Leaving Certificate Results 2026 – Key Dates and What Students and Parents Need to Know
With Leaving Certificate results being released this Friday, 21 August 2026, it is worth taking a few minutes now to understand what happens after results day.
For most students, Friday will be about seeing their grades, calculating their CAO points and waiting for CAO Round One offers the following Wednesday.
However, students will also have an opportunity to see the actual marks awarded in their subjects, view their examination scripts and, where appropriate, appeal a result.
The important point for both students and parents is that some of these application windows are very short.
Friday 21 August – Leaving Certificate Results
Leaving Certificate results will be available through the Candidate Self-Service Portal (CSSP) from 10:00am on Friday 21 August.
Students should make sure in advance that they can access their account and have their login details available.
Initially, the focus will understandably be on the final grades and the overall CAO points total.
Try not to make an immediate judgement about whether the results are "good" or "bad". The more useful questions are:
Have the minimum entry requirements for the courses been achieved?
Has the student achieved the points they were realistically hoping for?
What courses on the CAO list may now be within reach?
Are there any individual subject results that appear significantly different from expectations?
Remember that CAO course points for 2026 do not exist until the offers are actually made. Last year's points can be a useful guide, but they cannot tell us exactly what will happen this year.
Tuesday 25 August – Access to Detailed Marks
From 12 noon on Tuesday 25 August, candidates will have access to more detailed information about their examination performance.
This includes the marks awarded for the different components of a subject and the Post-Marking Adjustment (PMA) where applicable.
This information is very useful.
Instead of simply seeing, for example, a H2 or H3, students can see how close their final percentage was to the next grade boundary.
For 2026, the gradual removal of the additional post-marking adjustment introduced during the pandemic period continues. As a result, the adjustment being applied nationally is expected to be somewhat smaller than in previous years.
Importantly, the adjustment is not simply a flat percentage added to every student's result.
The adjustment is applied to the overall examination mark after the various components of the subject – written examinations, practical work, oral examinations or projects where relevant – have been combined.
Should I Look at My Marks?
Yes.
Even if you have no intention of appealing a result, I would encourage students to look at the breakdown.
It provides useful context and, in particular, shows whether a student is close to a higher grade.
For example, a student might discover that their final result is only a small number of marks below the next grade boundary.
That does not automatically mean an appeal should be made, but it may be a reason to consider viewing the examination script.
Applying to View Examination Scripts
The application window for viewing examination scripts is particularly short.
Applications open:
5:00pm Tuesday 25 August
Applications close:
8:00pm Wednesday 26 August
There is no charge to view an examination script.
My advice is straightforward:
If you think there is any reasonable possibility that you may want to examine a result more closely, apply to view the script.
Applying does not commit you to making an appeal afterwards.
Missing the application deadline, however, removes the opportunity to view the script through this process.
Viewing Online-Marked Scripts
The majority of Leaving Certificate examination scripts are now marked electronically.
Candidates who have applied to view these scripts will have online access during a specific 24-hour period:
9:00am Saturday 29 August until 9:00am Sunday 30 August.
This is another important window to put into the diary.
When viewing a script, it can be helpful to have the relevant SEC marking scheme available.
Rather than simply looking for "missing marks", examine how marks were distributed across the paper.
If a student was hoping for a H1, for example, the most useful questions may be:
Which questions pulled the overall result down?
Were some answers marked substantially below the student's normal level?
Does the marking appear consistent with the published marking scheme?
Is there something specific that warrants another examiner looking at the script?
With online marking, straightforward addition errors are now much less common than they were when scripts were entirely marked and totalled manually.
What About Projects and Other Physical Material?
Not every examination component can be viewed online.
Some projects, journals, practical workbooks and other material remain physically held by the school or SEC.
Where a student needs to view manually marked material, arrangements will be made through the school.
The school viewing sessions are scheduled for Saturday 29 August, generally during one of two sessions:
9:30am–12:30pm
or
2:00pm–5:00pm
There are specific SEC rules governing these sessions, including what materials can be brought into the viewing area, so students should carefully follow the instructions issued by their school and the SEC.
Appeals – Think Carefully, But Don't Miss the Deadline
After viewing a script, a student may decide that there is sufficient reason to appeal the result.
The appeal application window opens:
10:00am Sunday 30 August
and closes:
5:00pm Monday 31 August
Again, this is an extremely short period.
The appeal fee for the Leaving Certificate is €40 per subject.
The fee is refunded where the appeal results in a successful upgrade.
An appeal should generally be based on something more substantial than simply being disappointed with a grade.
Viewing the script first allows the student to make a much more informed decision.
Wednesday 26 August – CAO Round One Offers
While all of this is happening, the CAO process is also moving quickly.
CAO Round One offers will be available from 2:00pm on Wednesday 26 August.
This is the main offer round for students presenting the 2026 Leaving Certificate.
One very important principle should be remembered:
You can accept a CAO offer without losing the possibility of receiving a higher-preference offer in a later round.
If you receive your second preference, for example, accepting it does not prevent you from subsequently being offered your first preference should it become available.
The deadline for accepting a Round One offer is:
3:00pm Tuesday 1 September.
Do not allow an outstanding script viewing or appeal decision to cause you to miss a CAO acceptance deadline.
If an Appeal Is Successful
Appeal results are expected to become available on Friday 25 September at approximately 11:00am.
The accelerated appeals timetable exists for an important reason.
Where an upgraded result changes a student's CAO points or satisfies an entry requirement, the revised result can be communicated during the college offer process and may potentially affect the student's higher-education options.
An upgraded result does not automatically guarantee a place – the student must still satisfy the relevant course requirements and points – but an appeal can make a material difference in some cases.
Key Dates at a Glance
DateWhat HappensFri 21 Aug – 10:00amLeaving Certificate results availableTue 25 Aug – 12 noonDetailed marks/component data availableTue 25 Aug – 5:00pmApplications to view scripts openWed 26 Aug – 2:00pmCAO Round One offersWed 26 Aug – 8:00pmApplications to view scripts closeSat 29 Aug – 9:00amOnline script viewing opensSat 29 AugSchool-based viewing of manually marked materialSun 30 Aug – 9:00amOnline script viewing closesSun 30 Aug – 10:00amAppeals applications openMon 31 Aug – 5:00pmAppeals applications closeTue 1 Sept – 3:00pmCAO Round One acceptance deadlineFri 25 Sept – 11:00amExpected Leaving Certificate appeal results
My Advice to Parents
Parents can play a particularly useful role over the next couple of weeks.
The most helpful approach is usually to slow the process down rather than add to the pressure.
Results morning does not require every decision to be made immediately.
Help your son or daughter:
access and understand their results;
calculate their points accurately;
distinguish between CAO points and minimum course requirements;
look objectively at their existing CAO preference list;
note the script-viewing and appeal deadlines;
and, most importantly, consider the options actually available to them.
A Leaving Certificate result is important, but it is only one stage in a much longer educational and career journey.
There are very often several routes towards the same career destination.
Useful Links
Students should use the State Examinations Commission Candidate Self-Service Portal for results, detailed marks, script viewing and appeal applications.
For CAO offers and acceptance information, students should log into their CAO account.
Because the timeframes around viewing scripts and appeals are so short, I strongly recommend that families save the dates now rather than waiting until results day.
Micheál Landers
Cork Career Guidance
CareersCork.com