Over 61,000 candidates receive Leaving Certificate Results today, 3 September 2021
The State Examinations Commission (SEC) congratulates, and wishes well for the future, the Leaving Certificate and Leaving Certificate Applied candidates whose results issued today.
From 10 am today, Leaving Certificate candidates may access their provisional results through the SEC’s Candidate Self Service Portal accessible at www.examinations.ie. Candidates can view their provisional results and will also be able to print a statement of their provisional results. Schools may access results for all of the candidates in the school through the SEC’s new Schools’ Examinations Portal, and arrangements can be made for students to access their results at the school if they wish.
This year, candidates had the option of receiving Accredited Grades or sitting examinations, or both. The statements of provisional statements of results that candidates will receive today, and their final certificates, will not distinguish examination results from Accredited Grades. All candidates will have their achievements celebrated irrespective of whether their results are based on Accredited Grades or examinations. On Results Day, neither candidates nor schools will know whether the provisional result awarded was from an examination or an Accredited Grade, although they will be provided with this information next Tuesday 7 September.
Mr Pat Burke, Chairman of the State Examinations Commission, sent his congratulations to all candidates receiving results today:
“The Commissioners and I have sought to ensure that the Leaving Certificate class of 2021 is treated as fairly and equitably as possible having regard to the adverse impact of COVID-19. The approach of providing Accredited Grades and adjusted Leaving Certificate examinations aimed to achieve this objective to the greatest extent possible and in a manner that we believe is both unprecedented and unique across jurisdictions. Our priorities have been ensuring fairness and equity for candidates, and quality in all aspects of the delivery of both processes, and in the integration of the results”.
Of the 61,125 candidates receiving results this year, 57,952 candidates followed the Leaving Certificate (Established) programme in 411,876 individual subjects, of which 13,532 (22.13%) followed the Leaving Certificate Vocational Programme. Of these, the vast majority, 52,680, opted for a combination of examinations and Accredited Grades and sat at least one examination. Just 185 candidates sat the examinations and did not receive any Accredited Grades and just over 5,000 candidates receiving results this year relied entirely on the Accredited Grades and did not sit any examinations. A further 3,173 (5.19%) candidates followed the Leaving Certificate Applied Programme.
The provision this year of both Leaving Certificate and Leaving Certificate Applied examinations and Accredited Grades, for the 2021 Leaving Certificate, has been an unprecedented response to dealing with the interruption to Leaving Certificate candidate learning due to COVID 19. This would not have been possible without the collective and collaborative efforts of school management and staff working with the SEC and the Department of Education, in the best interests of the Leaving Certificate class of 2021.
The choices available to candidates in relation to their Leaving Certificate this year recognise that it would be unfair to have candidates rely entirely on the examinations as the sole means of assessment for their Leaving Certificate qualification in 2021. Candidates have had the choice of sitting examinations, receiving Accredited Grades, or both, on a subject by subject basis. This is the case in the three Leaving Certificate programmes: the Leaving Certificate Applied (LCA) programme; the Leaving Certificate Vocational Programme (LCVP), as well as the established Leaving Certificate.
The SEC has operated the Accredited Grades process and the 2021 examinations process entirely independently, bringing them together only for the purposes of determining the higher result for those candidates who have opted for both examinations and Accredited Grades.
Today, the SEC is publishing subject-by-subject Leaving Certificate performance statistics. These are the results of the 2021 Leaving Certificate and do not distinguish between results from examinations and those from Accredited Grades. Some high-level information on the examinations and on the Accredited Grades is also being provided. The SEC intends to publish the detailed overall grades in all subjects and levels separately for examinations and Accredited Grades following the completion of all of the appeals processes for the 2021 Leaving Certificate results are considered final.
The purpose of presenting the national performance statistics for 2021 along with 2020 and the average outcomes of 2017-2019 serves only to set the results in context. The grade profile is a result of a combination of all of the measures which sought to prioritise fairness for candidates at the 2021 Leaving Certificate. The factors which influenced the grades this year include:
There is not any single factor that that has contributed to the higher outcomes this year. It is the combined effect of these public policy measures which prioritised fairness and equity for the class of 2021 over strict adherence to existing national standards.
An SEC report on the approach to examinations and Accredited Grades, and the development of the standardisation model in the system of Accredited Grades, will be published on Results Day.
The SEC transmits the results of all candidates electronically to the Central Applications Office (CAO). This brings about the earliest possible issue of college place offers to candidates. The CAO First Round offers will be available to applicants from 2 pm on Tuesday 7 September.
From 5 pm on 7 September, a number of related services will be available to Leaving Certificate candidates through the Candidate Self Service Portal. The portal will give candidates access to their written examination component marks and final marks, and access to their Accredited Grades estimated marks and accredited marks. The portal will also allow candidates to apply to view their marked examination scripts; view their scripts online; make an application to appeal. A Candidate Information Guide on Results and Appeals was issued to candidates earlier this week and is available here.
Candidates in the Leaving Certificate and Leaving Certificate Applied examinations are afforded an opportunity to view their marked scripts after the initial marking process. The viewing allows candidates to satisfy themselves that the marking scheme has been applied correctly to their work and, in addition to enhancing transparency, is designed to assist candidates in deciding to appeal a result in one or more subjects. The SEC will provide two Viewing of Scripts services this year:
The application process is the same for both services. Applications to view can only be made through the Candidate Self Service Portal between 5 pm on Tuesday 7 September and 8 pm on Wednesday 8 September.
Viewing of scripts marked on paper will take place in schools on Saturday 11 September from 9 am to 5 pm, with an additional optional session, at the discretion of the school, on the morning of Sunday 12 September As well as being able to view these scripts online, candidates will be able to print a copy of their scripts. Candidates will be able to access the published marking schemes, whether the subject was marked on paper or online on www.examinations.ie.
Appeal applications will open at 9 am on Saturday, 11 September and will close at midday on
Monday, 13 September. Appeal applications can only be made through the Candidate Self Service Portal. Students will have access to two separate appeals processes for which they must apply separately
Students who sat examinations and opted for Accredited Grades can apply for either or both appeals processes regardless of which grade generated their final result.
The prohibition on the canvassing of teachers by students/parents or the giving of false or misleading information which applied to the provision of the school estimates applies equally to the appeals process.
Until such time as the number of appeals is known, it is not possible to commit to a specific timeframe for the issue of the appeal results. The State Examinations Commission (SEC) continues to engage with the Department of Education, the Department of Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Skills and other higher education stakeholders on this timeline.
A helpline for candidates in relation to accessing their examination results is available at 1800 111 135 or 1800 111 136 from 9 am to 5 pm from 3 September to 13 September. Outside of these hours queries may be e-mailed to candidateportal@examinations.ie. Please note this helpline is provided for queries relating to the Candidate Self Service Portal and the services provided through the portal.
The National Parents Council – Post-Primary, with the support of the Institute of Guidance Counsellors, will operate a helpline for Leaving Certificate students receiving their results on Friday 3 September. The helpline will be staffed by qualified guidance counsellors and will provide advice to students and parents regarding the examination results. The helpline can be contacted at 1800 265 165 and will remain open after the CAO first round offers. (Note: This helpline facility is not operated by the State Examinations Commission)
The total cohort this year is 61,125 candidates across all three Leaving Certificate programmes.
| Year | Leaving Certificate (Established and LCVP) | Leaving
Certificate Applied Programme |
Total | Annual | |
| % Change | |||||
| 2017 | 55,770 | 2,773 | 58,543 | 0.13% | |
| 2018 | 54,440 | 2,709 | 57,149 | -2.40% | |
| 2019 | 56,071 | 2,716 | 58,787 | 2.90% | |
| 2020 | 57,668 | 2,855 | 60,523 | 2.86% | |
| 2021 | 57,952 | 3,173 | 61,125 | 0.98% |
Table 1: Total number of candidates receiving results in Leaving Certificate and Leaving Certificate Applied
2017 figures include 2,623 External and 1,172 Repeat Candidates.
2018 figures include 2,556 External and 907 Repeat Candidates.
2019 figures include 2,726 External and 697 Repeat Candidates
2020 figures include 2,509 External and 618 school-based repeat candidates
2021 figures include 2261 External and 744 school-based repeat candidates
Subject by subject participation data on examinations and Accredited Grades is presented at Appendix A. The examination participation rates varied considerably from subject to subject from 48% to over 90% in Applied Mathematics. In some subjects with a related examination component (an oral test, project, coursework, etc.) many candidates completed these components but did not ultimately sit the written examinations.
| Candidates | Grades | |
| Number of Accredited Grades Only | 5,087 | 164,848 |
| Number of Examinations Only | 185 | 1,178 |
| Number of Both | 52,680 | 245,850 |
| Totals | 57,952 | 411,876 |
Table 2. Number of Leaving Certificate (Established) Candidates and Grades
| Number of Subjects |
Candidates – All Leaving Certificate |
% Overall Cohort | Candidates – Examinations | % Examinations Cohort* | |
| 1 | 728 | 1.3% | 4793 | 9.1% | |
| 2 | 98 | 0.2% | 4438 | 8.4% | |
| 3 | 44 | 0.1% | 5661 | 10.7% | |
| 4 | 61 | 0.1% | 7422 | 14.0% | |
| 5 | 367 | 0.6% | 9060 | 17.1% | |
| 6 | 4,317 | 7.4% | 11,041 | 20.9% | |
| 7 | 36,580 | 63.1% | 8532 | 16.1% | |
| 8 or more | 15757 | 27.2% | 1918 | 3.6% | |
| TOTALS | 57,952 | 52,865 | *Of those candidates who sat examinations |
| No. of Grades | % | |
| Examination Grade equal to Accredited Grade | 77001 | 31.3% |
| Examination Grade higher than Accredited Grade | 39659 | 16.1% |
| Accredited Grade higher than Examination Grade | 129190 | 52.5% |
| Total | 245850 |
The grade distributions in the school estimates for the 2021 Accredited Grades process showed even stronger grade profiles than in 2020, with substantial further increases in the proportion of estimates corresponding to the highest grades, especially at Higher Level. The extent to which the estimates were, on average, higher than their historical norms varied considerably across subjects and levels, as it did in 2020. The distribution of grade changes from those implied by the school estimated marks to the final Accredited Grades across all subjects and levels is shown in the following table. In keeping with the commitment to prioritise inter-candidate equity for the 2021 Cohort and to respect the primacy of the school estimates, the level of downward adjustment is at the same level as last year.
| Overall | ||
| Grades | % | |
| UP | 23363 | 5.9 |
| SAME | 306847 | 77.3 |
| DOWN | 66917 | 16.9 |
| 397127 | 100.0 | |
| 410658 |
Table 5. Level of Adjustment from School Estimates (Grades) – Al levels
This year 3,173 students took their final stage examinations in the two-year Leaving Certificate Applied (LCA) programme. LCA students have been building their credits right through the two years of their Leaving Certificate course, so today brings the final stage and full recognition of their achievements.
The results for LCA students differ from those of their counterparts in the established Leaving Certificate. Graduates from the LCA programme receive a single award made on the basis of credits accumulated over the two-year cycle and in the final examinations. This award is given at three levels: Pass for those students with total credits of 60% or over but less than 70%; Merit for 70% or over but less than 85%; and Distinction for 85% and above.
The numbers taking the LCA programme over the past five years and the grades awarded are shown in the following table.
| Year | Distinction | Merit | Pass | Record | TOTAL | |||
| 2017-2019 average | 581 | 1,324 | 360 | 468 | 2,733 | |||
| 2020 | 1,017 | 1,170 | 302 | 366 | 2,855 | |||
| 2021 | 1,611 | 1,052 | 197 | 313 | 3,173 |
Table 1 LCA Results 2017-2021
13,532 candidates received results in the Leaving Certificate Vocational Programme (LCVP) which is an optional, two year, academic and experience-based programme, available in 2 out of 3 post-primary schools. Candidates following the LCVP take a specified range of Leaving Certificate (Established) subjects as well as a formal and practical programme called the Links Modules. The Links Modules consists of compulsory work experience and enterprise activity together with personal vocational exploration and substantial use of information technology.
A revised process was introduced this year for candidates who are out of school learners, or in-school candidates taking one or more subjects outside of the school, to apply to be considered for the provision of an estimated mark, ensuring that all candidates had the opportunity to be considered for an Accredited Grade. Not all candidates in these categories were provided with an estimated mark on which an Accredited Grade could be based.
For reasons of equity and fairness to all candidates, there were conditions of eligibility and a requirement to provide evidence of learning and attainment. Other than in the non-curricular language subjects, these arrangements required candidates in these categories to make a connection with a school and for a panel of registered teachers in the school to review the available evidence and to provide an estimated mark based on the evidence. Schools were also required to issue decisions to candidates to whom it was not possible to provide an estimated percentage mark. A very small number of appeals against decisions not to provide an estimated mark were processed and were concluded. Schools transmitted the marks for those candidates in these categories who were linked to their school, using the online data collection system, which were then subject to national standardisation.
The SEC provides examinations in a range of EU non-curricular languages. In order to simplify the administration of these examinations, all non-curricular EU language subjects were again scheduled for a single examination session this year.
Many candidates taking a Non-Curricular EU Language for the Leaving Certificate study the subject outside of school and therefore there is no school-based evidence on which to base an estimated percentage mark for the purposes of Accredited Grades.
In order to make Accredited Grades available to as many students as possible, the Department of Education arranged a proficiency assessment in each of the languages. The outcome of these proficiency assessments provided a base on which an estimated percentage mark could be provided.
Following a tendering process, Educational Testing Service (ETS) was engaged to design and implement the system in collaboration with the Department of Education initially and then with the SEC subsequently. ETS is a world-leading US-based non-profit organisation that specialises in educational measurement. ETS has been working with the Department and the SEC to deliver the various elements of the data collection process and the standardisation process. The design of the system has been based on the same model as was used for Calculated Grades in 2020, subject to exploring some potential refinements to that model. ETS have rebuilt the model for 2021 using completely new code.
External Quality Assurance of the System of Accredited Grades for Leaving Certificate 2021 was provided by the National Foundation for Educational Research (NFER). NFER was contracted to provide an external quality assurance review of the implementation of the standardisation model used to calculate the Accredited Grades and to check that data integrity was maintained through the process for achieving Accredited Marks. NFER, an independent, not-for-profit organisation, has expertise in the conduct of independent research, assessment and evaluation studies; and in the development and provision of tests to schools. Their QA work included undertaking checks on the coding of the statistical model as well as data verification and integrity of the data processing and standardisation processes. Assurance has been provided by NFER that the model has been implemented as intended; i.e. in accordance with what was done in 2020 and respecting the policy decisions underlying the revised 2021 model.
As in any normal year, the marking grading and resulting of the Leaving Certificate examinations was subject to a range of quality assurance and control measures. To ensure the quality and accuracy of the results, throughout all stages of Leaving Certificate 2021, the management and reconciliation of data has been a core priority, given the volume of student and school-level data moving through the process, and the number of different systems in which data was being collected, processed, stored and handled.
Due to the public health restrictions, revised arrangements were put in place as a contingency measure in 2021 for the Leaving Certificate and Leaving Certificate Applied oral tests. The interviews were conducted locally by teachers in schools; recorded and sent to the SEC for marking. The interviews were conducted between 26 March and 15 April, outside of tuition time, in line with public health advice at that time. The SEC provided comprehensive general and subject-specific procedures and instructions on the arrangements for the conduct of the tests in schools and school management was assigned responsibility for the organisation of the tests in schools.
In the course of the marking of Leaving Certificate 2021, and following media reports about these contingency arrangements in June, the SEC has undertaken a detailed and extensive quality assurance review of the conduct of the interviews across all of the language subjects in both the established Leaving Certificate and the Leaving Certificate Applied programmes. The focus of the review has been on determining if the oral interviewers interviewed the candidates in a manner that allowed the examiner to evaluate the oral competency of the candidates so that candidates could be awarded a fair mark. This was a comprehensive review that involved sampling the work of 942 Leaving Certificate and Leaving Certificate Applied oral interviewers across some 550 schools. For context, in terms of the scale of the review process, it should be noted that in a normal year, the SEC engages 1100 oral examiners to conduct these tests.
The findings indicate that the work carried out by the oral interviewers at both Leaving Certificate and Leaving Certificate Applied was to a very high level of quality and standard. The findings do not support any need for further widespread review of the oral interviews in their entirety. Among the SEC’s core objectives is providing an examinations system that is of the highest possible quality. This includes putting in place systems that support the conduct of the marking, resulting and appeals processes so as to ensure that candidates receive grades that fairly reflect the quality of their work. This quality assurance review of the 2021 oral tests is an example of this commitment to fairness, equity and quality and the findings provide assurances that there is no evidence of a systemic problem with the 2021 oral test process.
While the SEC recognises the inherent limitations associated with the revised arrangements, it is satisfied that it was an appropriate contingency measure given the alternative that the oral tests could not have proceeded on public health grounds. The SEC acknowledges and appreciates the work undertaken by school management and teachers in supporting the delivery of this contingency measure which facilitated candidates to take their oral tests in the Leaving Certificate and Leaving Certificate Applied in 2021.
A detailed Candidate Information Guide on Results and Appeals has been issued to candidates
| SERVICE | IN SCHOOL | CANDIDATE SELF SERVICE PORTAL |
| Leaving Certificate Results
|
10 am Friday 3 September – Schools’ Examination Portal
Schools will also receive a report by post |
10 am Friday 3 September
IMPORTANT: Schools will not have individual copies of provisional statements of results. Statements can be printed by candidates from the Candidate Portal. |
| Access to Data –
Candidates will receive (as applicable): |
5 pm Tuesday 7 September
Schools will receive a CSV report on the Schools’ Portal with details of their Accredited Grades; Examinations Grades; and Final Provisional grades. |
5 pm Tuesday 7 September |
| a. Written examinations component marks and final marks
b. Accredited Grades estimated marks and accredited marks |
||
| Application to View Scripts | Opens: 5 pm, Tuesday 7 September
Closes: 8 pm Wednesday 8 September |
|
| Viewing of Scripts
(Flexibility here to have a viewing session on Sunday morning at the discretion of the school.) |
Scripts Marked on Paper
Candidates to be assigned to one of three sessions on Saturday 11 or a session on Sunday 12 September at the discretion of the school. 1. Session 1. 9 am – 11 am 2. Session 2. 12 pm – 2 pm 3. Session 3. 3 pm – 5 pm 4. Session 4. 10 am- 12 pm (Sunday option)
|
Scripts Marked Online
Online access to view from 9 am on Saturday 11 September. |
| Application to Appeal – Examinations and Accredited
Grades (No Fee) |
Opens: 9 am Saturday 11 September
Closes: 12 pm Monday 13 September |
|
| Appeals Results | Schools Portal Date TBC | Candidate Portal Date TBC |
Under a ruling by the European Court of Justice, examinations scripts are classified as personal data and, accordingly, candidates can seek copies of their scripts. Data access requests for scripts may be made to the SEC but it could take up to 90 days from the issue date of the Leaving Certificate results, or longer if they appeal before a candidate receives a copy of their script under the Data Protection legislation. By the time they receive a copy of the script, the opportunity to appeal the result will have passed.
Candidates need to be aware that the only opportunity that they will have to access their written examination scripts in advance of the appeal application closing date is to apply to view their script on Saturday 11 September. Candidates viewing scripts that were marked on paper are allowed to bring a mobile phone, tablet or digital camera with them to the viewing session in order to make a copy of their own script(s). Candidates viewing scripts online will be able to download and print a copy of their script.
The following table presents data on candidate choices in Leaving Certificate subjects following the closure of the Candidate Self-Service Portal on 1 May compared with final data based on outcomes of the 2021 Leaving Certificate process. The Data presented for Portal Phase 2 represents the position at a “point in time” and some of the data has changed following ongoing engagement with schools in relation to candidate choices after the portal closed. This is represented by the differences in the totals for Portal Phase 2 and Final Data.
In subjects marked with an asterisk, the final count of both Examinations and Accredited Grades includes candidates who presented coursework for assessment, presented for the oral test in Irish or the practical test in Music, but did not sit the written examination.
|
|
Subject | Both | Exam Only | AG Only | Not Selected | Total |
| Portal Phase 2 | Irish* | 24,106 (48%) | 281 (<1%) | 25,335 (50%) | 986 (2%) | 50,708 |
| Final Data | 24,001 (48%) | 74 (<1%) | 25,896 (52%) | 49,971 | ||
| Portal Phase 2 | English | 39,325 (68%) | 500 (1%) | 16,919 (29%) | 1,008 (2%) | 57,752 |
| Final Data | 30,160 (53%) | 64 (<1%) | 26,841 (47%) | 57,065 | ||
| Portal Phase 2 | Mathematics | 42,230 (73%) | 615 (1%) | 14,157 (24%) | 1,064 (2%) | 58,066 |
| Final Data | 33,559 (59%) | 105 (<1%) | 23,639 (41%) | 57,303 | ||
| Portal Phase 2 | Biology | 28,684 (81%) | 354 (1%) | 5,707 (16%) | 513 (2%) | 35,258 |
| Final Data | 23,560 (68%) | 67 (<1%) | 11,261 (32%) | 34,888 | ||
| Portal Phase 2 | Geography | 17,467 (71%) | 227 (1%) | 6,505 (26%) | 535 (2%) | 24,734 |
| Final Data | 13,132 (54%) | 19 (<1%) | 11,227 (46%) | 24,378 | ||
| Portal Phase 2 | French | 14,226 (63%) | 187 (<1%) | 7,652 (34%) | 440 (2%) | 22,505 |
| Final Data | 11,827 (54%) | 61 (<1%) | 10,181 (46%) | 22,069 |
| Portal Phase 2 | Business | 14,222 (78%) | 214 (1%) | 3,498 (19%) | 353 (2%) | 18,287 |
| Final Data | 11,097 (62%) | 47 (<1%) | 6,888 (38%) | 18,032 | ||
| Portal Phase 2 | LCVP – Link Modules* | 7,926 (58%) | 83 (<1%) | 5,461 (40%) | 297 (2%) | 13,767 |
| Final Data | 12,252 (91%) | 4 (<1%) | 1,276 (9%) | 13,532 | ||
| Portal Phase 2 | Home Economics | 9,838 (77%) | 91 (1%) | 2,555 (20%) | 296 (2%) | 12,780 |
| Final Data | 8,193 (65%) | 5 (<1%) | 4,396 (35%) | 12,594 | ||
| Portal Phase 2 | History | 8,899 (70%) | 151 (1%) | 3,337 (26%) | 301 (2%) | 12,688 |
| Final Data | 6,630 (53%) | 16 (<1%) | 5,859 (47%) | 12,505 | ||
| Portal Phase 2 | Construction Studies* | 6,484 (63%) | 64 (<1%) | 3,473 (34%) | 307 (3%) | 10,328 |
| Final Data | 6,472 (64%) | 1 (<1%) | 3,654 (36%) | 10,127 | ||
| Portal Phase 2 | Chemistry | 8,472 (86%) | 120 (1%) | 1,060 (11%) | 147 (2%) | 9,799 |
| Final Data | 7,161 (74%) | 44 (<1%) | 2,446 (25%) | 9,651 | ||
| Portal Phase 2 | Art* | 6,269 (66%) | 86 (1%) | 2,859 (30%) | 301 (3%) | 9,515 |
| Final Data | 6,056 (65%) | 2 (<1%) | 3,284 (35%) | 9,342 | ||
| Portal Phase 2 | Spanish | 5,991 (69%) | 131 (1%) | 2,450 (28%) | 162 (2%) | 8,734 |
| Final Data | 4,994 (58%) | 87 (1%) | 3,505 (41%) | 8,586 | ||
| Portal Phase 2 | German | 5,484 (63%) | 99 (1%) | 3,015 (35%) | 110 (1%) | 8,708 |
| Final Data | 4,759 (55%) | 58 (1%) | 3,786 (44%) | 8,603 | ||
| Portal Phase 2 | Agricultural Science | 5,182 (60%) | 42 (1%) | 3,215 (37%) | 144 (2%) | 8,583 |
| Final Data | 3,734 (44%) | 4 (<1%) | 4,730 (56%) | 8,468 | ||
| Portal Phase 2 | Accounting | 6,738 (80%) | 69 (1%) | 1,4967 (18%) | 126 (1%) | 8,430 |
| Final Data | 5,238 (63%) | 12 (<1%) | 3,076 (37%) | 8,326 | ||
| Portal Phase 2 | Physics | 6,741 (83%) | 102 (1%) | 1,144 (14%) | 108 (2%) | 8,095 |
| Final Data | 5,508 (69%) | 22 (<1%) | 2,458 (31%) | 7,988 | ||
| Portal Phase 2 | Music* | 5,649 (81%) | 63 (1%) | 1,119 (16%) | 125 (2%) | 6,956 |
| Final Data | 5,778 (84%) | 25 (<1%) | 1,057 (15%) | 6,860 | ||
| Portal Phase 2 | Engineering* | 3,761 (59%) | 39 (1%) | 2,397 (38%) | 136 (2%) | 6,333 |
| Final Data | 4,221 (68%) | 2 (<1%) | 2,023 (32%) | 6,246 | ||
| Portal Phase 2 | DCG* | 4,256 (72%) | 26 (<1%) | 1,553 (26%) | 96 (2%) | 5,931 |
| Final Data | 5,195 (89%) | 0 | 671 (11%) | 5,866 | ||
| Portal Phase 2 | Economics | 4,322 (78%) | 51 (1%) | 1,079 (19%) | 83 (2%) | 5,535 |
| Final Data | 3,302 (60%) | 6 (<1%) | 2,157 (39%) | 5,465 | ||
| Portal Phase 2 | Applied Maths | 2085 (89%) | 60 (3%) | 190 (8%) | 4 (<1%) | 2339 |
| Final Data | 1800 (78%) | 26 (1%) | 490 (21%) | 2316 | ||
| Portal Phase 2 | Politics & Society | 1562 (70%) | 36 (2%) | 618 (27%) | 17 (1%) | 2233 |
| Final Data | 1147 (52%) | 16 (<1%) | 1059 (48%) | 2222 | ||
| Portal Phase 2 | Physical Education | 1252 (77%) | 10 (1%) | 337 (21%) | 15 91%) | 1614 |
| Final Data | 1463 (91%) | 0 | 137 (9%) | 1600 | ||
| Portal Phase 2 | NCLS | 1,207 (76%) | 240 (15%) | 134 (9%) | 4 (< 1%) | 1,585 |
| Final Data | 1,032 (68%) | 143 (9%) | 345 (23%) | 1520 | ||
| Portal Phase 2 | Religious Education | 736 (63%) | 19 (2%) | 368 (31%0 | 48 (4%) | 1171 |
| Final Data | 514 (46%) | 6 (1%) | 599 (54%) | 1,119 | ||
| Portal Phase 2 | Computer Science* | 499 (69%) | 6 (1%) | 199 (27%) | 19 (3%) | 723 |
| Final Data | 445 (63%) | 0 | 261 (37%) | 706 | ||
| Portal Phase 2 | Classical Studies | 495 (82%) | 13 (2 %) | 87 (14%) | 10 (2%) | 605 |
| Final Data | 398 (67%) | 4 (1%) | 190 (32%) | 592 | ||
| Portal Phase 2 | Russian | 263 (53%) | 152 (30%) | 84 (17%) | 1 | 500 |
| Final Data | 206 (43%) | 149 (31%) | 126 (26%) | 481 | ||
| Portal Phase 2 | Italian | 254 (53%) | 56 (12%) | 148 (31%) | 21 (4%) | 479 |
| Final Data | 211 (46%) | 48 (11%) | 197 (43%) | 456 | ||
| Portal Phase 2 | Physics and Chemistry | 328 (72%) | 8 (2%) | 104 (23%) | 13 (3%) | 453 |
| Final Data | 230 (52%) | 4 (1%) | 205 (47%) | 439 | ||
| Portal Phase 2 | Technology | 1290 (65%) | 14 (1%) | 646 (33%) | 26 (1%) | 1976 |
| Final Data | 1304 (67%) | 2 (>1%) | 654 (33%) | 1960 | ||
| Portal Phase 2 | Japanese | 217 (70%) | 29 (9%) | 58 (19%) | 5 (2%) | 309 |
| Final Data | 187 (63%) | 26 (9%) | 85 (29%) | 298 | ||
| Portal Phase 2 | Arabic | 89 (46%) | 22 (11%) | 83 (42%) | 2 (1%) | 196 |
| Final Data | 41 (22%) | 21 (11%) | 126 (67%) | 188 | ||
| Portal Phase 2 | Early Modern History | 24 (38%) | 1 (2%) | 26 (41%) | 12 (19%) | 63 |
| Final Data | 11 (24%) | 1 (2%) | 34 (74%) | 46 | ||
| Portal Phase 2 | Latin | 36 (76%) | 6 (13%) | 4 (9%) | 1 (2%) | 47 |
| Final Data | 32 (71%) | 5 (11%) | 8 (18%) | 45 | ||
| Final Data | 0 | 0 | 2 (100%) | 2 |
Table excludes subjects with very small cohorts.
| County | Female | Male | Total |
| CARLOW | 444 | 453 | 897 |
| CAVAN | 389 | 377 | 766 |
| CLARE | 694 | 634 | 1,328 |
| CORK | 3,241 | 3,330 | 6,571 |
| DONEGAL | 990 | 960 | 1,950 |
| DUBLIN | 7,474 | 7,120 | 14,594 |
| GALWAY | 1,577 | 1,606 | 3,183 |
| KERRY | 839 | 861 | 1,700 |
| KILDARE | 1,577 | 1,557 | 3,134 |
| KILKENNY | 556 | 533 | 1,089 |
| LAOIS | 467 | 507 | 974 |
| LEITRIM | 241 | 201 | 442 |
| LIMERICK | 1,380 | 1,258 | 2,638 |
| LONGFORD | 281 | 299 | 580 |
| LOUTH | 1,036 | 950 | 1,986 |
| MAYO | 830 | 782 | 1,612 |
| MEATH | 1,243 | 1,221 | 2,464 |
| MONAGHAN | 406 | 395 | 801 |
| OFFALY | 530 | 494 | 1,024 |
| ROSCOMMON | 255 | 281 | 536 |
| SLIGO | 428 | 363 | 791 |
| TIPPERARY | 1,069 | 1,044 | 2,113 |
| WATERFORD | 800 | 826 | 1,626 |
| WESTMEATH | 713 | 661 | 1,374 |
| WEXFORD | 961 | 1,007 | 1,968 |
| WICKLOW | 852 | 893 | 1,745 |
| Total Counties | 29,273 | 28,613 | 57,886 |
| LIBYA | 17 | 49 | 66 |
| Grand Total | 29,290 | 28,662 | 57,952 |
| County | Female | Male | Total |
| CARLOW | 15 | 12 | 27 |
| CAVAN | 24 | 45 | 69 |
| CLARE | 43 | 46 | 89 |
| CORK | 115 | 136 | 251 |
| DONEGAL | 37 | 115 | 152 |
| DUBLIN | 345 | 392 | 737 |
| GALWAY | 51 | 75 | 126 |
| KERRY | 46 | 60 | 106 |
| KILDARE | 71 | 83 | 154 |
| KILKENNY | 17 | 22 | 39 |
| LAOIS | 22 | 27 | 49 |
| LEITRIM | * | * | 15 |
| LIMERICK | 89 | 105 | 194 |
| LONGFORD | 10 | 26 | 36 |
| LOUTH | 69 | 84 | 153 |
| MAYO | 45 | 62 | 107 |
| MEATH | 49 | 121 | 170 |
| MONAGHAN | 20 | 34 | 54 |
| OFFALY | 40 | 61 | 101 |
| ROSCOMMON | * | * | 20 |
| SLIGO | 19 | 34 | 53 |
| TIPPERARY | 41 | 56 | 97 |
| WATERFORD | 58 | 65 | 123 |
| WESTMEATH | 15 | 14 | 29 |
| WEXFORD | 63 | 98 | 161 |
| WICKLOW | 28 | 33 | 61 |
| Grand Total | 1,300 | 1,776 | 3,173 |
*less than 10 candidates
Leaving Certificate 2021 Provisional National Statistics