How to Calculate Your Leaving Cert Points (2026 Guide)
To calculate your Leaving Cert points, convert each grade to its points value, add 25 bonus points if you got H6 or above in Higher Level Maths, and then total your best six subjects. The maximum possible score is 625 — 600 from six H1s plus the Maths bonus. Here’s the full table, the rules, and a worked example.
What is the full points table?
The points scale below has applied since 2017, and it’s what the CAO will use for 2026 offers. Higher Level grades run H1–H8 and Ordinary Level grades run O1–O8.
| Grade | Higher points | Grade | Ordinary points |
|---|---|---|---|
| H1 | 100 | O1 | 56 |
| H2 | 88 | O2 | 46 |
| H3 | 77 | O3 | 37 |
| H4 | 66 | O4 | 28 |
| H5 | 56 | O5 | 20 |
| H6 | 46 | O6 | 12 |
| H7 | 37 | O7 | 0 |
| H8 | 0 | O8 | 0 |
Two patterns worth noticing: an H5 is worth the same as an O1 (56 points), and an H7 is worth the same as an O3 (37 points). That second one matters if you’re weighing up whether to stay at Higher Level in a subject you find hard — a modest Higher grade can still outscore a good Ordinary one.
How does the best-six rule work?
Only your six highest-scoring subjects count towards your points total — everything else is ignored. Most students sit seven subjects, and some sit eight; the extra subjects act as insurance, because a bad day in one exam simply drops out of the calculation as long as six others scored higher.
The rule applies automatically. You don’t nominate which six count — the CAO takes the six best results from a single sitting of the Leaving Cert. There’s no penalty for a weak seventh subject, so a low grade in an extra subject never reduces your points.
How does the Higher Maths bonus work?
You get 25 bonus points for achieving H6 or above in Higher Level Maths, and the bonus is added to your Maths score before the best six are chosen. Two conditions to understand:
- The threshold is H6. An H6 in Higher Maths is worth 46 + 25 = 71 points. An H7 gets no bonus and is worth just 37, and Ordinary Level Maths never earns a bonus at any grade.
- Maths must make your best six. The bonus only counts if Maths, including the bonus, is among your six highest-scoring subjects. In practice, once the bonus is added, Maths almost always makes the cut — even a bonus-boosted H6 (71 points) beats an H4 (66) in another subject.
This is why the maximum is 625 rather than 600: six H1s give 600, and if one of them is Higher Maths, the bonus adds 25 on top.
Does LCVP count towards points?
Yes — the Link Modules result from the Leaving Certificate Vocational Programme can count as one of your best six subjects. It’s treated like a seventh subject in the calculation: if its points value beats your sixth-best exam subject, it counts; if not, it drops away harmlessly. Check cao.ie for the current grade-to-points mapping for Link Modules and note that a small number of courses have their own rules about counting LCVP, so read the entry requirements for anything you’ve applied to.
Can you show a worked example?
Take a student with seven subjects and these results:
| Subject | Grade | Points |
|---|---|---|
| Maths (Higher) | H4 | 66 + 25 bonus = 91 |
| English (Higher) | H3 | 77 |
| Biology (Higher) | H2 | 88 |
| Geography (Higher) | H4 | 66 |
| French (Higher) | H5 | 56 |
| Accounting (Higher) | H3 | 77 |
| Irish (Ordinary) | O2 | 46 |
Step 1 — convert every grade using the table. Step 2 — add the Maths bonus: the student got H4 in Higher Maths, which is H6 or better, so Maths becomes 66 + 25 = 91. Step 3 — pick the best six: 91 (Maths), 88 (Biology), 77 (English), 77 (Accounting), 66 (Geography), 56 (French). The O2 in Irish (46) is the seventh-best result, so it drops out.
Total: 91 + 88 + 77 + 77 + 66 + 56 = 455 points.
What are the most common mistakes?
The most common error is adding the Maths bonus for a grade below H6 — an H7 in Higher Maths earns no bonus at all. Other frequent slips:
- Counting seven subjects. Only six count. Adding a seventh inflates your total and sets you up for disappointment on offers day.
- Applying the bonus to Ordinary Maths. The bonus is for Higher Level only, at any qualifying grade from H1 to H6.
- Forgetting the bonus is added before choosing the best six. Compare Maths-plus-bonus, not raw Maths, against your other subjects.
- Mixing up H and O values. An O1 is 56, not 100. Double-check the level beside each grade on your results statement.
- Confusing points with entry requirements. Points get you past the cut-off, but courses also have minimum grade requirements in specific subjects (for example, a certain grade in Maths or a language). Meeting the points but missing a subject requirement means no offer — check each course on cao.ie.
Results arrive on Friday 21 August 2026 at 10am via the SEC portal, and CAO Round 1 offers follow at 2pm on Wednesday 26 August. Work out your points carefully on the Friday — using your best six, with the bonus applied correctly — and you’ll know exactly where you stand before the offers land.
Frequently asked questions
How are Leaving Cert points calculated?
Each grade converts to points (H1 = 100 down to H8 = 0; O1 = 56 down to O7/O8 = 0) and your best six subjects are added together. The maximum is 625, including the 25-point Higher Maths bonus.
How does the Higher Maths bonus work?
You get 25 bonus points for a grade of H6 or above in Higher Level Maths — but only if Maths, with the bonus included, is among your best six subjects.
What is the maximum Leaving Cert points score?
625 points: six H1 grades (600) plus the 25-point bonus for Higher Level Maths.
Do all my subjects count towards points?
No — only your best six results count. If you sit seven or eight subjects, the weakest ones simply drop out of the calculation.
Does LCVP count for CAO points?
Yes, the LCVP Link Modules result can count as one of your best six subjects. Check cao.ie for the current grade-to-points mapping and any course-specific rules.