Over 70,000 Leaving Cert students to receive exam results
Over 70,000 Leaving Cert students will receive their exam results later today, with the overall trend showing fewer top marks awarded, as the impacts of grade deflation continue.
More than seventy thousand Leaving Certificate students will receive their exam results today, with a trend of fewer high grades reflecting ongoing grade deflation. The results will be accessible online and from schools at 10 a.m., as the cohort of 2026 is the largest yet. According to the State Examinations Commission (SEC), the proportion of high grades, H1s, has decreased by over one and a half percentage points from last year, now standing at 10.1%.
A similar decline is observed in ordinary level, O1s, which have dropped by one percentage point to 2.7%. The SEC implemented post-marking adjustments to prevent pandemic-disrupted students from receiving drastically lower scores. This year, 35% of all grades were adjusted, compared to 52% in 2025 and 68% in 2024, with the process gradually being phased out.
Despite the adjustments, the SEC anticipates a return to pre-pandemic result patterns by 2028. Leaving Certificate participation has risen by 15% since 2024, with more students opting for standard and Leaving Cert Applied exams. There has been a shift towards higher-level papers, rising from 72% in 2025 to 74% in 2026. This year also marks the inaugural results for the 306 students who took part in the L1 and L2 Learning Programme, designed for students with complex learning and development needs.
The number of students receiving support for special educational needs increased to 40,000 in 2026, up from 36,000 in the previous year. Additionally, participation in physical education rose by 26%, while technology subjects saw a 21% increase and construction studies rose by 11%.
Written by urgent.news from RTE News's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
