The COVID-19 pandemic significantly disrupted education systems globally, including the Irish Leaving Certificate examinations. Following a period of teacher-predicted grades and adjusted assessment methodologies, the return to traditional examinations has raised concerns about potential grade deflation. This paper investigates the phenomenon of post-Covid grade deflation in the Irish Leaving Certificate, analysing examinations across the main subject areas from the pre-Covid era with results from during the Covid years and subsequent years up to 2024. During the 2022-2024 period, post-examination grade adjustments were implemented with the stated aim of maintaining aggregate examination marks consistent with previous years. However, analysis of disaggregated results suggests that these adjustments, while intended to preserve overall grade profiles, may be contributing to grade deflation at the individual student level.

Employing comparative descriptive statistics, the overall grade distributions across core subjects to ascertain the manifestation and extent of grade deflation, specifically focusing on the proportion of students achieving top-tier grades. Furthermore, the study considers the implications of grade deflation for students' access to higher education and how this has impacted the Central Applications Office (CAO) points allocations. The findings aim to provide a nuanced understanding of the scope and characteristics of post-pandemic grade deflation within the Irish educational context. Finally, the research will consider potential trends over the coming years, anticipating the eventual removal of post-examination adjustments and the return to a normalized grade profile.

Keywords: Data Analytics, Secondary School Grade, Post-Covid, Grade Deflation.