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Cao 2024 Grade Inflation Again Sees Top Students Miss Out On Dream

Leo Migdal
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cao 2024 grade inflation again sees top students miss out on dream

Lottery system for places ‘a cruel arbiter’ Trinity’s vice-provost says Further and Higher Education Minister Patrick O’Donovan at the opening ceremony of University of Limerick’s August graduations. Photo: Arthur Ellis CAO Round 1 turned into a bruising lottery for some of the highest-achieving students again this year, as Leaving Cert grade inflation kept points at extremely high levels. Even students with the maximum 625 points – or close to it – did not get their top course choice. Some students will miss out on their top choice of college course this year, despite receiving the maximum grades available.

Picture: Stanley Morales/Pexels Points are up in almost half of all degree courses as almost 50% of students have missed out on their first choice of degree course following the first round of CAO offers. Data released by the CAO on Wednesday shows that entry to 25 courses has been determined by random selection. Some students will miss out on their top choice of college course this year, despite receiving the maximum grades available. Entry to two college courses with cut-off points of 625 has been determined by random selection, which sees a lottery used to allocate places. Grade inflation has “seriously disadvantaged” some students, who missed out on their chosen college courses, by forcing universities to use lotteries for entry to some high points courses, according to senior higher education figures.

Just over half of this year’s 83,000 college applicants secured their first choice course in Wednesday’s round one CAO (Central Applications Office) offers while 83 per cent received one of their top-three courses. However, universities had to use random selection for entry to more than 20 college courses due in part to difficulties differentiating between so many students on top grades. Despite securing maximum grades — 625 points — some candidates missed out on places in UCD’s economics and finance course and Trinity’s dental science on the basis of random selection. Trinity College Dublin’s vice-provost Orla Sheils said it was clear that continued use of grade inflation in Leaving Cert results had many “unintended consequences”. Ciara Kelly has described automatic grade inflation in the CAO as a “deeply flawed” system and a “cruel” way to treat the class of 2025. During the pandemic, post-marking adjustment meant all students had their CAO points increased to compensate for the chaos COVID infliction of their schooling.

In 2024, students had their marks boosted by 7%, while this year’s students had theirs increased by 5.5%. However, students who sat their Leaving Cert in 2024 retain their marks if they re-applied this year to the CAO. On Newstalk Breakfast, Ciara Kelly described herself as someone who has “skin in the game” as someone whose son sat his Leaving Certificate exams this year. Leaving Cert students have been left heartbroken after they missed out on their preferred college courses, over the minimum points lottery during the first round of CAO offers. The first round of CAO course offers went out on Wednesday afternoon, with points inflation finally starting to slow down following the pandemic and predicted grades — however, some courses saw a huge surge... As a result, 27 Level 8 (Honour degree) courses were subject to random selection — meaning that people who got the same points that applied for the same course, even if they got the...

Wexford student Sarah Kenny, who was one of the few people who received 625 points, missed out on her dream course in Economics and Finance at UCD due to the lottery system. ‘The girl couldn’t have worked harder or achieved a higher grade,’ her father told the Irish Times. ‘Think about that. Yet she was sitting at home crying her eyes out, disappointed, gutted and disillusioned with the Irish education system that she couldn’t fulfil her dreams.’ The CAO (Central Applications Office) Round One offers for 2024 have been released, marking a critical moment for thousands of students across Ireland. As they anxiously await their college placements, the process has sparked significant debate about the sustainability and fairness of the current system.

With grade inflation, high competition, and the potential for legal challenges looming, the question arises: Has Ireland’s college admission system reached its breaking point? The CAO offers system has long been a source of stress for students and their families. The anticipation and pressure to secure a spot in a desired course can be overwhelming. In 2024, this stress has been exacerbated by several factors, including the ongoing issue of grade inflation, which has skewed the points required for certain courses. Grade inflation, which has been a growing concern in recent years, has led to a significant increase in the points required for high-demand courses. This has left many students scrambling to meet the inflated thresholds, even if they performed well in their exams.

The situation has raised questions about the fairness of the system and whether it accurately reflects students’ abilities and potential. The question of whether we have reached “peak CAO” is becoming increasingly relevant. The CAO system, designed to allocate college places based on points achieved in the Leaving Certificate, is under intense scrutiny. The system’s reliance on a single set of exams to determine a student’s future has been criticized for being too narrow and inflexible. An analysis by the Irish Times suggests that the CAO system may be at a tipping point. With rising demand for college places, the pressure on the system has never been greater.

The article points out that while the number of available college places has increased, it has not kept pace with the rising number of applicants. This mismatch has led to intense competition, particularly for courses in areas such as medicine, law, and engineering. Holly Hewson who obtained 625 points with 7 H1’s and Ava Henson who obtained 6 H1’s celebrate their results at Rathdown School, Co Dublin. The pandemic may be over but its impact still very much lingers over the Leaving Cert and its points race. Last year, after another year of bumper Leaving Cert results for students in Ireland, points actually fell for almost half of all college courses. And it is a situation mirrored again in 2024.

Across all Level 8 degree courses available in the country, the points requirements have fallen for 44% of courses, outstripping the number of courses where the points have risen. The top headline results from this year’s CAO offers are that students got their top choice in just over half (56%) of offers for degree courses, while 83% of offers were within a candidate’s... Leaving Cert grade inflation means this year’s CAO offers could be challenged in the courts, an education expert has warned. Previously, Leaving Cert students had their grades boosted by 7.5% on average to mitigate the impact of the chaos caused by lockdown. This year, students will have their grades boosted by 5.5%; however, students who benefited from 7.5% grade inflation and apply to the CAO in 2025, will now compete with students whose grades have been... On Newstalk Breakfast, guidance counsellor Brian Mooney said this gives the class of 2024 who apply this year a noticeable advantage.

“Which probably means, at the top of the scale, around 12 CAO points,” he said.

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