Leaving Cert students must register for calculated grades by Thursday evening

The Department of Education has urged 60,000 Leaving Certificate students to register online for predicted grades by Thursday night.

Students have been instructed they must complete the registration process on the Calculated Grades Student Portal by 10pm on Thursday. The process opened on Tuesday morning.

Calculated grades have been designed as a solution to problems with sitting the exams while adhering to safety guidelines related to Covid-19. Students have the option of confirming the level at which they wish to be assessed or changing to a lower level.

Once the Department of Education has received all the necessary data, students will then be asked to opt-in through the portal to indicate if they wish to receive calculated grades.

Those registering must have their examination number, Personal Public Service (PPS) number (which they will use to create a four-digit Personal Identification Number), an email address and a mobile phone number.

Students will also be required to confirm the level at which they intended to sit each of their subjects.

“This is a brand-new system that it has been necessary to introduce because of the decisions we have had to take as we respond to Covid-19 situation,” Minister for Education Joe McHugh said in a statement on Monday.

“The important message for Leaving Certificate students is that they must now register by Thursday at 10pm to ensure that they can receive their Leaving Certificate calculated grades.

“It is also essential that students confirm their levels at this time so that schools can complete the task of providing information for each student about their expected level of performance in each subject.”

The Minister appealed to students not to leave the registration process on the gov.ie/leavingcertificate portal to the last minute. Schools have been asked to assist their students and a helpline support system is available for anyone experiencing trouble getting access online.

Those who are unhappy with their calculated grades will have the option to sit the deferred Leaving Cert written exams, whenever they are held in line with public health advice. However, it will be too late to start college in the coming academic year based on the results of those exams.