Release of Junior Cert results to be delayed by three weeks

Junior Cert results are to be delayed by three weeks this year as the marking of Leaving Cert appeals are prioritised.

This year, students will not receive their Junior Cert results until Friday, October 4 as the State Examinations Commission (SEC) processes the highest number of Leaving Cert appeals on record.

With 4% of all Leaving Cert grades to be appealed this year, there was a 74% increase in the number of students seeking a second opinion on a result in 2019 when compared to last year.

This year, Leaving Cert appeals are also due to be released roughly three weeks earlier than before following changes to the timetable introduced this year by the Department of Education.

These changes follow a landmark ruling in 2018 won by Rebecca Carter, a Wexford student who challenged the decision by the SEC not to re-check her points score in time to allow her to gain her preferred college place.

In a statement, the State Examinations Commission (SEC) said it notified schools that there could be an impact on the issue date for the Junior Cycle results when the Leaving Cert appeals timetable was changed earlier this year.

Schools received a circular letter in February to advise that Junior Cert results would be issued in late September, the SEC added.

"The SEC is planning to conclude the resulting processes for Junior Cycle in late September. The change to the issue date this year has presented the opportunity to change the day of issue from the traditional Wednesday to a Friday issue day. This has been requested of SEC from time to time and we have had an agreement to this change of day from all of the stakeholders."

While it has received more appeals than anticipated, the SEC is reassuring Leaving Cert students that appeal results should be issued by the week beginning September 16 as planned.

Meanwhile, Sinn Féin's education spokesman, Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire, described the delay as unacceptable to students who sat their Junior Cert: “It is simply unacceptable that students who sat their Junior Cert in June of this year will not get their results until at least October. Many students put a lot of time and effort into their State exams, and it must be extremely disappointing for them to discover that they will not get their results next Wednesday as expected.”

"It is my understanding that schools are yet to be notified and are due to receive correspondence from the State Exams Commission this coming Friday; days before results had been expected."

395,264 grades were issued to 56,071 candidates taking the Leaving Certificate established and vocational programmes in 2019.

More than 17,000 appeal applications came from more than 9,000 students. Music saw a 192% increase in the number of students seeking an appeal of their final grade, with Irish, biology, French and engineering also seeing high increases in appeals.