CAO process has become unnecessarily complicated, says Cummins

Social Democrats TD Jen Cummins has said that the CAO process has become “unnecessarily complicated.”

The Soc Dems education spokesperson said that Leaving Cert students are forced to navigate a “drip-feed of crucial information” over several days at what is “already an incredibly stressful time.”

The Dublin South Central TD said “students receiving their Leaving Certificate results should be able to clearly understand how they performed, what points they have achieved and what their options are. Instead, we have created an unnecessarily complicated process where vital pieces of information are released at different times over the course of several days.”

“Students received their results last Friday, but had to wait until yesterday to access further information on their marks. Then, if they make the decision to appeal a result due to a close margin, they won’t have that result before receiving their CAO offers today,” she explained.

“Students will not even have the opportunity to view their examination papers until Saturday. Only then can they properly consider whether there may be grounds to seek a review of a marking decision. This sequencing makes absolutely no sense.”

Cummins said that if a student narrowly misses out on the points required for their preferred course because of a marking issue, there should be an opportunity for that issue to be resolved before college places are allocated.

“Instead, CAO offers are being made before students have had the opportunity to see their papers and complete the appeals process. Even where an appeal results in a student receiving additional marks and points, the first round of college offers has already passed,” she noted.

Cummins stated, “we are effectively correcting mistakes after decisions based on those mistakes have already been made.”

“There will always be enormous anticipation around Leaving Certificate results and CAO offers, but the state should be doing everything possible to make this period easier for young people and their families. Instead, we have designed a process that is difficult to understand and requires students to repeatedly log on and wait for the next piece of information.”

Cummins said, “as a parent navigating this process myself this year, I have seen just how unnecessarily complicated it is. If parents who are familiar with the education system are struggling to follow the different stages and deadlines, we have to ask how accessible the process is for every student and every family.”

“The timeline should be redesigned so that students receive the information they need in a clear and logical sequence. They should be able to access their detailed results, view their examination papers and pursue any necessary review before those results determine their CAO offers.”

The Soc Dems education spokesperson said “we also need to look at this in the context of wider Leaving Certificate and CAO reform. We continue to place an extraordinary amount of pressure on young people through a points-driven system, and then compound that pressure with a complicated results and offers process.”

“The Ministers for Education and Higher Education should review the timeline for next year so that examination reviews can be dealt with, wherever possible, before CAO places are allocated. We cannot simply accept this confusing process as inevitable when there is a clear opportunity to make it work better for students,” she said.