THE EDUCATION MINISTER has announced a major overhaul of how the Leaving Cert is graded.

Gone are As, Bs and Cs, in are 1, 2, 3 and will see the CAO points system overhauled.

The 14 existing grades will be replaced by eight different scores, ranging from H1-H8 in higher level to O1-O8 in ordinary level.

The plan will be rolled out for students who enter fifth year in September.

This is how many points will be awarded:

Dept of Education Dept of Education

A new common points system is currently being developed by the universities and institutes of technology and, following review by academic councils, will be published in September.

The report published today by the Department of Education also found that despite the perception of many, is not, in fact very predictable and that those who rely on their predictability too often do not perform as well as those who prepare more.

Speaking today, Jan O’Sullivan said the reforms would encourage students to be more ambitious.

“The grading system of the Leaving Certificate has been left unchanged for more than two decades. The current system of 14 grades increases pressure on students. The majority of grades are separated by just 5%, resulting in students striving to gain minimal percentage increases to achieve higher grades.”

Read: The Leaving Cert isn’t the end of the world, even if it may feel like it

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