how many marks is the irish leaving cert in total

June 27, 2026

The Irish Leaving Cert is marked out of 625 points in total for CAO purposes.

Very short breakdown so it’s clear:

You can present many subjects, but only your best six subjects are counted for CAO points.

Each subject at Higher Level can give a maximum of 100 points (H1 grade).

6 subjects × 100 points = 600 points.

You can also earn an extra 25 points for Higher Level Maths if you get H6 or better, bringing the absolute maximum to 625 points.

So when people ask “how many marks is the Irish Leaving Cert in total?”, they usually mean the CAO points system, and that tops out at 625 points. Information gathered from public forums or data available on the internet and portrayed here.