| Subject | Level | Grade | Remove |
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Leaving Cert grade-to-points reference table
| Grade | Percentage | Higher Level pts | Ordinary Level pts | Foundation (Maths only) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Grade 1 | 90 to 100% | H1 = 100 | O1 = 56 | F1 = 20 |
| Grade 2 | 80 to 89% | H2 = 88 | O2 = 46 | F2 = 12 |
| Grade 3 | 70 to 79% | H3 = 77 | O3 = 37 | F3 = 0 |
| Grade 4 | 60 to 69% | H4 = 66 | O4 = 28 | F4 = 0 |
| Grade 5 | 50 to 59% | H5 = 56 | O5 = 20 | F5 = 0 |
| Grade 6 | 40 to 49% | H6 = 46 | O6 = 12 | F6 = 0 |
| Grade 7 | 30 to 39% | H7 = 37 | O7 = 0 | F7 = 0 |
| Grade 8 | Below 30% | H8 = 0 | O8 = 0 | F8 = 0 |
Higher Level Maths earns a 25-point bonus when graded H6 or better and counted in the top six subjects. LCVP Distinction = 66, Merit = 46, Pass = 28 points. Maximum CAO total: 625. Sources: State Examinations Commission Ireland and the CAO Common Points Scale.
The planner shows three illustrative grade combinations that could reach your target.
How the Leaving Cert Points Calculator Works: From Grades to a CAO Total
The Leaving Certificate is the terminal secondary-school examination in Ireland, administered by the State Examinations Commission. Most students sit seven subjects across two weeks in June, with results released in late August. Each subject is graded on the post-2017 scale: H1 to H8 at Higher Level, O1 to O8 at Ordinary Level, and F1 to F8 at Foundation Level (for Maths and Irish only).
The calculator above converts your grade letters directly into a CAO points total. Enter each subject, pick the level, pick the grade, and the best-six logic runs automatically. If Higher Level Mathematics appears in your top six with a grade of H6 or better, the 25-point bonus applies without any extra step. For a deeper look at how course cut-offs are set and how the Round 1 offer process works, see our dedicated CAO points calculator.
- Top 6 subject points: the six highest subject point values from one Leaving Cert sitting
- HL Maths bonus: 25 points when Higher Level Maths grade is H6 (40%) or above and is in the top 6
- Maximum total: 625 points (six H1 grades = 600 + 25 Maths bonus)
Leaving Cert Points System: The LC Points Calculator Grid
Ireland reformed the grading scale in 2017, replacing the older 14-grade A1-to-NG system with the current 8-band structure. Each band now spans a clean 10 percentage points. The reform was partly a response to the extreme grade inflation the old system produced in its final years, where tiny mark differences determined A1 versus A2 outcomes. The 2017 change widened each band so that a single mark's difference rarely changes a student's grade letter.
Higher Level vs Ordinary Level: How LC Points Differ
Sit Higher Level and you earn more points for the same percentage band. An H5 (50 to 59 percent at Higher Level) earns 56 points, the same as O1 (90 to 100 percent at Ordinary Level). The trade-off matters most when choosing between a borderline Higher and a comfortable Ordinary. A student who earns H7 at Higher Level (37 points) would have done better sitting Ordinary and earning O2 (46 points) for roughly the same actual mark. For many subjects, switching to Ordinary when you are confident of O1 to O3 delivers more points than scraping through Higher.
The Best-Six Rule and the LC Points Total
The CAO counts your six highest-scoring subjects from a single Leaving Cert sitting. Results from different years cannot be mixed for one application. Sit seven subjects and your lowest drops from the total. This is why most guidance counsellors recommend seven subjects: the extra subject is insurance. If your seventh subject turns out to be your weakest, it simply does not count. If it surprises you, it can lift a weak sixth.
The LCVP Link Modules (a co-curricular programme that combines business, enterprise, and work experience elements) also count as a subject for CAO purposes. LCVP Distinction earns 66 points, Merit earns 46, and Pass earns 28. Those 66 LCVP Distinction points can replace a lower-scoring written subject in the top six, which is why students who sit LCVP alongside a strong subject profile sometimes gain an unexpected advantage at the cut-off margin.
Leaving Certificate Points and the HL Maths Bonus (25 Extra Points)
The Department of Education introduced the Higher Level Mathematics bonus in 2012 to address falling uptake of HL Maths, which had dropped to around 16 percent of Leaving Cert candidates. The bonus worked: roughly 32 percent of candidates now sit Higher Level Maths each year, per State Examinations Commission statistics. The 25 points apply when your HL Maths grade is H6 (40 percent) or above and Maths is among your top six counted subjects. If Maths is your seventh-highest subject, you lose both the subject points and the bonus simultaneously.
Applied Mathematics is a separate subject, and it does not trigger the HL Maths bonus even though it shares the "Maths" name. The calculator detects the bonus by checking whether the subject name you enter contains the word "math" at Higher Level with a grade of H6 or better. If you are sitting Applied Mathematics, name the row "Applied Maths" rather than "Mathematics" so the bonus does not misfire.
Leaving Cert Results Calculator: Full Grade-to-Points Tables
Higher Level (H1 to H8) Points Table
| Grade | Percentage band | CAO points | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| H1 | 90 to 100% | 100 | Equivalent to old A1; top decile in most subjects |
| H2 | 80 to 89% | 88 | Strong honours; common for top performers |
| H3 | 70 to 79% | 77 | Solid honours pass |
| H4 | 60 to 69% | 66 | Honours floor; counts for NUI matriculation |
| H5 | 50 to 59% | 56 | Pass; same points as O1 (Ordinary top grade) |
| H6 | 40 to 49% | 46 | HL Maths bonus threshold; minimum for bonus |
| H7 | 30 to 39% | 37 | Still earns points; below pass for honours purposes |
| H8 | Below 30% | 0 | No CAO points awarded |
Ordinary Level (O1 to O8) Points Table
| Grade | Percentage band | CAO points | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| O1 | 90 to 100% | 56 | Same points as H5 Higher Level |
| O2 | 80 to 89% | 46 | Same points as H6 Higher Level |
| O3 | 70 to 79% | 37 | Same points as H7 Higher Level |
| O4 | 60 to 69% | 28 | Pass band |
| O5 | 50 to 59% | 20 | Pass band |
| O6 | 40 to 49% | 12 | Near-pass; limited points value |
| O7 | 30 to 39% | 0 | No CAO points; subject still appears on transcript |
| O8 | Below 30% | 0 | No CAO points awarded |
Foundation Level Maths earns 20 points for F1 (90 to 100%) and 12 points for F2 (80 to 89%). F3 through F8 earn no points. Most university degree programmes require Ordinary Level Maths or better for matriculation; Foundation Maths may satisfy entry to institutes of technology but not the traditional universities. Always confirm with your target college.
CAO Points and Leaving Cert Course Cut-offs (2024 Reference)
Course cut-off points are the points earned by the lowest-ranked applicant who received a Round 1 CAO offer in a given year. They are not minimum entry requirements; they are the competitive floor that emerged from demand for that year's places. Cut-offs shift annually as cohort size and grade distribution change. The indicative 2024 figures below come from the CAO 2024 Round 1 release.
| Course family | Indicative 2024 cut-off | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Direct-entry Medicine (UCD, Trinity, UCC, RCSI) | 730+ (with HPAT) | CAO LC points typically 480 to 560; HPAT adds up to 300 |
| Dentistry (Trinity, UCC) | 590 to 625 | No HPAT; LC points only |
| Pharmacy | 560 to 580 | High demand; limited places |
| Engineering (UCD, Trinity) | 500 to 580 | Civil and Electronic at the upper end |
| Law (UCD, Trinity) | 520 to 576 | Business and Law combined highest |
| Computer Science | 480 to 530 | Rising cut-offs year on year 2020 to 2024 |
| Primary Teaching | 470 to 510 | High demand relative to places |
| Business/Commerce | 380 to 545 | Wide range; UCD Commerce highest |
| General Arts (NUI Galway, UCC) | 350 to 470 | Broad entry; most students are admitted |
| Nursing (general) | 380 to 440 | Competition varies by institution |
The full official cut-off table is published at cao.ie/index.php?page=points after each Round 1 release in late August.
Converting Leaving Cert Grades to a GPA or A Level Equivalent
Students applying to universities in the United States or the United Kingdom sometimes need to translate their Leaving Cert into a GPA or A Level equivalent. The calculator shows a rough US 4.0 GPA approximation in the result panel using the linear formula: US GPA = (CAO Total / 600) x 4.0, capped at 4.0. A 600-point result maps to approximately 4.0; a 450-point result maps to 3.0. US graduate programmes typically commission a formal WES (World Education Services) course-by-course evaluation; expect WES output to land within 0.1 to 0.3 GPA points of the linear approximation. For a more thorough cross-system conversion covering 9 GPA scales, see our GPA converter calculator.
The rough Leaving Cert to A Level mapping treats Higher Level papers as broadly equivalent to A Level results: H1 to H2 corresponds to A*-A, H3 to A-B, H4 to B-C, H5 to C, H6 to D-E. UCAS publishes its own Tariff points table for Irish Leaving Cert applicants; H1 at Higher Level earns 56 UCAS Tariff points, H2 earns 48, H3 earns 40. For UK degree classification in postgraduate admissions, the rough mapping is First Class (CAO 560 plus), Upper Second 2:1 (450 to 559), Lower Second 2:2 (350 to 449), Third Class (300 to 349). The UK university grade calculator handles the module-credit and year-weighting detail that UK degree classification requires.
Leaving Cert Calculated Grades (2020 to 2021 COVID System)
Calculated grades were a one-off system used in 2020 and 2021 when COVID-19 forced the cancellation or partial replacement of written Leaving Cert exams. Teachers estimated each student's subject grade using class evidence (mock results, classwork patterns, homework), and the Department of Education nationally standardised the estimates to control grade inflation across schools. The Calculated Grades Portal let candidates view their estimated grade alongside any written-exam grade for subjects they later chose to sit.
In 2021, the system ran alongside optional written exams; candidates could use whichever result was higher per subject. The process produced measurable grade inflation: the H1 rate roughly doubled versus the pre-2020 baseline. The Department of Education acknowledged this when the standard exam schedule resumed in 2022. The Calculated Grades Portal is now closed; 2020 and 2021 results remain valid for CAO purposes. The standard CAO points grid has been stable since the 2017 reform and is the only system this calculator uses. Searching for "calculated grades leaving cert" or "calculated leaving cert grades" leads to this same grading system context.
Last verified: May 2025. This calculator estimates your CAO total using the official CAO points grid and the post-2017 Leaving Cert grading scale. The HL Maths bonus, LCVP points, Foundation Level acceptance, and course cut-offs are set annually by the Department of Education and the CAO and may change. Always verify your total with the official calculator at cao.ie and your matriculation requirements with your target college admissions office.