Students who are due to sit their Leaving Certificate exams next year are already asking one question. Will their results be adjusted upwards too, like this year's were?
They point out that most of them too, like this year's students, did not sit Junior Cycle exams.
It's their version of a question on many people’s lips now; when is the artificial adjustment of Leaving Certificate marks going to end? After all, it can’t go on forever.
Many expected this year to see the start of a gradual return to pre-pandemic levels, the beginning of a 'glide’ if you like, because the Minister for Education was adamant that there would be no 'cliff-edge’.
But this year’s post-marking adjustment has kept results on a par with last year's, and in doing so has maintained the 7% grade inflation that has taken place since 2019.
It all stemmed from a promise the minister made to the Class of ‘23, that their results would be comparable to last year’s. And as students collected their results yesterday, Norma Foley defended her decision.
"It was in the interest of recognising their unique circumstances of a group of students who didn't sit junior cycle and did have to grapple with the significant amount of remote teaching and learning," she said.
This year’s mark-ups averaged out at just under 8%, but they were not applied evenly. Lower marks received far more of a boost compared to higher marks.
So, the results of students chasing high points college courses are closer to the actual results they obtained.
A student scoring 10% got an additional 12 marks for instance, but a student scoring 90% only got an extra 6.
The principal of St Caimin’s Community School in Shannon, Alan Cunningham, feels huge sympathy for this year’s students.
"There is no doubt that have had a very tough five years and Covid had a huge impact on them, both socially and educationally and it has taken a long time to overcome that. So, I think any little help they got is much appreciated."
Alan has long experience in the education system. After almost 40 years as a teacher and then principal, he is about to retire.
To him, this issue of adjusted grades only highlights what he sees as the real and much bigger problem; the whole Leaving Certificate system that sees points based on results used for college entry.
"What’s not working is the whole points system. And that has been the case for a long, long time. And every year something crops up that just tells us once again that there must be a better way of doing this."
But he can’t resist musing the immediate question too.
"The big question now is when does the rug get pulled out? Like, what year group is not going to get this boost? It’s very tricky though when you start down that road."
Most of St Caimin’s 150 Leaving Certificate students chose to return to their old school to receive their results there, in the company of their friends and the teachers who know them so well.
They had extra cause to come together at this time.
The joy they felt receiving results they were happy with was tempered by sorrow. One much loved classmate and friend was absent.
Aoife Johnston should have been collecting her results here too. But just before Christmas last year Aoife died suddenly of meningitis.
For students at St Caimin’s it’s been an especially tough year. Amid their hugs, and laughter and smiles this group of Leaving Certificate students were remembering her.
Now they, like the rest of the class of ‘23, face new horizons and new challenges.
The CAO will make offers of college places on Wednesday.
