There are scenes of celebration across the country as students finally get their Leaving Certificate results.
Results were rolled out to almost 62,000 candidates from 10am this morning.
Some 58,006 people followed the established Leaving Cert programme in 409,643 individual subjects.
Students wait for their results at Naas Community College in Co Kildare. Picture by: Sheila NaughtonThe most notable difference between this year and previous years is that the Class of 2023 never sat their Junior Cert due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
In this group, those who did Transition Year should have sat the Junior cycle in 2021 and those who went straight to 5th year would have sat the Junior Cycle in 2020.
As a result, the Leaving Cert was the first formal State examination that these candidates have sat.
Students celebrate their results at Naas Community College in Co Kildare. Picture by: Sheila NaughtonMeanwhile, it has emerged that this year's grades have once again been adjusted upwards.
Figures show that around 290,000 of the 410,000 exam grades have been adjusted upwards following their initial marking.
The State Examinations Commission (SEC) boosted the grades by nearly 8% through post-marking adjustment after Education Minister Norma Foley directed the body to ensure that this year’s results were no lower than last year's.
The SEC said 71% of all grades went up compared to just over 50% in 2022.
Students get their results at Naas Community College in Co Kildare. Picture by: Sheila NaughtonThe range of adjustment was from 12.7%, to those at the bottom of the scale, to 5.1% at the top.
The 2023 adjustment results in an average adjustment of 7.9 marks - while in 2022 the average adjustment was 5.6 marks.
"Due to the differences in the adjustments in the papers this year, the pattern of results from the marking process is not comparable to the pattern of results from the examinations in 2022," the SEC added.
'I couldn't believe it'
These students at Christian Brothers College in Cork city say they are delighted with their results.
"6 H1s and a H2 - I couldn't believe it, I got the call this morning," one student said.
Another student said he was having nightmares about his final grades.
"I got a call from the principal this morning, he said I had to come in," he said.
"I'm very happy with my results, I got 625.
"You're getting second thoughts, third thoughts - the night before I was talking to my friends and they were all saying that they had nightmares that they failed everything.
"When I woke up and I got the results I was just over the moon."
These students at Naas Community College say they are relieved to finally have the results.
"Honestly I'm feeling great because I wasn't expecting that I would pass," one student said.
"I'm really happy - before I was really nervous because we didn't know what to expect or what to do in the exams," another said.
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