The appeals process for Leaving Cert students who are unhappy with the calculated grades they received opened this morning (14 September).

Students have until 5pm on 16 September to submit an appeal.

The calculated grades system was introduced due to the postponement of state exams as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic.

The grades were based on marks given by teachers, which then went through a national standardisation process.

Percentage marks

Students received their overall grades last week, but from this morning they can also find out percentage marks for each subject as well as the estimated percentage marks awarded by their school.

Students can appeal if they are unhappy with their marks in one or more subjects. There is no fee involved.

Errors

The Department of Education says the appeals process will look for errors in the transmission and processing of student data through the system. It will not be possible, however, to appeal the information provided by the student’s school.

“Due to the nature of the calculated grades system the professional judgment of the school is outside of the appeals process,” the department says.

It says every effort will be made to process appeals as quickly as possible, though it is not committing to a date for final decisions.

If students are unhappy with the outcome of the appeals process, they can have their appeal reviewed by independent Appeals Scrutineers.

Students who believe their case has not been processed correctly can also make a complaint to the Ombudsman or, in the case of students under 18 years of age, the Ombudsman for Children.