Keydates & Options for Leaving Certs 2020
This has been an emotional week for the Class of 2020. Results day brought such mixed feelings from disappointment to delight, relief that they had arrived and worry about CAO points and offers. For many the wait for the Round 1 CAO offers which were issued today, Friday the 11th at 2pm online was really difficult as you tried to second guess what the entry points for 2020 would be. Regardless of how you are feeling it is important to realise that there are various options open to you at this stage and it is equally important for all students to watch the key dates coming up in the next 2 weeks as all deadlines are strict so don’t miss them.
Friday, 11th Sept
CAO Round 1 offers available online from 2pm
Monday, 14th Sept
Schools’ estimated marks & calculated grades will be available from 9am by logging on to the student portal at www.gov.ie/LeavingCert
The Leaving Cert Appeals Process opens
CAO Available Places Open at Noon
Wednesday, 16th Sept
Deadline for acceptance of CAO Round 1 Offers by 3pm
Closing date for submitting Leaving Cert appeal at 5pm
Monday, 23rd Sept
Round 2 CAO offers issued online from 10am
Friday, 25th Sept
Deadline for acceptance of CAO Round 2 offers at Noon
Thursday, 1st Oct
Round 3 CAO offers issued online from 10am
Tuesday, 6th Oct
Deadline for acceptance of CAO Round 3 offers at 3pm
Thursday, 8th Oct
Round 4 CAO offers issued online from 10am
Tuesday, 13th Oct
Deadline for acceptance of CAO Round 4 offers at 3pm
Monday, 16th Nov
Provisional date for the start of Leaving Cert 2020 written exams
CAO Round 1 Offers – Friday 11th from 2pm
If you have applied for Level 8 and Level 7/6 courses you may get offers from both lists and you must choose one. Once you accept a place you will not be offered anything that is below that course in your order of preference list but you may be offered a course that is above it in subsequent rounds if the points come down in Round 2, 3 and so on. If you do not accept a place by the deadline your offer will lapse. If you wish to defer a place do not accept your offer. Instead you must email or write to the Admissions Office of the college or university immediately giving your name, your CAO number and the course code of the offer you want to defer and set out the reason for the request. Put ‘DEFERRED ENTRY’ in the subject line of the email. The turnaround time is short and deferred entry requests must arrive at the Admissions Office at least 2 days before the reply date in the offer notice so don’t waste time applying for the deferral once you receive an offer. Check www.cao.ie for all details of offers, acceptances and deferrals as well as key dates.
Appeals & sitting the exams in November
From Monday next the 14th you will be see the percentage marks predicted by the schools as well as the final marks after standardisation by the Calculated Grades executive office. If you wish to appeal you can do so but this year that appeal will relate only to the process, in other words a check that the data was transferred correctly without administrative errors. The percentage grade awarded by the school cannot be changed. If you are still unhappy with your grade you have the option to sit the Leaving Cert written papers in November. You can choose to sit one, some or all of the subjects you have already gotten grades for and if you get a higher grade in the written paper you get the benefit of that higher grade. This means you are getting to use the best combination of results from the Calculated Grades and the results of the written papers for points to apply to college in 2021/2022.
Other Options - If sitting the exams does not appeal to you there are other options.
2nd Chance maths exam - If you haven’t met the minimum maths requirement for your chosen course the following universities and ITs are running second chance maths exams next week. Some registrations close today Friday the 11th but others remain open until next week. Check out the details on their websites – ITTralee, GMIT, CIT, WIT, LYIT, Carlow IT, Dundalk IT, Sligo IT, TUD, UL, NUI Galway, Maynooth University. If you are successful and have the required points you will be offered a place in subsequent CAO rounds.
CAO Available Places will open on September 14th at 12.00. If colleges and universities have any new courses that opened from application after the Change of Mind deadline or if any places remain unfilled in particular courses after all offers have been made and the waiting lists of applicants meeting minimum entry requirements have been exhausted, such vacancies will be advertised on www.cao.ie.
Colleges of Further Education have a broad selection of Level 5/6 Courses for Progression (PLCs) that allow you to progress onto universities and ITs by applying through CAO once you have completed them. This gives you a great chance to get used to student life with smaller classes, excellent support and the chance to follow your dream through a different route. Check out www.fetchcourses.ie
Apprenticeships are an ideal choice if you are looking to work in a skills-based job and ‘Earn while you Learn’. The range of apprenticeships available now is extensive, for the most up to date information check out www.apprenticeship.ie
Traineeships also offer huge opportunities for upskilling in a way that places huge emphasis on industry experience. Check out the details on www.fetchcourses.ie
Repeating the Leaving Cert in 2021 is also an option to consider if you feel that you want a fresh run at the exams. Amendments have been made to the exams to allow for the disruption to 5th year students this year so bear this in mind when considering this option.
After what has been an incredibly stressful year, you are moving on to an exciting time in your life. Regardless of how you are feeling take time to consider all the options available to you before you make your choice - talk to those around you, contact your guidance counsellor in school and avail of the Freephone helpline being operated by the National Parents Council Post Primary & IGC if you have any queries on 1800 265 165.
Go n-éirí libh ar fad!