Junior Cycle exam results out Wednesday 23 November 2022

The State Examinations Commission (SEC), intends to issue the 2022 Junior Cycle examination results to candidates on Wednesday 23 November 2022.

Noting the very significant examiner shortages which affected marking at both Leaving Certificate and Junior Cycle this year, the SEC has been making every effort to complete the marking in all subjects so that these results can issue. 

This year’s Junior Cycle results will be available in schools on Wednesday 23 November 2022. Candidates can also access their results online from 4pm on that date noting that the online service is not intended to replace the valuable results service and advice provided by schools at results issue time. 

The SEC appreciates that candidates and their parents/guardians may be disappointed that these results are issuing later than normal. This has arisen due to a combination of factors which include a later issue date for the Leaving Certificate results and, most especially, the impact of a shortage of teachers to mark the examinations over the summer marking period.  In most subjects, the number of teachers available to undertake roles as examiners was less than the number required to mark that subject within the normal summer marking window.  In all subjects, marking continued for an extended period of time in the summer and with many examiners agreeing to take on additional scripts to mark.

In a small number of subjects, in which the examiner supply challenges were most acute, it was not possible to complete the marking and the marking process is ongoing.  Marking in these subjects is being undertaken at this time by examiners who had been marking during the summer with these teams supplemented by other teachers qualified to mark in the relevant subjects including teachers who had marked at Leaving Certificate this year. Unlike in the summer marking period, teachers are in schools during the day and only available to mark at evenings and weekends. 

The SEC has an absolute responsibility to examination candidates to ensure that their work is marked to the highest standards of quality and integrity and the Commission must be able to stand over the results it issues each year.

The SEC is extremely grateful for the significant efforts of those teachers who undertook the crucial role of marking the state examinations this year. In advance of the 2023 examinations, the SEC will be reviewing with all of the stakeholders how best to ensure the availability of teachers in the required numbers to complete this important examination work.  

Junior Cycle Statistics

68,408 candidates entered for this year’s Junior Cycle examinations with over 550,000 individual subject entries in 21 different subjects. The number of candidates entered this year is 5% more (+c.3500) than the number of candidates in 2019 when examinations were last held for all candidates.  

Why are the Junior Cycle Results issuing later than in previous years?

• The SEC has a responsibility to examination candidates to ensure that their work is marked to the highest standards of quality and integrity and the Commission must be able to stand over the results it issues each year. There were a number of issues this year which impacted arrangements for delivery of both Leaving Certificate and Junior Cycle examinations and so results of the examinations are later than they would be in a normal year.

• This year saw a welcome return to examinations for all candidates across Leaving Certificate, Leaving Certificate Applied and Junior Cycle programmes. Providing examinations has been a significant undertaking in the current year considering the ongoing effects of Covid-19 and the changes made to examinations delivery as a result. The date for the issue of the Leaving Certificate results was later than would be the case in a normal year due to factors including the deferred sitting of the Leaving Certificate examinations and the commitment that the outcomes would, on aggregate, be no lower than the outcomes in 2021. Further, the requirement for increased numbers of teachers to mark the examinations across all subjects especially at Junior Cycle has been particularly challenging in the current year.

• Marking in almost all Junior Cycle subjects has now been completed and processing of results is ongoing. In most subjects the number of teachers available to undertake roles as examiners in the marking process was less than the number required to mark that subject within the normal summer marking window.  In all subjects, marking continued for an extended period of time in the summer and with many examiners agreeing to mark additional scripts.

• In a small number of subjects, in which the examiner supply challenges were most acute, it was not possible to complete the marking and the marking process is ongoing.  Marking in these subjects is being undertaken at this time by examiners who had been marking during the summer with these teams supplemented by other teachers qualified to mark in the relevant subjects including teachers who had marked at Leaving Certificate this year. Unlike in the summer marking period, teachers are in schools during the day and only available to mark at evenings and weekends. 

• The number of examiners available to mark Junior Cycle examinations this year was, at 1270 examiners, 30% less than the number who had marked the 2019 Junior Cycle examinations (1756).    

• As in any year, and as agreed with all of the education stakeholders, priority was given to the Leaving Certificate given the importance of these results and appeal results to candidates as they progress to employment, further education and higher education.  It was important to prioritise the Leaving Certificate and Leaving Certificate appeal results as these have a direct impact on access to further and higher education as well as the world of work. Before 2019, Junior Cycle results came out before the Leaving Certificate appeal results but this changed by agreement of all of the education stakeholders. 

• This year, Leaving Certificate results issued on Friday 2 September and Leaving Certificate appeal results came out exactly five weeks later on Friday 7 October in time for the CAO offers season. 

• In 2019, the last time all of the examinations ran as normal, the Leaving Certificate results issued on Tuesday 13 August.  This was followed five weeks later by the Leaving Certificate appeal results on Wednesday 18 September.  The 2019 Junior Cycle results issued some 3 weeks after the appeals date on Friday 4 October 2019. 

What is being done to address examiner supply?

• The number of teachers available to mark the examinations, which is an issue for the entire education system, has been extremely challenging for a number of years even prior to Covid.  Candidates numbers have been gradually rising at both Junior Cycle and Leaving Certificate so the demand is increasing. 
• Increased rates of payment were approved for examiners this year. Additional payments were made which recognised the cooperation, flexibility and support needed in the delivery of the examinations. 
• The impact of the increases is that an additional €6 per Leaving Certificate script and an additional €3 per Junior Cycle script is being paid in addition to the normal payments for the subject. 
• This means that the Leaving Certificate marking fees for 2022 have increased by a minimum of 17% and up to 50% per script depending on the subject specific rate. 
• The Junior Cycle marking fees for 2022 have increased by a minimum of 48% and up to 57% depending on the subject specific rate.
• These increases were introduced on a once-off basis in 2022.  An additional €11m was provided on Budget Day this year to maintain these increased examiners pay rates going forward. 
• In collaboration with all of the stakeholders in the system, the SEC made significant efforts to recruit examiners for the 2022 examinations.  The EARN, LEARN, UNDERSTAND recruitment campaign, which will continue for 2023, highlighted the many professional and financial benefits for teachers of marking. 
• The SEC will be reviewing with all of the stakeholders how best to ensure the availability of teachers in the required numbers to complete this important examination work.  

On line Results Service

Junior Cycle results will be available in schools and candidates can also access their results online from 4pm on Wednesday 23 November 2022. Access to the service via www.examinations.ie

requires the use of an examination number and a unique candidate Personal Identification Number. The PIN and examination numbers required to access the service will issue in advance to schools. The online service is not intended to replace the valuable results service and advice provided to candidates by schools at results issue time.