A recheck can result in an upgrade and higher choice course
IF a candidate wishes to apply to have their exam rechecked, they may do so for a fee. Anyone considering an appeal is strongly advised to view their scripts first (see opposite) to establish whether there are grounds for seeking a recheck.
Candidates may appeal as many subjects as they wish if they feel a paper has been incorrectly marked, or if they have received the wrong grade. This may result in an upgrade and even an offer for a higher choice course.
The State Examinations Commission (SEC) is encouraging candidates to use the online appeals application service. This very straightforward process opens on examinations.ie at noon today. Candidates can log in using their exam number and PIN.
There is a fee of €40 to recheck each Leaving Cert (Established) subject and €15.50 to recheck a Leaving Certificate Applied subject, repayable if the appeal is successful.
Once a candidate has selected the subjects and made payment, they can print an Appeal Confirmation Form, which must be submitted to the organising superintendent at their school — this is the teacher who was in charge of organising the exams. This must be back with the school by the evening of September 3, and the school forwards it to the SEC.
Alternatively, candidates can request a paper application from the SEC.
The results of rechecks will not be available until October. Therefore, candidates must make their decisions around accepting courses without the results of their recheck.
If, in October, it is found that they missed out on a place as a result of not receiving the correct grade initially, they should contact the CAO (email is often best) to discuss the possibility of changing courses.
Even though students may be motivated to apply for rechecks as a result of narrowly missing out on a higher preference, many of those who get a late offer, as a result of a recheck, decide to remain in the course which they have already started, as they have made friends, found accommodation and settled in.
There is always the possibility that a result will be downgraded, but this is less likely to happen if the script has been viewed and there seem to be clear grounds for the appeal.
The number of downgrades each year is minimal — in 2017, it was four out of 9,806 appeals of individual grades by 5,615 candidates. There were 1,425 upgrades.