{"toolsCaoPointsCalculator":{"heroBadge":"Free CAO calculator","heroTitleStart":"CAO points calculator —","heroTitleHighlight":"your Leaving Cert points in seconds","heroSubtitle":"Enter your Leaving Cert grades at Higher or Ordinary level and get your CAO points total — best six counted automatically, with the 25 bonus points for Higher Maths applied. Free and no sign-up.","heroCta":"Calculate my points","heroCtaSecondary":"Build a study plan","heroNote":"Free to use · No sign-up · Common Points Scale, unchanged since 2017","eyebrowTables":"The points scale","tablesTitle":"CAO points by grade","tablesSubtitle":"The Common Points Scale used by the CAO, in place since the 2017 grading reform. The calculator counts your best six results.","tableHigher":"Higher level","tableOrdinary":"Ordinary level","tableLcvp":"LCVP Link Modules","pointsSuffix":"{points} points","tablesBonusNote":"Higher Level Mathematics at H6 or better earns 25 bonus points on top of the grade. The maximum total is 625: six H1s plus the maths bonus.","guidance0Heading":"How CAO points actually work","guidance0Body":"Every Leaving Cert grade maps to a fixed number of points — an H1 is worth 100, an O1 is worth 56, and the scale steps down from there. The CAO takes your best six results from a single sitting, adds them up, and that number is what course entry is decided on. Nothing else you did in school enters the arithmetic. The scale has been unchanged since the 2017 reform, so points targets from recent years are directly comparable to yours.","guidance1Heading":"The Higher Maths bonus changes real decisions","guidance1Body":"A H6 or better in Higher Level Mathematics earns 25 bonus points on top of the grade's own value, and the bonus counts whenever maths, with the bonus included, makes your best six. The practical consequence: a H6 in Higher Maths is worth 71 points against 56 for an O1 — the best Ordinary result possible. For most students on the Higher/Ordinary maths fence, holding Higher and securing at least a H6 is the single largest points decision they will make. It is also the one with the most revision leverage, because the bonus rewards a pass-level Higher grade, not a great one.","guidance2Heading":"Best six means your seventh subject is a free option","guidance2Body":"Only your six highest scores count, so a seventh subject cannot hurt your total — it can only replace a weaker result. That cuts two ways. It gives you insurance if one exam goes wrong, and it means points spent agonising over your weakest subject may be better spent lifting a middle subject one grade band. A H4 to H3 move is 11 points; grinding a likely-H7 up to H6 is 9. Look at where a single grade band costs the least effort for the most points, not just at the subject you find hardest.","guidance3Heading":"Points required is last year's price, not this year's","guidance3Body":"The points listed for a course are simply where supply met demand in the previous round — they move year to year with applications and places, and a Round 1 cut-off can differ from Round 2. Treat published requirements as a rough target with a margin, not a fixed pass mark. If a course sits near your realistic total, the winning strategy is building a points buffer across your best six, because you cannot control where the cut-off lands — only which side of it you are likely to be on.","guidance4Heading":"The calculator tells you the gap. Revision closes it.","guidance4Body":"Once you know your predicted total and your target course's recent cut-offs, you know the gap in points — and points move one grade band at a time. That is a revision problem: turning your own notes, past exam papers, and textbook chapters into active recall, subject by subject, on a schedule that covers everything before June. Scholarly does exactly that — upload your own materials and get flashcards, quizzes, and study notes built from them, with citations back to the source.","relatedHeading":"Now close the points gap","relatedSubheading":"The calculator gives you the number. These turn your own notes and papers into the grades that change it.","relatedLink0Title":"Study schedule generator","relatedLink0Description":"Your subjects, real hours, and exam dates turned into a day-by-day plan.","relatedLink1Title":"Revision timetable maker","relatedLink1Description":"A revision timetable that covers every subject before June.","relatedLink2Title":"UCAS points calculator","relatedLink2Description":"Applying to the UK as well? Work out your UCAS Tariff points.","relatedLink3Title":"PDF to flashcards","relatedLink3Description":"Turn your notes and marking schemes into flashcards you can drill.","relatedLink4Title":"Revision notes generator","relatedLink4Description":"Condense a chapter or class notes into clean revision notes.","relatedLink5Title":"Quiz generator","relatedLink5Description":"Make practice questions from your own study material.","faqTitle":"CAO points questions","faq0Question":"How are CAO points calculated?","faq0Answer":"Each grade maps to fixed points on the Common Points Scale — H1 is 100, H2 is 88, down to H7 at 37, and O1 is 56 down to O6 at 12. Your best six results from one sitting are added together, plus 25 bonus points if you get a H6 or better in Higher Level Maths.","faq1Question":"What is the maximum number of CAO points?","faq1Answer":"625: six H1s at 100 points each, plus the 25-point Higher Maths bonus. Totals above 600 are only possible with the maths bonus.","faq2Question":"How does the Higher Maths bonus work?","faq2Answer":"A grade of H6 or better in Higher Level Mathematics adds 25 points to your maths score. The bonus counts when maths, including the bonus, is one of your best six — the calculator applies that rule automatically.","faq3Question":"Do all my subjects count towards CAO points?","faq3Answer":"Only your best six results count. Taking a seventh subject cannot lower your total — it can only replace a weaker result if it scores higher.","faq4Question":"Do LCVP Link Modules earn CAO points?","faq4Answer":"Yes — a Distinction is worth 66 points, a Merit 46, and a Pass 28, and the result can count as one of your best six in place of a seventh subject. Add it as a row in the calculator to see whether it makes your six.","faq5Question":"What are H7 and O7 worth?","faq5Answer":"A H7 carries 37 points. O7 and O8, and H8, carry zero. A H7 still outscores an O5, which is part of why staying at Higher level can pay even when a high grade looks out of reach.","faq6Question":"Are the points for my course the same every year?","faq6Answer":"No. Course points are cut-offs set by supply and demand each year, not fixed requirements — they move between years and between offer rounds. Use recent years as a target range and aim to build a buffer above it.","faq7Question":"Is this calculator official?","faq7Answer":"No. It uses the published Common Points Scale, which has been unchanged since 2017, but it is a study-planning aid — the CAO and your school are the source of truth for anything decision-critical, including subjects with special scoring arrangements.","finalCtaTitle":"Points move one grade band at a time","finalCtaSubtitle":"Scholarly turns your own notes, past papers, and textbook chapters into flashcards, quizzes, and revision notes with citations back to the source — every subject, one workspace.","finalCtaButton":"Sign up for free","finalCtaNote":"Free to start · No credit card required","seoTitle":"CAO Points Calculator — Leaving Cert Points","seoDescription":"Free CAO points calculator for the Leaving Cert. Best six counted automatically with the Higher Maths bonus, plus the full points tables.","seoKeyword0":"cao points calculator","seoKeyword1":"leaving cert points calculator","seoKeyword2":"cao points","seoKeyword3":"leaving cert points","seoKeyword4":"how are cao points calculated","seoKeyword5":"higher maths bonus points","seoKeyword6":"h1 points","seoKeyword7":"lcvp cao points","seoKeyword8":"maximum cao points","seoKeyword9":"calculate leaving cert points","seoFeature0":"Instant CAO total from your grades","seoFeature1":"Best six counted automatically","seoFeature2":"25-point Higher Maths bonus applied","seoFeature3":"Free with no sign-up","howToName":"How to calculate your CAO points","howToStep0Name":"Add your subjects","howToStep0Text":"Add a row per subject and choose Higher or Ordinary level, or LCVP Link Modules. Six rows are there to start; add more if you sat more.","howToStep1Name":"Choose your grades","howToStep1Text":"Select the grade for each subject, predicted or real. Tick the maths row if you are taking Higher Maths so the 25-point bonus can apply at H6 or better.","howToStep2Name":"Read your best-six total","howToStep2Text":"The calculator adds your six highest scores, bonus included, exactly as the CAO does. Compare it with recent cut-offs for your target courses."}}