Points drop as first round CAO offers are out

Points have dropped for more than half of all third level courses, but are up for some sectors.

It’s after the first major change to the Leaving Cert points system in 25 years, which was designed to take the heat out of the points race.

Educationalists say it’s early days, but the move appears to be working.


Sandrin Tauro’s relatives, like many across the country, had lit a candle for her ahead of her CAO first round offer this morning.

She needn’t have worried, as Sandrin got her first choice, Aerospace Engineering in IT Carlow;

Sandrin is one of the 51 percent to get her first choice of a level 8 degree; 79 percent got offered one of their top three, rising to 97 percent for level 6 and 7.

President of Maynooth University Philip Nolan steered the working group tasked with overhauling the points system.

He says so far, it seems to be working, and the wider bands will hopefully steer pupils away from rote learning;