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.
“The course he wanted went up by 21 points, so he didn’t get his first preference,” she said.
“I’m very interested and we have invited the Minister on - no doubt we will get her on quite soon.
“I would like to know this; 50% of this year’s cohort got their first preference, it was 56% last year.
“But I’d love to know how many of those are the class of 2025 and how many of those are the ones who came in… from previous years.”
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Ciara added that a record number of people applied to the CAO in 2025 and there was a “huge climb” in points for some courses.
“This, bear in mind, is off the back of this year’s students having grade deflation,” she said.
“So, they went down by 2.5% but points went up left, right and centre.
“I have said it for months before this even happened, the system that they brought in to unravel grade deflation - which by the way, has to be done - is deeply flawed.
“We’re still seeing kids with 635 points missing out on courses on random selection, which is cruel.”
Leaving Cert students after completing an exam. Picture by: Gareth Chaney/ Collins Photos.Ciara continued that she knows quite a few teenagers in the class of 2025 and expects many will reapply to the CAO next year.
“We have a huge number of people who didn’t get what they wanted yesterday because I am damn sure it was less than 50% got their first choice in the class of 2025,” she said.
“I know loads of people who are saying ‘My kid is going to go straight back into the CAO for next year’, so we’re kicking this forward all the time.”
The quad at University College Cork. Picture by: Alamy.com.Fellow presenter Shane Coleman said he believes grade inflation has been a problem for years, describing it as “far too easy to get H1s”.
“Grade inflation for the last 20 years has just gone off the chart,” he said.
“You hear of students getting 101% - farcical, absolutely farcical stuff.”
Main image: Ciara Kelly in the Newstalk studio. Image: Newstalk
