I’m worried my son will miss out on CAO points. What options does he have?

My eldest is due to receive his Leaving Cert results on Friday. He is obviously anxious to get an offer of one of his top CAO college course choices. What happens if he misses out?

The most important role you can play as a parent is to avoid speculation about what the CAO points requirements might be on Thursday week. Instead, you could familiarise yourself with timelines around the college offers process and the procedures laid out by the State Examinations Commission (SEC) on rechecking exam scripts.

As you are aware, your son will receive his results on the candidate self-service portal at 10am this Friday, September 2nd. He will be able to convert these grades into CAO points using the tools available on websites such as careersportal.ie. Given the stress of the occasion, it can be easy to make a mistake, so check it carefully.

If he misses out on his top choice and accepts a lower preference course, he will still be considered for his higher preference courses in later rounds, if a place becomes available he is deemed eligible. Round two offers issue on September 19th and round three are available September 27th.

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There are also lots of further education and training options, which can be a great stepping stone to higher education.

If he spots or suspects an error in the result of one of his papers — a missing subject, a grade at the wrong level, etc — it can be easily corrected. He should bring it to the attention of his school principal as well as the SEC.

On this day week, Tuesday, September 6th, at 12pm, your son will be able to view a detailed breakdown of his marks in each subject. This will include each component for every paper he sat. It will enable him to see if it is worthwhile considering a request to recheck the grade for any of his papers.

Time is of the essence: applications to view scripts will open at 5pm on the same day and close at 8pm the following evening, Wednesday, September 7th. These timelines will all be strictly applied.

Most exam papers this year were scanned digitally and marked online by examiners. These papers may be viewed online between 9am on Saturday, September 10th, until 12pm on Sunday, September 11th.

A smaller number of papers were marked on paper, as opposed to online. If any of your son’s exams were marked in this way, he will be able to apply to view the marked scripts at school on Saturday, September 10th.

If, following a viewing of a script, he wishes to appeal, he will have a short time frame to do so: appeals open at 9am on Saturday, September 10th, and close at 12pm on Monday, September 12th.

The best support you can offer your son for now is to remain calm and be aware of these various deadlines.

Do you have an education or careers query? Email askbrian@irishtimes.com