{"id":649095,"date":"2026-08-21T13:20:15","date_gmt":"2026-08-21T13:20:15","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/649095\/"},"modified":"2026-08-21T13:20:15","modified_gmt":"2026-08-21T13:20:15","slug":"leaving-cert-results-and-cao-2026-our-experts-answer-your-questions-the-irish-times","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/649095\/","title":{"rendered":"Leaving Cert results and CAO 2026: our experts answer your questions \u2013 The Irish Times"},"content":{"rendered":"

Welcome to The Irish Times CAO<\/a> Helpdesk for 2026. Using the form below, you can submit any questions you have about this year\u2019s process, from points and Leaving Cert<\/a> results, to appeals, deferrals and more.<\/p>\n

Our education<\/a> experts Deirdre Garrett and Brian Howard will be answering your questions from 11am today to give you quick and clear feedback as you navigate college offers, choices and deciding your next steps over the coming days. You can read their answers below.<\/p>\n

Cian O’Connell – 7 minutes ago<\/p>\n

Can you accept a Level 7 course and subsequently be offered a place on a Level 8?<\/p>\n

If my daughter only gets offered a Level 7 course in round 1 and she accepts it, can she still be offered a level 8 in subsequent rounds? Thank you! – Anon<\/b><\/p>\n

Yes. An offer of a level 8 will be made if your daughter meets entry requirements and has the necessary points in future rounds, regardless of whether she accepts a course from her Level 6\/7 list. – Deirdre<\/p>\n

Cian O’Connell – 36 minutes ago<\/p>\n

How to proceed with a deferral <\/p>\n

I didn\u2019t get the results I wanted. I think I have enough for one Level 8 course that I have on my CAO. If I get that offer, can I defer it and do a PLC for the year? Also, if I defer and want to change to another course next year, will I be able to do that on the CAO? – Niamh<\/b><\/p>\n

So, deferrals are not definite. You must contact the college when you get your offer and ask for a deferral. One of the conditions of the deferral is that you only apply for that course the following year, and you pick up the course. However, if you put any other course on the new CAO application, then you are in open competition again and you loose your deferred place, so be careful how you proceed with this. – Brian<\/p>\n

Cian O’Connell – 39 minutes ago<\/p>\n

Hello, my son got 251 points. He will be doing a PLC course but he feels this is a very low point score. Are there courses that do take points at the lower end of the scale? – Lucy McCann<\/b><\/p>\n

Yes. Level 6 and Level 7 courses tend to require lower cut off points for entry. Level 8 is the highest qualification level that one can enter after Leaving Cert. Level 6\/7 tend to be shorter in duration, requiring less points. They are often used as a scenic route\/back door into a level 8. – Deirdre<\/p>\n

Cian O’Connell – 44 minutes ago<\/p>\n

Can you miss out on CAO offers altogether? <\/p>\n

Hi, what if all the courses in the CAO list require higher points than I obtained? Will I still have offers? – Anissa<\/b><\/p>\n

CAO will only make offers to candidates who meet the necessary entry requirements and CAO cut off points. One may not receive a level 8 offer but could receive an offer from their level 6\/7 list. Many other options exist, such as a Post Leaving Cert course (PLC), apprenticeship, tertiary course, etc. Have a listen to this<\/a>. – Deirdre<\/p>\n

Cian O’Connell – 46 minutes ago<\/p>\n

I cleared my course in Trinity College Dublin (TCD) by two points based on last year\u2019s CAO offers. Is there a good chance that I will get it this year? – Siobhan Murphy<\/b><\/p>\n

Yes, I would say you are in with a good chance, but as you know, until you get that offer there is no way of knowing for definite. – Brian<\/p>\n

Cian O’Connell – 48 minutes ago<\/p>\n

My son got an O6 in maths, but it says unsuccessful in the explanations code, but it is 40-49%. Did he pass Maths for the LC? – Colette Macken <\/b><\/p>\n

An O6 in Maths is a pass grade. I don\u2019t have enough information about this to know what the \u2018unsuccessful\u2019 is about. Did your son sit both papers? Could he have received all his marks from one paper? Ultimately, he has an O6 which is a pass grade in Maths. I would suggest next Tuesday logging into the student portal and looking at the breakdown of marks in his Maths and this might shed light on what is going on. – Brian<\/p>\n

Cian O’Connell – 50 minutes ago<\/p>\n

How do you appeal a result? – Carol Ann<\/b><\/p>\n

Applying to view a script is optional. Applications to appeal results open at 10am on Sunday 30th August. This can be done online through your CSSP. Applications to appeal results will close at 5pm on Monday August 31st.<\/p>\n

Cian O’Connell – 52 minutes ago<\/p>\n

I got 433 points today, but I want to do teaching in Mary Immaculate College which is 444. Will I get it? – Eleanor Lambe<\/b><\/p>\n

My opinion would be that it won\u2019t drop that much. However, we won\u2019t know until CAO offers are made at 2pm on Wednesday. – Deirdre<\/p>\n

Cian O’Connell – 53 minutes ago<\/p>\n

I got 601 points and want to do Pharmacy at University College Cork (UCC), which was 602 last year. Do you think I will get it? – Lucy<\/b><\/p>\n

There is no way of knowing for sure, however there are a lot of new pharmacy courses in the system this year, so that might help alleviate the points required in the existing courses. Fingers crossed you\u2019ll make it. – Brian<\/p>\n

Cian O’Connell – 56 minutes ago<\/p>\n

Will CAO points for medicine go down? – Pal<\/b><\/p>\n

There\u2019s no way of knowing I\u2019m afraid, it\u2019s just wait and see next Wednesday. Best of luck. – Brian<\/p>\n

Cian O’Connell – 59 minutes ago<\/p>\n

Accessing CAO points for students that completed their exams abroad<\/p>\n

My daughter is waiting for CAO offers as a student who completed her exams in Italy. We submitted all necessary documentation, but we can\u2019t seem to find out how many CAO points her results translate to. She has applied to IADT Dunlaoghaire for a portfolio combined points course. Can you give me an idea of where to find this information? – Geraldine Murphy<\/b><\/p>\n

Would this be useful to you? International entry requirements guidelines<\/a>. Get back in touch if you need more information. I would advise you to contact the college. – Deirdre<\/p>\n

Cian O’Connell – 1 hour ago<\/p>\n

\"AmyAmy Bracken (18), holds her Leaving Certificate with her mother Cheryl Bracken (right) and neighbour Elaine Hewitt (left). For the first time ever, students with special educational needs who have undertaken the L1 and L2 learning programme modules received their results on the same day as other Leaving Certificate students at St. Catherine’s Special School in Newcastle, County Wicklow. Photograph by Clodagh Kilcoyne\/The Irish Times <\/p>\n

Cian O’Connell – 1 hour ago<\/p>\n

I\u2019m just slightly under the points for Business, Economics and Social Studies (BESS) in Trinity, and Commerce in UCD. Should I go to DCU or just get comfortable on the dole while I still have time? – Alastair Beckett<\/b><\/p>\n

If you get offered a Business course in DCU, that is a very good offer and you should definitively carefully consider accepting this. Go online and do a bit of research into the course at this stage. – Brian<\/p>\n

Cian O’Connell – 1 hour ago<\/p>\n

Lower points for a Bachelor of Arts (BA) in Galway?<\/p>\n

Will Arts in University of Galway (UG) come down in points this year? – Louise Flannery<\/b><\/p>\n

It is too hard to know. It is a popular course; for example, GY101 saw a big jump in 2025. We will have to be patient and wait until Wednesday at 2pm. – Deirdre<\/p>\n

Cian O’Connell – 1 hour ago<\/p>\n

My son is very keen on studying law. He had DCU on his list which is about 496 points, and he has received 476 points. He is eligible for DARE because of ADHD and dyspraxia- how much does DARE generally compensate? – Meadhbh Quinn<\/b><\/p>\n

DCU reserves 5 per cent of places on programmes for eligible DARE applicants. Some programmes with *Restricted Entry are excluded from DARE. DARE operates on a priority system, generally giving priority to those with sensory or physical needs. Available places are offered to those students ranked highest by the points scale and points reduction is impacted by a demand for a programme and also by how many DARE places they have on a course. – Deirdre <\/p>\n

Cian O’Connell – 1 hour ago<\/p>\n

My son got lower grades in Classics and Business than expected. As a result, his points are lower than he needed. He got 520 points but needed 555 to do actuarial maths in DCU. – Clare O\u2019Flynn<\/b><\/p>\n

I would suggest he should apply to view his papers to see if there are any discrepancies in the marking of both of these papers. If there is any sign of an issue in them, he should carefully consider getting them rechecked. Also, he should research carefully his lower preferences as there is a chance he will be offered one of them in round one and it may be his only offer. – Brian<\/p>\n

Cian O’Connell – 1 hour ago<\/p>\n

How likely is a significant rise in points requirements?<\/b><\/p>\n

Hi, my son got about 25 points more than last year\u2019s requirement for his first choice course. How likely do you think he is to get it? Would points rise by more than 25 points? It seems like it would be a very large increase. – Fiadh<\/b><\/p>\n

I cannot say for definite as CAO course points will not be known until 2pm on Wednesday. Stay confident. I would be confident. A rise of 25 points could happen, but it is more unlikely than likely. – Deirdre<\/p>\n

Cian O’Connell – 1 hour ago<\/p>\n

Is it worthwhile appealing results?<\/b><\/p>\n

How does the appeals process work? I want to appeal some results but I\u2019m not sure if it\u2019s worth going through all that trouble\u2026 – Joshua<\/b><\/p>\n

View your script first. This will help you make your mind up regarding as to whether to appeal or not. Please make yourself aware of important dates for viewing of scripts and appeals here<\/a> – Deirdre <\/p>\n

Cian O’Connell – 1 hour ago<\/p>\n

Difficulty accessing PLC website <\/p>\n

The plc website is down. How can I sign up for some courses? – Oscar<\/b><\/p>\n

Search colleges of further education that are near you. You should be able to make an online application to one that interests you. Try look to see what the PLC requirement is for your desired third level course. – Deirdre<\/p>\n

Cian O’Connell – 1 hour ago<\/p>\n

Hi, my son was 10 points short of the predicted points for architecture. What can he do? – Fiona<\/b><\/p>\n

Architecture is on offer at six colleges of higher education. Some of these take students from PLC\/QQI courses. I would advise you to review CAO Architectural level 8 courses and PLC options. – Deirdre<\/p>\n

Cian O’Connell – 1 hour ago<\/p>\n

Will 489 points get me marketing in DCU? – Brid<\/b><\/p>\n

2025 final round points for this course were 487. We have no indication of points for CAO courses in 2026. We won\u2019t know until 2pm on Wednesday. – Deirdre<\/p>\n

Cian O’Connell – 1 hour ago<\/p>\n

I know it\u2019s hard to tell, but do you think points for primary school teaching will fall even a small bit? – Karen<\/b><\/p>\n

Unfortunately not, we have no indication that primary points are going to change one way or the other, it\u2019s just a waiting game until next Wednesday. – Brian<\/p>\n

Cian O’Connell – 1 hour ago<\/p>\n

I got 414 points and applied for DN520 Arts in UCD. What are the chances of getting this course? Last year it was 420 points. <\/b><\/p>\n

This course saw a one-point increase in 2025. It is a popular course and UCD is a demanded location. Points can fall. Nobody will know CAO 2026 points until 2pm on Wednesday. – Deirdre <\/p>\n

Cian O’Connell – 1 hour ago<\/p>\n

Will points for Veterinary Medicine drop?<\/p>\n

I am hoping to study Veterinary Medicine and have applied to the available programmes at UCD, ATU and SETU. Considering the lower overall Leaving Certificate results this year, and the introduction of new veterinary programmes, do you have any indication of the likely 2026 CAO points for these courses? <\/b><\/p>\n

Unfortunately not. We are all anxiously waiting to see the effect of the two new veterinary courses on Veterinary Medicine in general this year, what the points will be in the new courses, and whether will this have an effect on the existing UCD course. – Brian<\/p>\n

Cian O’Connell – 1 hour ago<\/p>\n

\"KendraKendra Hopkins (18) hugs her friend Leon McKenny (18), as they hold their Leaving Certificates. For the first time ever, students with special educational needs who have undertaken the L1 and L2 learning programme modules will get their results on the same day as other Leaving Certificate students at St. Catherine’s Special School in Newcastle, County Wicklow. Photograph by Clodagh Kilcoyne\/The Irish Times <\/p>\n

Cian O’Connell – 1 hour ago<\/p>\n

My son got 544 points, and is Disability Access Route to Education (DARE) eligible. Realistically, could he get a place on the Business, Economics and Social Studies (BESS) course in Trinity College Dublin? – Rachel O\u2019Farrell<\/b><\/p>\n

Trinity College Dublin reserves 25 per cent of places on every course for students with disabilities (DARE), students from socio-economically disadvantaged backgrounds (HEAR), and mature students. On courses with a quota of more than 40 places, approximately 8 per cent are DARE places, on smaller courses there may be only one or two places. Your son will be competing with other DARE students for these places. It will very much depend on the demand for DARE places and the points obtained by other DARE candidates. – Deirdre <\/p>\n

Cian O’Connell – 1 hour ago<\/p>\n

How do I know which papers are going to be available online and which ones in original format? Does it vary per subject? – Sara<\/b><\/p>\n

All subjects that were marked online will generally be available to view online in the CSSP. A list of these subjects is available in Appendix 2 at the back of the Candidate Information Guide 2 on www.examinations.ie. – Brian<\/p>\n

Cian O’Connell – 1 hour ago<\/p>\n

On average, what is the highest that points for any particular course could rise by? – Jessie<\/b><\/p>\n

There is no way of knowing this really. – Brian <\/p>\n

Cian O’Connell – 1 hour ago<\/p>\n

Leaving Cert appeals process explained<\/p>\n

My daughter would like to have two subjects rechecked. If she gets upgraded, how does this work in terms of CAO offers? – Elaine<\/b><\/p>\n

The CAO will make an offer once the candidate satisfies the minimum entry requirements and the necessary cut off points. The State Examinations Commission will liaise with the CAO on appeal results. The CAO will then update offers, if eligible, via CAO account. This will be in round 5. Round 5 offers will be available from 10am on Tuesday, 29th Sept. – Deirdre<\/p>\n

Cian O’Connell – 1 hour ago<\/p>\n

How can I see my results? – Philip Dunne<\/b><\/p>\n

You can log into the Candidate Self Service Portal (CSSP) – 2026 using your exam number and password on www.examinations.ie. Or, if you were in a school last year, you can go into your school to pick up a provisional copy of your results there. <\/b>– Brian<\/p>\n

Cian O’Connell – 1 hour ago<\/p>\n

What happens if grades are upgraded on appeal?<\/b><\/p>\n

If grades are upgraded on appeal and the student then reaches the points criteria for a course, will they automatically be offered the place for the current year post appeal? – Claire Foley<\/b><\/p>\n

CAO will make an offer if places are still available on the course in question. The candidate can choose to enter into this course subject to availability or defer their place to September 2027. – Deirdre <\/p>\n

Cian O’Connell – 1 hour ago<\/p>\n

How and when can I review my marked paper and see how it was graded? – Adam Gavin<\/b><\/p>\n

The breakdown of results of oral\/aural\/practical components and exact marks are available from 12 noon on Tuesday Aug 25th. One can access this using their Candidate Self Service Portal (CSSP). – Deirdre<\/p>\n

Cian O’Connell – 2 hours ago<\/p>\n

Cian O’Connell – 2 hours ago<\/p>\n

My son has Primary School Teaching down for St Pat\u2019s in DCU, and is four points over last years requirements. Do you feel points are likely to go up, and if so, by how much? – Joanne Heaney<\/b><\/p>\n

The overall sense is that points should maybe drop a little since the Post-Marking Adjustment (PMA) has dropped from 5.8 per cent last year to 4 per cent this year, so that is positive. However, the overall numbers sitting the LC this year are up considerably, and there are 20,000 CAO applicants this year who sat their LC in a previous year, so there is a lot of competition. Unfortunately, there is no way of saying definitively what courses will go up or down, but having four points over last year is a good position to be in, so fingers crossed. – Brian<\/p>\n

Cian O’Connell – 2 hours ago<\/p>\n

Hi, my child got way lower points than expected. He got much higher in mocks and all of his exams – how can this happen? – Jan<\/b><\/p>\n

Your child may still get offered a course of interest on Wednesday. Breakdown of results and exact marks are available at 12 noon on Tuesday, Aug 25th. I reccommend that you apply to view your scripts. You can appeal results if you are still not happy. – Deirdre <\/p>\n

Cian O’Connell – 2 hours ago<\/p>\n

Is it too late to apply for an apprenticeship?<\/p>\n

Looks like my daughter has missed out on most of her CAO course choices; is it too late to apply for a PLC or apprenticeship?<\/b><\/p>\n

Oh, I\u2019m sorry to hear that. The good news is it is certainly not too late to apply for other options such as PLC courses, Tertiary Courses and Apprenticeships. Not all will still be available, so if you have an idea of what you want to apply for, make contact with the institution or apprenticeship.ie as soon as possible to find out if they still have vacancies. – Brian<\/p>\n

Cian O’Connell – 2 hours ago<\/p>\n

Primary school teaching points query<\/p>\n

Hello, I received 488 points in my Leaving Certificate today and I want to do primary school teaching in Mary Immaculate College (MIC). This is only two points over the minimum from last year. How likely am I to secure a place? Please, I am so worried. – Christina Guiry<\/b><\/p>\n

Congratulations on doing so well. Points won\u2019t be made public until after 2pm on Wed 26th August. MIC was 484 pts last year. Points can continue fluctuate from round 1 right until the final round 5. Round 5 happens after appeal results have been released. The best of luck. – Deirdre <\/p>\n

Cian O’Connell – 2 hours ago<\/p>\n

Percentage breakdown of Leaving Cert results <\/p>\n

When do percentages become available? – Barry<\/b><\/p>\n

At 12 noon on Tuesday August 25th, you will be able to access a full percentage breakdown of your results. – Deirdre <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Welcome to The Irish Times CAO Helpdesk for 2026. Using the form below, you can submit any questions…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":649096,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":"","_share_on_mastodon":"0"},"categories":[3],"tags":[9,10,14331,18,13,14,6,19,17,11,12,12550,15,16,5,7,8,70755],"class_list":["post-649095","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-headlines","tag-breaking-news","tag-breakingnews","tag-cao","tag-eire","tag-featured-news","tag-featurednews","tag-headlines","tag-ie","tag-ireland","tag-latest-news","tag-latestnews","tag-leaving-certificate","tag-main-news","tag-mainnews","tag-news","tag-top-stories","tag-topstories","tag-your-stories"],"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/pubeurope.com\/@ie\/117133706840251299","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/649095","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=649095"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/649095\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/649096"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=649095"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=649095"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=649095"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}