Repeating the Leaving Cert: a decision not to be taken lightly

In the same sense that sitting the Leaving Certificate has become a rite of passage in Irish life, so too are the related anxiety dreams that follow many people around for the rest of their lives.

The Leaving Cert is an enormous challenge in its own right before accounting for the fact that most people are barely yet adults when the time comes to undertake it. So it goes without saying that the decision as to whether to repeat the exercise is not one to be taken lightly.

Mary Dorgan, head of admissions at The Institute of Education, says people who repeat generally fall into one of three groups. “There are those who will honestly say they didn’t study enough or they started too late and the year got ahead of them,” she says.

“The second [category] would be people who just underperformed. They usually would be the high-fliers – the people who missed medicine or dentistry by 10 points or something. They make very good repeat candidates.

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“The third group, I find, are people who didn’t get good results really for personal reasons. They had an illness themselves. They just weren’t able to give it their full attention. There might have been deaths in the family – different, very good reasons.”

Dorgan says there are a number of factors students should consider as they weigh up this “really tough decision”.

“I always say to students to firstly view their scripts because they learn so much from that – where they went wrong and so on,” she explains. “I think to actually repeat, you really need to have the right attitude. You need to want to do it. You still have to do all the hard work. You have to put in the Saturdays, the Sundays. You have to do all of that.”

She says a lot of students find that repeating is easier as they have been around the course, they know the pitfalls, and that “really stands to them”. However, she points out that it is not a given that you will increase your points.

Leaving Cert Experts, which provides online grinds with qualified teachers, asked its 8,000 Instagram followers if they would repeat the Leaving Cert in the event they didn’t get their preferred course.

“A resounding 86 per cent said no,” says John O’Regan, a teacher with the group. “Sometimes the dream course is the only goal worth chasing, however, and getting it means repeating. Each year around 2,000 students repeat the Leaving Cert.”

Daily routines and behaviours make goals happen. I suggest scheduling daily simple, actionable, small steps. This is key to attaining your best results

—  Liz Carey

Liz Carey, a career guidance counsellor at The Dublin Academy of Education, says students considering it should critically evaluate their motivation, subject selection, study plan, study resources, study environment, wellbeing, feedback, exam techniques and future plans.

“Goals setting is important but on its own it does not make things happen,” she says. “In reality, daily routines and behaviours make goals happen. I am regularly asked by students how to stay consistent and on track to achieving academic goals. I personally suggest scheduling daily simple, actionable, small steps. This is key to attaining your best results. Using a study planner is vital to your success.”

She also has some important ground rules around repeating the Leaving Cert that need to be remembered.

“You can only use the points from your best six subjects in one sitting of the Leaving Cert exams,” she explains. “Minimum entry requirements and specific subject requirements can be combined from any number of sittings but only the best six subjects in any one year can be used for scoring purposes.

“The exception is medicine. Students seeking to enter medicine must satisfy the minimum entry requirements in the same sitting.”

If you achieved the required points but need a specific subject for matriculation purposes, then you can just repeat that subject, she adds. A number of colleges offer students a maths entry exam or maths competency test, giving students a second opportunity to sit an alternative exam if they did not achieve the required grade in maths for college entry.

When repeating, you will not go down in points. In the event you repeat your Leaving Cert and get fewer points than the previous year, the CAO will accept the highest points achieved in one sitting.

O’Regan says students looking to repeat have three options in terms of where to do it.

“To repeat at your previous school will be at the discretion of the school,” he says. “Do they have space? Was your Leaving Cert prank pretty bad? These are all factors that will be considered when schools are looking at accepting repeat students.

“A new school may also be an option. This can be a positive experience and a fresh start or stressful depending on your outlook. Finally, some further education colleges or grinds schools can accept repeat students. Cost for this vary and may be expensive.”

Do your research and decide where you want to repeat. Do not underestimate the challenges of repeating remotely. It is hard to maintain discipline

—  Catriona Rodgers

Dorgan believes subject choice is hugely important. “If you have your base subjects of Irish, English, maths, you don’t have to repeat those,” she points out. “So you can go for six or seven subjects that suit you and really concentrate and do really well. If you are repeating for medicine, that’s the exception. All your base subjects have to be in the one sitting.”

On that point, O’Regan warns that the course material in some subjects can change from year to year.

“If looking at repeating, remember that not all subjects will be the same as [when] you did them,” he says. “Some subjects, such as English, history and music, may have text or course work changes that may affect you. You may need to buy new books or learn new areas.

“It is always a good idea to contact your school if you are thinking of repeating. They will be able to advise you on the next steps. The school guidance councillor will be able to guide you on other options you have available.

“Speak to family and see what they think. Maybe they know you’ll get there with that extra push or maybe they think an alternative course will do you good. Above all, take time for yourself to think about what you really want to do and the ways that you can get there.”

Catriona Rodgers, vice-president of the Institute of Guidance Counsellors, believes students pursuing courses in medical fields may be best served by repeating.

“Some courses have no QQI pathway, such as medicine, or perhaps the QQI pathway is very restricted, such as nursing,” she says. “Repeating the Leaving Certificate might make sense in this situation. If this is the case, do your research and decide where you want to repeat. Do not underestimate the challenges of repeating remotely. It is hard to maintain discipline.

“If you are repeating due to missing a minimum subject requirement, consider repeating in that one subject and studying a PLC at the same time. This workload is manageable and this way you are giving yourself two chances to succeed.”

All that being said, she cautions that repeating is not for everyone as she points out there are more options than ever for young people after school.

“Colleges of Further Education around the nation offer a range of QQI Level Five and Six courses that allow progression into university,” she explains.

“Post Leaving Certificate (PLC) courses offer genuine opportunities for pathways into college with a range of courses in the areas of business, engineering, science and languages, to name a few. There has been a significant increase in the number of places universities reserve for students progressing in from QQI.

“Access officers in universities often undertake active and vibrant engagement with guidance counsellors and staff in these colleges to promote the pathway and encourage students to study with them. In my experience, universities actively recruit students from QQI courses as the foundation year in the course prepares them for the transition from school to university. They tend to do better on their degree after doing a PLC.”

She describes PLC courses as “a fantastic option” for all students, not just those who may be considering repeating their Leaving Cert. “They allow students the opportunity to try a course before they commit to studying it for four years,” she says.

“They are very affordable too. The student contribution fee was scrapped in September. The cost of each course differs across colleges. Students can apply for the SUSI grant for their PLC course, and it does not impact their SUSI grant for college.”

Indeed, Julie O’Connor, a career guidance counsellor with Synergy Careers, generally advises against repeating.

“Repeating is not easy and for the most part not necessary with such growth in various pathways to gain insight, gain qualifications and gain experience,” says O’Connor. “Whether this is through apprenticeship, traineeship, access courses, PLC route, private college, CAO, UCAS, studying abroad or a combination of a few of these options, there is something to suit everyone.”

Do

• Acknowledge your hard work and achievements so far
• Ask yourself what you hope to achieve
• Contact your school and guidance counsellor for support
• Pick subjects that suit you
• Look at that mistakes you made the year before and correct them

Don’t

• Panic or rush into making a decision
• Let the results define you or impact too heavily on your self-esteem
• Think it will be much easier the second time
• Forget that it’s all about attitude
• Have a part-time job during the year