This week, people have contacted my office about issues relating to grading, similar to my colleague, Deputy Michael Healy-Rae. They have been downgraded from H1s to H2s. I have asked students to give me their results from third, fifth and sixth year. In all cases that my office has received, those do not reflect the grades they have received for their leaving certificate. They have been downgraded by one or two grades. People have been getting grinds and their teachers have written reports to say that they excel and they have been downgraded. They have lost out. One girl has wanted to teach all her life. She is short by four points for teaching because she was downgraded in two subjects.

I understand the very difficult situation for individual students, in having a desire to secure a certain course and a target to get the results to secure it. It is heartbreaking when a student does not get the course. This year in particular, due to Covid-19, there was a unique situation with no physical examinations and a calculated grades programme had to be introduced. As part of that calculated grades programme, standardisation was essential. The experts involved were clear that there was significant grade inflation at the school level, which was expected, over and above what happened in previous years, so the standardisation model was trying to be fair to all schools in that situation. Notwithstanding that, I understand that people will be very upset about what has happened to them in individual situations. I have to be clear and honest with Deputies. It is not possible to unthread that because if one pulls a thread in one area, one risks unravelling the entire edifice.