Third of this year’s Leaving Certificate grades bumped up
A record number of students will receive their results at 10am on Friday. File picture
More than one third of this year’s Leaving Certificate grades have been bumped up, as pandemic-era post-marking adjustments are set to be phased out completely from 2028.
A record number of students will receive their results at 10am on Friday, which have been adjusted post-marking by exam authorities more modestly than in recent years.
It comes after former minister for education Helen McEntee directed that the return to normal grades would continue on a “very gradual basis” with exam authorities keen to avoid a "cliff edge" plummeting of results.
The 2026 results were adjusted closer in line to those issued in 2020 as part of moves to tackle grade inflation, which ballooned due to the upheaval caused by the pandemic.
However, the number of top marks awarded this year still remains far higher than in pre-pandemic years, but lower than in 2025.
In 2026, 10.1% of higher-level grades received the top mark of H1, worth 100 CAO points in almost every subject. A H1 in higher level maths carries 125 points.
This 10.1% of top marks compares to 12.1% in 2025, post the appeals process, and 11.7% before.
This figure stood closer to 15% across 2024, 2023, and 2022.
However, in 2019, the last year the Leaving Cert ran as normal, this figure stood at 5.9%.
Exam authorities believe post-marking adjustments will need to remain next year to avoid a ‘cliff-edge’ drop for the class of 2027, but by 2028, results will be released without any statistical intervention.
Marks continued to be added to all results this year after the normal marking process had concluded, resulting in 35.5% (166,868) of grades increasing.
This is a significant drop when compared to the more than 52% grades that increased post-marking in 2025, and 68% in 2024.
The adjustment was applied to all marked exams by the State Examinations Commission (SEC).
Prior to any adjustments, this year’s results were similar but slightly stronger than in 2025.
The post-marking adjustment applied by the SEC does not remove marks, or bring a student's grade down.
More marks are applied to lower results, with the scale gradually declining towards higher results.
This ranged from 2.3 at the top of the scale, and 7 at the lower end.
The average adjustment was 4. This compares to 3.1 at the highest end in 2025, 10.3 at the bottom of the scale, and an overall average of 5.8.
Students will have access to their component marks, post-marking adjustment, and final mark from August 25.
The first round of CAO offers will be issued to students next Wednesday from 2pm.
Approximately 20,000 applicants to this year's CAO are presenting Leaving Certificate results from previous years.
A record number of candidates are receiving results today: 70,411 students, an increase of 15% in student numbers since 2024.
Education minister Hildegarde Naughton congratulated all students receiving their results today.
"I hope you take the time to celebrate this achievement, to reflect on everything you have accomplished, the friendships and memories you have made, and the contribution you have made to your school and wider community."
She also extended her congratulations to students receiving their Senior Cycle Level 1 and Level 2 Learning Programme results.
Tailored to students with complex needs, the young people who followed these programmes since 2024 will receive their results alongside their peers on Friday for the first time.
Ms Naughton said: "Today marks an important step forward for inclusive education and I wish every student receiving their results the very best for the future."
ASTI president Richie Bell encouraged students to stay calm and consider all options in the coming weeks and days.
"There are many ways of getting to where you want to go in today’s world," Mr Bell said. "There is plenty to look forward to.”
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