It's not perfect, but this grading scale is a huge improvement on old system

THE current grading scale for Leaving Certificate exams was introduced in 1992, at the request of third-level colleges.
They wanted more "granularity", or a finer breakdown, of the system that existed prior to 1992, where results were measured by a seven-point ABCDEF and NG, with grade boundaries at 15pc intervals.
So, the 1, 2, 3 sub-grades were incorporated, at 5pc intervals, from 40pc to 90pc while A1 covered 90pc to 100pc.