Leaving Certificate Points 2026: What Students Should Expect?
Leaving Certificate Points 2026: What Students Should Expect
Six years after the introduction of calculated grades during the 2020 Leaving Certificate, the system is still influencing how grades and CAO points are awarded. The adjustments introduced during the pandemic created a period of grade inflation, and while efforts have been made to gradually return to previous grading patterns, the process is ongoing.
At the time, I publicly raised concerns about the long-term impact of inflating grades. The system was designed to support students during an unprecedented disruption to schooling, but it also effectively redistributed grades in a way that some felt was unfair—particularly to students who had worked consistently hard under the traditional examination system.
A key concern expressed then was that once the grading profile was altered, it would be difficult to return immediately to previous standards without disadvantaging future students. If the system had been “primed” with higher grades, reverting suddenly to the old grade distribution could have created an uneven playing field for later cohorts.
Why Grade Adjustments Are Still Happening?
Since the pandemic years, the State has continued to apply grade adjustments, often referred to as grade enhancements, to Leaving Certificate results. These adjustments were introduced to ensure fairness between cohorts.
Students who sat the Leaving Certificate during the pandemic years received higher grades due to calculated grades and subsequent adjustments. Without continuing some level of enhancement, students in later years would face direct competition for college places with applicants who had benefited from those higher grades, potentially putting them at a disadvantage in the CAO points race.
For this reason, the Department of Education has maintained grade adjustments while gradually reducing the level of enhancement each year.
What This Means for Leaving Certificate Students in 2026
For students sitting the Leaving Certificate in 2026, the current approach is expected to continue. Grade inflation is being slowly reduced rather than removed entirely, meaning that the grading profile will move gradually closer to pre-pandemic levels.
In practical terms, this means:
A gradual reduction in the number of very high grades awarded.
Slight downward adjustments in the overall points profile.
A slow return to a more typical distribution of results.
However, the impact on high-points courses is likely to be limited. Courses such as medicine, dentistry, or highly competitive technology programmes tend to remain stable in terms of points unless:
Additional course places are created, or
There is a significant shift in student demand for particular programmes.
A Gradual Return to Normal
The key message for students and parents is that the system is moving back toward normal grading patterns, but it is happening gradually. This measured approach aims to maintain fairness across different Leaving Certificate cohorts while avoiding sudden changes that could disadvantage particular groups of students.
For now, the situation could best be described by the phrase “plus ça change” — the more things change, the more they stay the same. The system continues to evolve, but the competitive nature of the CAO points race remains very much in place.
Students should therefore focus less on predicting exact points movements and more on choosing courses carefully, preparing well for their exams, and keeping a balanced list of CAO choices.