The New Points System
Direct comparisons with the old system can be misleading but the new system will raise the
points’ total of weaker students
Common Points Scale
Higher Grade
Points
Ordinary Grade
Points
H1 90-100%
100 O1 90-100%
56
H2 80<90%
88 O2 80<90%
46
H3 70<80%
77 O3 70<80%
37
H4 60<70%
66 O4 60<70%
28
H5 50<60%
56 O5 50<60%
20
H6 40<50%
46 O6 40<50%
12
H7 30<40%
37 O7 30<40%
0
H8 0<30%
0 O8
Why are the points changing?
It is trying to take some of the heat out of the points race. By reducing the number of
grading bands from 14 to eight, students may feel less inclined to chase marginal gains in
the Leaving Cert. There is also a safety net of 37 points for grades of 30-39 per cent currently an E or “fail” - in higher level papers.
Some of this sounds familiar.
Indeed. Before 1992 there were only seven grading bands: A, B, C and so on. But concerns
about the use of random selection to allocate college places led to the introduction of halfgrades: A1, A2, B1 etc. The Department of Education now believes this was a mistake, saying
it led to a system that was unique internationally in being so finely calibrated.
Will it lead to more random selection now?
No, according to Maynooth University President, Philip Nolan, who helped design the
scheme. He predicts the new scale will result in “somewhat less” random selection than the
current model. This is due to the fact that points will no longer go up in margins of five.
Rather, they will go up by an order of eight to 11.
When students add up their best six subjects, a greater variety of points totals will emerge.
He stresses, however, that random selection can’t be eliminated entirely, especially for
high-points, fixed-intake courses.
What is happening to bonus points for Maths?
It stays. Students getting a grade of 40 per cent or above in the higher level exam will get 25
bonus points. For a technical reason, 25 was a good figure to retain for the bonus as it helps
to create further diversity in points’ totals. According to Nolan, the justification for the
bonus is the “very significant added work for the student” in taking higher level Maths, and
it’s only coincidental that Ibec and the American Chamber of Commerce endorse it.
Does the new scale reward stronger or weaker students?
While direct comparisons can be misleading, it will certainly raise the points’ total of weaker
students. A student getting two grades of 55 per cent, two of 45 per cent and two of 35 per
cent will get 278 points under the new scale compared to 220 points currently.
In contrast, a student getting two grades of 95 per cent, two of 85 per cent and two of 75
per cent at higher level will get 530 points under the new scale, 10 points less than on the
current scale.
What happens to my points if I’ve already sat the Leaving Cert?
Anyone applying for college from 2017 onwards will use the new points scale. A transitional
table has been created giving an A1 the same points ranking as a H1/O1. But a B1 and A2
are now pooled together to produce the same points ranking as H2/O2.
Students who got an E grade (25-39 per cent) at higher level will be awarded 33 points
retrospectively. More details can be found at www.transition.ie/.
Is it worth deferring college to reap the benefits of the new scale?
In certain cases, it could be tempting. If you got six B1s you’d currently get 510 points, for
example, but this would rise to 528 points under the new scale. However, Nolan says “you
would be foolish to defer a place this year” the hope that you might get a better place in
2017 because the course might be 20 points higher on the CAO listings.
From 2017 Leaving Certificate Vocational Programme (LCVP) grades will be aligned as
follows:
LCVP
Grade
Current
Points
2017
LCVP
Points
Distinction
70
66
Merit
50
46
Pass
30
28