State Examinations

974. Deputy Cian O'Callaghan asked the Minister for Education if she will urgently issue advice to schools on how the Leaving Certificate grade inflation will be addressed; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [20228/25]

1007. Deputy Paul Lawless asked the Minister for Education if she will outline the steps being taken to ensure the Leaving Certificate class of 2025 is not disadvantaged in comparison to students who deferred from previous years due to grade adjustments introduced in the context of the pandemic; if she will clarify how fairness and consistency are being maintained in grading standards; and if she …

1008. Deputy Paul Lawless asked the Minister for Education if an assessment has been carried out to identify any competitive disadvantages for the Leaving Certificate class of 2025 in comparison to students who deferred from 2024; if she will outline the measures being taken to ensure fairness for all students; and if she will provide clarity on the steps being implemented to prevent inequities in…

1009. Deputy Paul Lawless asked the Minister for Education for an assessment of the percentage disadvantage, if any, that the Leaving Certificate class of 2025 faces in comparison to students who deferred from previous years; and if she will outline the measures being taken to ensure equitable opportunities for the current cohort of students. [20615/25]

1026. Deputy Barry Ward asked the Minister for Education further to Parliamentary Question No. 1062 of 8 April 2025, if her attention has been drawn to the concerns regarding the lowering of grade inflation from 7.5% to 5.5% for this year's leaving certificate class; if she can offer assurances on the fairness of the process; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [20741/25]

1060. Deputy Mark Wall asked the Minister for Education to outline how a parent can appeal a decision for reasonable accommodation for a Leaving Certificate student; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [21154/25]

2484. Deputy Denise Mitchell asked the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science his plans to address the issue of grade inflation when it comes to CAO offers this year; the steps he will take to ensure fairness for students who sat the Leaving Certificate in 2025 and those who sat it in previous years; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [18553/25]

2487. Deputy Denise Mitchell asked the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science his plans to address the issue of grade inflation when it comes to CAO offers this year; the steps he will take to ensure fairness for students who sat the Leaving Certificate in 2025 and those who sat it in previous years; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [18553/25]

2494. Deputy Robert O'Donoghue asked the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science if a student attending a school (details supplied) qualifies to apply to the CAO as a Gaeltacht applicant, in light of previous indications that students at boarding schools may not be eligible for this status; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [18787/25]

2496. Deputy Peter 'Chap' Cleere asked the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science if he is aware of the significant challenge for this year's Leaving Certificate students who will be expected to meet the CAO points for course entrance based on 2024 inflated grading; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [18850/25]

2505. Deputy Robert O'Donoghue asked the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science if he will acknowledge the disadvantage facing CAO applicants who are sitting their Leaving Certificate in 2025 compared to those who sat their Leaving Certificate in previous years; if his Department has plans to tackle this disadvantage; and if he will make a statement on the matt…

2506. Deputy Cian O'Callaghan asked the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science the mitigation measures he will put in place to ensure the Leaving Certificate class of 2025 is not disadvantaged when applying for college courses compared to previous years’ classes whose grades were inflated; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [19049/25]

2507. Deputy Eoin Hayes asked the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science if he will ring-fence CAO places so that students from previous years compete amongst themselves, and not directly against the class of 2025, whose grades are artificially lower by comparison; if not, if grade deflation will be applied to students from previous years entering the 2025 CAO …

2514. Deputy Darren O'Rourke asked the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science the number of applications to CAO 2025 which are from students who will not sit the Leaving Certificate in 2025; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [19368/25]

2528. Deputy John Brady asked the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science if consideration has been given by his Department to ringfence a proportion of CAO places for applicants from previous leaving certificate cohorts to allow them to compete within their own group instead of against the class of 2025; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [19524/25]

102. Deputy Catherine Connolly asked the Minister for Education the plans for grade deflation of Leaving Certificate results since the introduction of grade inflation; if 2025 Leaving Certificate students will be adversely impacted as a result of grade inflation over that time; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [17740/25]

103. Deputy Paul Murphy asked the Minister for Education if her attention has been drawn to the fact that in 2024 average grade inflation for Leaving Certificate students was 7.5%, in 2025 it will be lowered to 5.5.%, thus the class of 2025 will get approximately 15 to 16 points less than last year, however one in four CAO applicants in 2025 will be using their points from 2024; the way in which s…

125. Deputy Barry Heneghan asked the Minister for Education given the concerns raised by parents about the issue of grade inflation, particularly regarding its impact on the Class of 2025, the steps she is taking to ensure that these students are not unfairly disadvantaged in their pursuit of university places. [18080/25]

126. Deputy Barry Heneghan asked the Minister for Education considering that the adjustments made in response to the pandemic may create challenges for current Leaving Certificate candidates competing against students from previous years, if she will consider measures such as aligning the grading of non-2025 applicants with the adjustments made for this year's candidates for the CAO application pr…

127. Deputy Barry Heneghan asked the Minister for Education the assurances she will provide to ensure a fair and balanced assessment system that accurately reflects the hard work of the class of 2025. [18082/25]

286. Deputy Shay Brennan asked the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science if his Department is aware that 25% of this year’s CAO applicants are from previous years, and many of this cohort are from years where leaving certificate grades were inflated; if he will acknowledge the significant disadvantage this creates for current Leaving Certificate students, who …

287. Deputy Pat Buckley asked the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science if he will ring-fence CAO places for students from previous years in order that they compete against each other and not against the 2025 Leaving Certificate students whose grades are artificially lower by comparison or apply grade deflation to students from previous years entering this yea…

288. Deputy Gary Gannon asked the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science if he will consider ring-fencing a proportion of CAO places in 2025 for students who are sitting the Leaving Certificate in that year, so they are not in direct competition with applicants from previous years whose grades reflect higher levels of grade inflation; if he will consider applyi…

110. Deputy John Connolly asked the Minister for Education if she is satisfied that sufficient efforts are being made to ensure teachers, schools and pupils are adequately prepared for the introduction of the new leaving certificate cycle in the next academic year; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [17201/25]

165. Deputy Sorca Clarke asked the Minister for Education how she intends to address to concerns of students and parents regarding the grade inflation in recent years and the potential impact on Leaving Certificate students graduating in 2025. [17091/25]