Grade inflation in the Leaving Cert will be 'detrimental' to the class of 2025, Ciara Kelly has said.

The Newstalk Breakfast host was speaking as almost 61,000 students will receive their results from 10am today.

The application of grade inflation, to keep results in line with other years due to disruption from the COVID-19 pandemic, has seen Leaving Cert marks artificially boosted by an average of 7.5%.

Ciara said the class of 2025 - which includes her son - will feel the brunt of the changes.

"Apparently this is the last year of bumper grades," she said.

"On average, grades across the board are elevated by over 7% which is a big chunk of change.

"That's all very well and good but what about next year when they start to cut away at those?"

'Inflated grades didn't need to happen'

Ciara said Leaving Cert grades should have been tempered from 2020 to prevent them 'going through the roof'.

"They're able to put these things through a bell curve and adjust them - and that's what they have been doing to keep these grades up," she said.

"They could have done this in 2020 and said, 'These things are through the roof, we're going to put them through an algorithm that keeps them in line with every other year'.

"Inflated grades didn't need to happen [but] they have happened [and] they're going to be detrimental to the years coming ahead."

'Disservice to young people'

Presenter Jonathan Healy said grade inflation means more and more people are walking away with top grades.

"They're going to have to unpick this at some point but just to give you an indication of the fallacy that we're going through at the moment, in 2019, 5.9% of students got H1s," he said.

"A H1 is between 90% and 100% - you are top of your game if you're getting that - this year, 14.3% of students are getting H1s.

"I cannot help but think we are continuing to do a disservice to these young people who are going into third level education.

"They got COVID between 2020 and 2024, they didn't get some kind of super-education".

Advice for parents

Ciara offered advice for parents whose children are waiting on Leaving Cert results this morning.

"I tried to get into Drama in Trinity and I was turned down at the interview," she said.

"My father strong-armed me into having Dentistry at the top of my [choices] - behind his back I changed it to law.

"I got law in the first round but I did a change of mind, which you could do back then, and did Commence.

"I did Commerce, hated Commerce and went into Medicine and now I'm a radio broadcaster".

She added that as life doesn't always go straight from A to B "lots of people go the slightly circuitous route in life and do very well".

Students will be able access their provisional results through the State Examinations Commissions' Candidate Self Service Portal (CSSP) at www.examinations.ie.

School authorities have also been asked to make arrangements to support those receiving results.