Record number of Junior Cycle students set to receive results today

More than 70,000 students will find out how they performed in the Junior Cycle exams today, the largest-ever volume of candidates to sit a State exam.

Results will be available in schools from 9am, though it is at the discretion of principals when they are provided to students. Candidates can also access their results online via the State Examinations Commission’s (SEC) website from 4pm.

A much-improved supply of examiners means results are being issued a month earlier than last year, when an acute shortage of teachers led to students receiving their results in late November.

A combination of a recruitment campaign, higher rates of pay for examiners and use of online marking have resulted in the pool of examiners growing significantly this year.

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The overall number who sat Junior Cycle exams this year – 70,727 candidates, up 5 per cent on last year – reflects a demographic bubble which is passing through second level. Some 629,189 grades are being issued across 21 individual subjects.

[ Free schoolbooks up to Junior Cycle at second level and €1,000 cut to third-level fees in budget ]

This is the second year where candidates have been assessed across all subjects under the reformed Junior Cycle curriculum. All subjects are also examined at common level, with the exception of Irish, English and maths, which are still examined at higher and ordinary levels.

Results are no longer categorised using As, Bs or Cs but rather using grades descriptors such as distinction (90-100 per cent), higher merit (75-89 per cent), merit (55-74 per cent), achieved (40-54 per cent), partially achieved (20-39 per cent), and not graded (0-19 per cent).

A breakdown of this year’s results shows just a small proportion of students scored distinctions (2-4 per cent), while more students received a higher merit (18-38 per cent), achieved (38-50 per cent) or partially achieved (15-20 per cent) grade across most subjects. The broad pattern of results reflects last year’s.

This year’s results include grades awarded for a more challenging Irish exam in Irish-medium and Gaeltacht schools (T1) and a less challenging version aimed at English-medium schools (T2). There was a higher proportion of distinctions in the T1 exams (4 per cent) than the T2 exams (3.1 per cent) at higher level.

Similarly, there was a slightly higher proportion of higher merit grades in the T1 exam (23 per cent) compared to the T2 exam.

[ Junior Cycle results to issue on October 18th ]

In a message to candidates, Minister for Education Norma Foley sent her “sincere congratulations and good wishes to all”.

“Through the energy and dedication you have applied to your school lives to date, you have attained a great deal of knowledge and developed a myriad of talents, skills and ambitions which will pave the way as you embark on the next stage of your education journey,” she said.

“I want to congratulate you and wish you all the very best for those exciting next steps that lie ahead.”

In a change to traditional arrangements, school authorities can access the results in digital format through the SEC’s schools portal from 9am where they can print off candidates’ results.

This year assessments were adjusted to take account of learning disruption linked to the Covid-19 pandemic aimed at easing some of the pressure facing candidates.

For example, an assessment task worth 10 per cent, which is normally marked in subjects that do not have an external practical component, was not required to be completed, while more time was made available for practical or coursework components.

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A Junior Cycle Profile of Achievement – which replaces the old Junior Cert – will issue to candidates at a later date. It will draw upon and report on achievement across all areas of learning including classroom-based assessments and short courses, as well as exam results.

Teachers’ Union of Ireland president David Waters said it was important to acknowledge the encouragement and support of parents and the dedication of teachers over the duration of the Junior Cycle years.

Association of Secondary Teachers’ Ireland president Geraldine O’Brien warned that Ireland must protect its high-performing education system by tackling the current crises of overcrowded classes and teacher shortages.