Students who sit their Leaving Certificate through Irish in 2027 or in subsequent years will receive a boost, with bonus marks added to results they receive for coursework completed during the year as well as for their final written exams.
2027 is the first year that students will be examined in subjects redeveloped as part of the senior cycle reforms, which award a greater proportion of marks for projects completed during the school year.
Such Additional Assessment Components (AACs) will be worth at least 40% of available marks in a subject.
This prospect of more continuous assessment had led to growing concern that bonus marks for Irish were being confined to written exams only.
Between 5% and 10% has traditionally been added to marks for exams completed as Gaeilge in recognition of the greater difficulty students face sourcing Irish language textbooks and other materials to aid their studies.
The State Examinations Commission (SEC) has told schools that from 2027, the awarding of bonus marks for Irish "will be extended to include all components of state examinations". This includes AACs.
The SEC said this was being done as part of the Department of Education's "ongoing commitment to the promotion and support of the Irish language".
However, some have raised concern that this year’s Leaving Certificate candidates will lose out, because the new provisions do not apply to them.
Current 6th years 'left to bear brunt' - ISSU
The Irish Second-Level Students' Union (ISSU) said current 6th year students attending gaelcholáistí or from Gaeltacht areas were "being left to bear the brunt of an acknowledged administrative failure".
"These bonus marks were originally put in place to address the deep-seated inequalities faced by our community; recognising the severe lack of textbooks and digital supports available in Irish," ISSU Oifigeach na Gaeilge Rónán Ó hÍcí said.
He added: "These research-based components are often the hardest area for a student to find primary sources or academic references through Irish, yet they are being penalised for doing that extra work in their own language."
A study by Comhdháil Oileáin na hÉireann estimates that the absence of bonus marks for Irish coursework could disadvantage a 2026 student by up to 43 CAO points compared to a student who is assessed a year later, "if they take certain optional subjects that have investigations, reports or project work as mandatory components".
The ISSU has said this could place any 2026 student who completed their assessment through Irish and chooses to take a gap year at a "massive disadvantage".
Education and Training Boards Ireland, which runs a number of gaelcholáistí and schools in Gaeltacht areas, told RTÉ News that it is aware of this issue and has raised it with the Department of Education.
"We are currently awaiting a response from both the Department and the State Examinations Commission," it said.
Level of bonus
The SEC has said that bonus marks awarded in 2027 will be contingent upon all of the work being completed in Irish.
The level of the bonus depends on the subject, with the top rate - 10% - applied to those which have a significant language demand.
Among 20 subjects in this category are a number of the newly revised subjects including biology, business, and chemistry.
The bonus marks taper off for examination results over 75%, until a candidate who scores 100% gets no bonus.
Bonus marks at the rate of 5% will be awarded for subjects with a more practical focus, such as Mathematics, and for curricular foreign languages such as French or German.
Subjects such as Irish and English and their LCA equivalents do not attract any Irish bonus marks.
The SEC said the application of the Irish bonus will be reviewed as subjects are redeveloped.
