What students in Cork need to know ahead of Leaving Cert results day 

With the Leaving Certificate results being released on Friday at 10am, it can be a nerve-wracking time for students and parents who have waited anxiously over the summer months.

The anticipation of the results, points achieved, and subsequent CAO offers surrounding it can be stressful. The CAO Round 1 offers will be made on August 26 from 2pm.

The best thing to do coming up to the results is be organised and not make any rash decisions until the CAO offers come out.

Here is everything you need to know about the Leaving Cert results, how to access them, calculate points and deal with disappointment.

How can students access Leaving Certificate results?

This will be two-fold. You can access them via the online system or in your school. You can log on to the account you have created on the Candidate Self Service Portal (CSSP) on Friday, August 21 from 10am to access your Leaving Cert Results online.

The CSSP is now open again on the state examinations website if you haven’t registered and need to create an account. I strongly advise this as this is the platform you will use to view scripts and/or appeal your result.

On Friday, you should have the Leaving Cert points calculator; a good reliable one can be found on careersportal.ie for example. This is a quick, efficient tool to allow you to convert your grades into CAO points. It will give you the results from the combination of your highest six subjects.

In addition, if a student has sat the higher-level maths exam, 25 bonus points will be added to the points score. Students who receive a H6 or higher will have 25 bonus points added to their total score for maths; these will only be added if Maths is in the top six results being calculated.

It’s important to note that students must also meet the minimum entry requirements for the CAO courses that they have chosen.

Can students view their scripts?

Students who feel unhappy with their grades will be able to make an application to view their scripts. There is a tight window for this to be made; from August 25 at 5pm to August 26 at 8pm. You can see if there are any issues that might spur you on to appeal your grade.

How do I appeal?

If you want to appeal your scripts, you can do so from 10am on August 30 to August 31 at 5pm. I strongly advise looking at your script before you make a decision on this. If you want to appeal, you can make an application to do so via your CSSP.

The CAO Round offers

Round 1 offers begin on August 26 from 2pm. You have until September 1 at 3pm to accept your offer. Please take note of all these windows.

How do I access my CAO offers?

Each applicant has their own unique access password to enable them to log on to the My Application section of the CAO website where they can view their offer or offers on August 26.

Applicants will receive an email and text message (if they opted for this option) to let them know if and when they have received offers.

When do I need to accept?

Students will have until September 1 at 3pm to accept their offers. Applicants are advised to take the time to consider their options.

It’s important to say if you do nothing with the CAO offer you received, it will be removed and passed onto the next applicant. If for some reason you don’t want the offer, just leave it be, don’t do anything.

Disappointing news

It must be acknowledged that the Leaving Cert results can be a very disappointing time for students and their parents. If you feel disappointed or upset, you need to take time to allow yourself to express those feelings and surround yourself with support.

As a career guidance counsellor at careerhub.ie, I am a huge affirmer of the idea that there are many different routes to achieve a career aim or dream. A lot of people do not get their dream course and this is OK.

When you have taken time to feel disappointed, consider your next steps, whether that is accepting a level 7 that may allow you a different entry route into your dream course, or by accepting a lower course choice that is career-related and compliments with postgraduate study or conversion down the line.

If you cannot commit to these courses, there are other routes including PLCs which may also provide qqi entry into your dream course the following year (all this varies from course to course so extensive research is vital).

Some colleges offer second chance maths exams if maths doesn’t go your way, so I would recommend researching your chosen courses and colleges to see if this is available to you.

Available places on the CAO will also open on August 27 where any available places that may come up will appear on a list and you can use your CAO application facility via your ‘My application’ to apply for these also.

Where to find support

This can be a stressful time for students and parents and so a free helpline has been set up to offer support.

If a candidate needs to contact the State Examinations Commission, the email address for enquiries is candidateportal@examinations.ie and the phone number is 090-6442702.

I offer advice and updates on all CAO and everything careers related on my Instagram @careehub.ie. I also offer programmes and sessions to support your specific concerns. www.careerhub.ie. You can email me an info@careerhub.ie