Leaving Cert 2020 IMPORTANT INFORMATION

Dear 6th Year students and Parents

As you know, Leaving Cert and Leaving Cert Applied students have the option of receiving Calculated Grades instead of doing the Leaving Cert 2020 exams.

Before the calculated grades process can begin, all students must register on the Calculated grade student portal. gov.ie/leavingcertificate

The portal will open at 10 AM on Tuesday 26 May and close at 10 PM on Thursday 28 May 2020.

To register students will need their:

1. Leaving Cert examination number - ( a reminder of students exam numbers will be emailed to them)
2. Personal Public Services number (PPSN)
3. An email address
4. Your mobile phone number.

Leaving Cert students will need to register on the portal and also confirm their levels (Higher, Ordinary or Foundation Level). All students would have submitted a form in January indicating the subject levels they would be taking for their final exams. If students wish to change to a lower level then they can do so on the portal.

Leaving Cert Applied students will need to register on the portal. All LCA subjects are at a common level so students will not need to do anything regarding levels.

It is very important that all students register during this short window

If you require further information or need assistance registering, please contact the school on 087 3335687

Please see below for a complete guide on how to register. Please read carefully before registering.

Cabra Community College

Calculated Grade Student Portal Before You Start Guide

Please read this guide in full before you commence the registration and subject level confirmation process.

In line with changes required to deliver calculated grades to students due to sit Leaving Certificate and Leaving Certificate Applied examinations this year, the Calculated Grades Executive Office of the Department of Education and Skills has developed a Calculated Grade Student Portal.

The portal will open at 10 AM on Tuesday 26 May and close at 10 PM on Thursday 28 May. In this time period students need to do the following;

Leaving Certificate Applied Students Need to complete the registration process

All other Leaving Certificate Students Need to complete the registration process AND confirm their subject levels

It is essential that you carry out these steps at this time so that ultimately you have the opportunity to receive calculated grades that will allow you to progress to employment, further education or higher education.

The student portal will reopen at a later stage when you will be asked to confirm that you are opting to receive calculated grades. You will also use the portal to access your calculated grades when the results issue and for the later stages of the process such as the appeals application process. You do not need to worry about this for now as all we need you to right now do is register and, other than LCA students, to confirm your subject levels. Once you have registered, we will be able to contact you to alert you about the next steps that you need to take to receive calculated grades this year.

The student portal has been designed to be easy to use but you do need to read this guide in full to make sure that you have everything that you need before you commence the registration (and confirmation of subject levels) process.

We have asked schools to provide assistance to students who do not have either their Examination Number or their Personal Public Services number, both of which are need to register on the portal. Before making contact with your school, see the Questions and Answers Section below for details of what you should do to access these numbers from your own records.

If you don’t find the answers you need after reading this guide you can contact the helpdesk at 1800-111135 or 1800-111136. Please note that due to COVID19 restrictions the helpdesk phonelines will ONLY be available between 9.00 a.m. and 5 p.m. each day. Outside of these hours you can email lcsupport2020@education.gov.ie.

How to Register

2. Before your start, you will need
   1. your examination number - See the Q&A Section below if you do not know this number.
   2. your Personal Public Services number (PPSN) -See the Q&A Section if you do not know this number.
   3. an email address to which you have regular access over the coming months
   4. your mobile phone number.
3. To confirm your identity in the registration process you will use the first 4 digits of your PPSN as your personal identification number (PIN).
   
   
4. Go to gov.ie/leavingcertificate
5. Click on the link Calculated Grades Student Portal at the top of the page. This will bring you to the Calculated Grades Student Portal welcome page
6. Select the green Registration This brings you to the Registration Step 1 page. This is where you will confirm your identity.
7. Confirm your Identity - On the Registration Step 1 page enter your Examination Number in the first box. Enter the first 4 digits of your PPSN in the box marked PIN. Click Register. This brings you to the Registration Step 2 page. This is where you will create your Calculated Grade Student Portal Account.
8. Create your Account - On the Registration Step 2 page, you need to enter and confirm;

1. Your mobile number
2. You email address

You also need to create a password which you will need to enter and confirm. The password must b a minimum of 8 characters and include upper and lower-case characters and numbers. When you have this done, Click Register/Create Account. Doing this generates an email to your email address and brings you to the Account Activation page.

8. Activate your Account. - In order to complete the registration process, you must click on the link in the email sent to your email account. The email will be from the Department of Education and Skills. If have do not seem to have received the email check your SPAM and JUNK folders before contacting the Helpdesk. Clicking the link in the email completes the registration process and confirms the creation of your CGSP Account. B. You must click this link to activate your account.
9. If you are a Leaving Certificate Applied student, that is all you need to do at this point. Retain your account details securely (Exam Number and the password you created) so you can access the portal later when we ask you to do so.
10. All other Leaving Certificate students must proceed to the next step to confirm their subject levels.

How to Confirm Subject Levels

1. We recommend that you do this immediately following registration. When you click the Account Activation link in the email we send you, you will be brought to the final Registration page which confirms that you have successfully registered your account. Click on the Next Step- button. This will bring you to a Log-In screen

2. Login to your Account - Enter your Exam number and the password you created during the registration process. Click Log In . This will bring you to the Confirm Subject Levels Screen

3. Confirm Subject Levels – On this page you will see the subjects in which you were due to sit your examinations this year at the level you confirmed you would be sitting them back in February.

4. It is essential that you confirm your levels now so that your school can complete their task of providing an estimated percentage mark and rank order for you using the most up to date information.

5. You should exercise extreme caution when confirming levels. If you confirm a level that is higher than the level that you have been planning for it is likely to lead to a lower than anticipated grade in that subject.

6. The level shown beside each subject can be changed to a lower level using the drop-down options.

7. The system will not allow a change to a higher level. In the unlikely event that you were incorrectly entered for a lower level initially than that you were preparing for please email lcsupport2020@education.gov.ie. NOTE:- We will need to obtain proof from your school that there was an error in your initial entry before we will process any change.

8. Even if you are not making any changes to the levels we require you to confirm the subject level information presented.

9. You should review the levels presented for the subjects listed and make any necessary changes. At the end of the page you then tick the box to confirm and then click the Submit Confirmed Levels button.

10. Once this has been done, you will receive a confirmation page which you can retain for your records. You will also receive confirmation of your levels by email.

11. This is all you need to do at this point. Retain your account details securely (Exam Number and the password you created) so you can access the portal later when we ask you to do so.

Questions and Answers

I do not know my examination number – how can I get this?

You will have been provided with this 6-digit number earlier in the year by your school, centre of education or by the State Examinations Commission if you entered for your Leaving Certificate independently. Please check your records for the number.

If you still cannot trace the number and you are attending a school or other centre of education (including Further Education and Training Centres or a private college) then you should contact them for assistance.

If you are an external candidate then you should have this on record from the correspondence received from the State Examinations Commission. If you are still unable to trace this number, you can contact the Helpdesk for assistance.

Why do I need to a Personal Identification Number for this service?

As we are unable to issue Personal Identification Numbers to you directly or via your school we are asking you to create your own PIN using the first 4 digits of your PPSN. Combining your examination number with this PIN will allow you to confirm your identity to register with the Calculated Grades Student Portal.

What is a PPS Number?

Your Personal Public Service (PPS) number is a unique reference number. PPS number is always 7 numbers followed by either one or two letters.

I don’t know my PPSN – how can I access the number?

1. PPS numbers are printed on the following documents:

• Public Services Card or Social Services Card
• Medical card or GP visit card
• European Health Insurance Card
• Drugs Payment Scheme Card
• Correspondence from the Department of Employment Affairs or Social Protection or Revenue

2. If you live at home with a parent or guardian, please check with them to see if they know your number.

3. If you have been in employment, your PPS number may also be on pay-slips you have received in the past.

If you have checked all of the sources suggested and still cannot locate the number, you can check with your school as they may have this number on their records. (Note Due to the public health emergency, you should make every effort to locate your PPS number following steps 1-3 above before making contact with your school.

I have checked all of the suggested sources and with my school and I still am unable to locate my PPSN?

Due to the public health emergency, which is having an impact on getting access to services, you should make every effort to locate your PPSN as set out above before contacting the Department of Social Protection.

• If you do not know your PPS number, contact your Intreo Centre or local Social Welfare Branch Office and staff there can find your number for you.

• If you have lost your PPS number, you can get it from Client Identity Services: By email at cis@welfare.ie. By phone at +353 (0) 71 967 2616 or 1890 927 999.

I do not have a PPS number, or I believe that I did not have one at the time I entered for the Leaving Certificate examinations. Should I obtain one now?

No – absolutely not. If you do not have a PPSN, or did not have one when you entered for the examinations, you should contact the helpdesk at 1800-111135 or 1800-111136. Please note that due to COVID19 restrictions the helpdesk phonelines will ONLY be available between 9.00 a.m. and 5 p.m. each day. Outside of these hours Email lcsupport2020@education.gov.ie

I have my PPSN, and I have entered the first four digits as my PIN but it is not recognised by the system, what should I so?

If you are sure that you have correctly entered your examination number and the first four digits of your PPSN, you should contact the helpdesk at 1800-111135 or 1800-111136. Please note that due to COVID19 restrictions the helpdesk phonelines will ONLY be available between 9.00 a.m. and 5 p.m. each day. Outside of these hours Email lcsupport2020@education.gov.ie

If I have technical difficulties accessing the Calculated Grades Student Portal, what should I do?

If you have any difficulties you can contact the helpdesk at 1800-111135 or 1800-111136. Please note that due to COVID19 restrictions the helpdesk phonelines will ONLY be available between 9.00 a.m. and 5 p.m. each day. Outside of these hours Email lcsupport2020@education.gov.ie

Data Protection

What is my data being collected for?

The Minister for Education and Skills announced on 08 May 2020 that the Leaving Certificate 2020 examinations have been postponed and that the Calculated Grades model would be established in order to allow Leaving Certificate students to receive State certification for their learning achievements and to progress to third-level education or to the world of work in Autumn 2020. The main purpose for which the Department of Education and Skills requires the personal data provided by you is to provide you with Calculated Grades in the event that you opt to receive them. The personal data provided will be forwarded to your school to allow them to begin this process.

The privacy notice outlining further information on the use of personal data in this process can be found at [link]. Full details of the Department's data protection policy is also available at https://www.education.ie/en/The-Department/Data-Protection/. Details of that policy and the privacy notice are also available in hard copy (see privacy notice for details).

Will I be able to get details of the information provided about me to the Department (estimated percentage mark and class rank) before the issue of the results?

No. Data protection legislation allows for restrictions to be placed on access to certain types of personal data including the results of examinations. Requests for access to the school’s estimated percentage mark and rank order will not be active until the date of issue of the results. After the results are issued by the Department, you will be able to access this information.