting towards entry for related college courses, is likely to be recommended to universities among a range of reforms. However, it will probably not be until 2017, when students beginning fifth-year in September 2015 do the Leaving Certificate, that any changes are introduced. Also being looked at are the possibility of using personal statements, aptitude tests, or counting a student’s rank within their own school, to select third-level entrants in addition to their exam results.

lThe Round 1 points for all CAO courses will appear in the 16-page Choices for College supplement with Monday’s Irish Examiner, which also features advice on accepting offers, what to do if you did not get one, grants and budgeting, accommodation, and alternatives to higher education.