These helpdesk questions were asked online by students and parents and answered by guidance counsellors Brian Howard and Deirdre Garrett

Can you be offered a course that is lower down on the CAO choices despite having the points for the first choice? I feel like I’ve made a terrible mistake. Would I have to re-apply next year or are there other options?

If you get the points for your first choice course on your CAO you will be offered this. Once this happens all courses further down your list of choices will effectively be deleted and you will not have access to them. The only way you may be able to get to one of these lower courses this year is if the course is advertised on the vacant places list on the CAO website. Otherwise unfortunately reapplying next year may be the only way to get at the lower course.

Can you opt for a course lower down the preference list than the course offered?

Unfortunately not. Once you are offered a course, everything below that preference effectively is deleted from your list, hence the common phrase you can always hope to move up the list but not down.

My second choice is 530 points, and I should easily make it, but the course I know really want is my third choice at 15 points fewer than that. Is there any way to defer my second choice and choose my third?  

Unfortunately not.  If you are offered your second choice then your third choice is gone. There is no way of moving down your list of choices.