JUNIOR CERT EXAMINATION results will be issued to students on 23 November.

The Covid-19 pandemic meant that formal Junior Cert examinations did not take place in the previous two years but in 2019 the results were issued on 4 October. 

This year’s exams went ahead but the State Examination Commission did not confim until today when the results would be released to students. 

In a statement today, the SEC pointed to “very significant examiner shortages” as a cause of the delay and said results would be issued on Wednesday 23 November.

Results will be available in schools and candidates can also access their results online from 4pm on that date.

The number of examiners available to mark Junior Cert exams this year was 30% less than the number in 2019.

The SEC also pointed to a later issue date for Leaving Cert results, and added: “Priority was given to the Leaving Certificate given the importance of these results.”

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

Marking in most subjects has now been completed and the processing of results is ongoing.

However, in subjects where there is an acute examiner shortage the marking is still ongoing.

The SEC noted that in most subjects the number of teachers available to act 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 over the summer and with many examiners had to take on additional scripts.

The SEC said it “appreciates that candidates and their parents/guardians may be disappointed that these results are issuing later than normal”.

In advance of next year’s exams, the SEC said it will be reviewing “how best to ensure the availability of teachers in the required numbers to complete this important examination work”.

Increased rates of payment were approved for examiners this year, and the SEC says an €11 million allocation in this year’s Budget will ensure these increased rates will be maintains going forward.

Chair of the Joint Committee on Education and Further and Higher Education, Deputy Paul Kehoe, said this allocation “will be essential in avoiding a similar scenario next year”.

He added: “Minister for Education Norma Foley has said a comprehensive review will allow for detailed scrutiny of the underlying issues.”

Deputy Kehoe also said the “recruitment issue has devalued the exam process and made life more difficult for students, especially those who need to make a decision on whether or not they will do Transition Year”.