It’s according to reports in the Irish Times.

CAO points are likely to hit last year’s ”record high” and random selection is expected to be used for high demand courses.

That’s according to internal government records reported in the Irish Times.

The policy commitment to keep students’ grades no lower than last year, combined with high numbers of college applicants, will lead to grade inflation.

Carl O’Brien, who is Education Editor with Irish Times, believes this system means marks aren’t enough anymore:

“The CAO college system is cruel in many respects, but then this random selection process, which is essentially a lottery is in many ways brutal.  It’s hugely unfair that a student can spend so long, achieve the grades that are required and still not get in.”