New Leaving Cert points system has major impact on this year’s results

For parents and students alike, the wait is over.

Today is the day that almost 60,000 Leaving Cert students will learn how they fared in this year's exams. While families will be making their way to schools all over the country to pick up individual results, across the board the impact of the new system of awarding points for grades is already being felt. A1s, A2s and so on have been replaced this year with a system ranging from H1 to H8 for honours and O1 to O8 for ordinary level. This means a total of eight possible grades as opposed to 14 under the old system, and has had a huge impact on results. The new system has seen a huge fall in failure rates, reports the Irish Times. The old 'E' grade used to spell automatic failure, but now students who score between 30 and 39 per cent in a subject are awarded 37 points. The failure rate for higher level maths dropped by over half, from 5 per cent last year to just 2.1 per cent this year. This is seen across the board and will no doubt be welcomed by students, parents and teachers. The State Examination Commission revealed that the new system has encouraged more students to sit higher level papers. Speaking this morning, Education Minister Richard Bruton congratulated all Leaving Cert students. "Today is a watershed moment," he said. "It is a time to celebrate the end of a very important period in their lives, and to recognise the massive contribution of teachers, parents and friends who helped along the way. "For students who may not have done as well as they might have hoped, take time to consider the options. Whatever your results there will be opportunities."