The Leaving Certificate class of 2022 has been given an important commitment today.
They have been promised that the results they get will be no lower than the results that students received last year.
That is important, because the central concern for many students was the fact that they were going to be competing for scarce college places with students from last year who have bumper results.
CAO points were on average 60 points higher last year compared to 2019.
This year's students feared that sudden results deflation would leave them hugely disadvantaged, facing a 'cliff-edge’ in terms of their own CAO points.
Now they have been promised, by the Minister and the State Examinations Commission, that that will not happen.
This year’s results will be no lower than last year’s.
How that comes about is a matter for the SEC.
Officials said today that it may well come about naturally. The papers will match those of last year in terms of the adjustments that have been made.
The SEC says students’ results may well match those of last year naturally. But if that does not occur, then the SEC will intervene.
It will introduce marking scheme adjustments across every subject and every level to bring results into line.
"Whatever we need to do will be done, so that the aggregate achievement will be no worse," one senior official said.
Additional adjustments have also been introduced in the content and level of choice in every paper. The adjustments are the same as those made to last year’s papers.
In Maths papers, for instance, instead of answering questions in each of 10 sections, students will only have to answer questions from six.
In Higher Level English Paper Two, students will have to answer questions from just two sections, rather than three.
Department officials say the challenge is to ensure fairness for students, but also to balance that requirement with maintaining standards and integrity across the system.
Grade inflation
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A challenge now for future years is how to address the huge grade inflation that took place over 2020 and 2021 as a result of the pandemic.
There is a broad acceptance that results need to be brought back to pre-pandemic levels, but this needs to be done smoothly without a ‘jolt’ for any one particular year. That would be unfair to students.
Other countries are facing the same challenge.
The UK has already announced what it has called a ‘glide path’.
Read more: What should stay in schools after the pandemic?
It says that this year’s A-Level results will be pitched midway between those of 2021 and 2019, with a view to reducing them back to ‘normal’ levels the year after.
Officials here have yet to decide on an approach.
"It is something that we will have to look at over the long term," one said.
