The Class of 2020 The Results Are Out, What Now?
A Guide For Parents & Students from the
The Institute of Guidance Counsellors
September 2020
Contents
| 17.10 Going Straight Into The World Of Work | 21 |
| 18. College Orientation Day | 22 |
Important Dates 23
Summary 24
- Account Numbers & Passwords
You will need the following numbers and passwords.
| 1. | Examination Number1 | |
| 2. | Student Portal Password2 | |
| 3. | P.S.S. Number3 | |
| 4. | C.A.O. Account Number4 | |
| 5. | C.A.O. Password5 |
- How Do I Get My Results?
The final Calculated Grades will be available on-line via Student Portal oneducation.ieat 9.00 a.m. on Monday 7th September. Exam number, student portal password, and P.P.S. number will be needed. The estimated mark given by the school will be available on Monday 14th September (via Student Portal). At that time, the Student Portal will contain information as to how students can obtain the class ranking given by the school. Because of the unusual circumstances arising as a result of COVID-19, the special arrangements for the class of 2020 are highlighted in this booklet with a shaded box in the right hand margin and summarised on page 23 and 24.
- How Will I React?
For most students it has been a long and nervous wait. For those that obtain the points well above what they need, the long wait will be over. If you are one of these students – well done. However, for a lot of students, this anxious time will, unfortunately, not conclude with the publishing of the results. These students will be either, short points for the course they want, or have achieved the exact points based on last year’s requirements or may have obtained a few points above what was required last year. These students will have to wait until the C.A.O. office send out offers and publish this year’s college admission points. Therefore, for these students the results day can be an anti-climax and the waiting game will continue until the offers are published.
Having received your results, you need to allow yourself a day or so to digest what has happened. You may be shocked, upset and very disappointed and you need time to absorb your new circumstances. There is nothing that can be done – or should be done – in the day or two after you receive your results. Indeed, there is no point in trying to plan ahead when you are in such an emotional state. It is preferable to wait until the college offers are published. There is no way to predict if the points you require will go up or down until offers are made.
1Given to student by school.
2 Created by student when Student Portal was opened.
3 A private number.
4 Created by student when C.A.O. account was opened.
5 Created by student when C.A.O. account was opened.
6The school has no record of 2, 4, 5. If mislaid, contact Dept. of Ed. or C.A.O.
- How Do I Calculate My Points?
When sitting the Leaving Certificate, points are awarded on the basis on the results obtained in the best six subjects. These points are as followed.
| Percentage | Honours
Level Grade |
Honours Level
Points |
Ordinary Level
Grade |
Ordinary Level
Points |
| 90% – 100% | H1 | 100 | O1 | 56 |
| 80% – 89% | H2 | 88 | O2 | 46 |
| 70% – 79% | H3 | 77 | O3 | 37 |
| 60% – 69% | H4 | 66 | O4 | 28 |
| 50% – 59% | H5 | 56 | O5 | 20 |
| 40% – 49% | H6 | 46 | O6 | 12 |
| 30% – 39% | H7 | 37 | O7 | 0 |
| 0% – 29% | H8 | 0 | O8 | 0 |
| LCVP | Points | |||
| Distinction | 66 | |||
| Merit | 46 | |||
| Pass | 28 | |||
| Example 1 | Example 2 | ||||||||
| Subject | Level | Grade | Points | Subject | Level | Grade | Points | ||
| Irish | Honours | H4 | 66 | Irish | Honours | H3 | 77 | ||
| English | Ordinary | O1 | 56 | English | Honours | H2 | 88 | ||
| Mathematics | Honours | H5 | 56+25=81 | Mathematics | Honours | H6 | 46+25=71 | ||
| French | Honours | H3 | 77 | French | Honours | H2 | 88 | ||
| Biology | Honours | H4 | 66 | Biology | Honours | H1 | 100 | ||
| Geography | Ordinary | O2 | 46 | Geography | Honours | H1 | 100 | ||
| History | Honours | H3 | 77 | History | Honours | H3 | 77 | ||
| Top 6 in bold | = 423 | Top 6 in bold | = 530 | ||||||
| Maths included | Maths NOT included | ||||||||
When counting the Leaving Certificate point for medicine, points above 550 are adjusted to a maximum of 565 points. Therefore, for every 5 points above 550 add 1 point.
- Subject/s Studied Outside School Not Counted For Points
Some students have studied a subject or subjects outside of school with a view to satisfying matriculation or minimum entry requirements for higher education institutions.
The representative bodies of all of the universities and institutes of technology have agreed a common approach in relation to students who have studied Leaving Certificate 2020 subjects outside school and who have not been able to receive a Calculated Grade in those subjects.
In 2020, students who have applied for a Calculated Grade in a subject or subjects in the Leaving Certificate 2020, with a view to satisfying matriculation/minimum entry requirements and for whom the Calculated Grades Executive Office has been unable to award a Calculated Grade in a subject(s), will be granted an exemption in the subject(s) solely for matriculation/minimum entry purposes.
These exemptions will be granted automatically and it will not be necessary for students to apply individually.
The subject(s) will count as subject(s) for matriculation but will not attract points.
The exemptions(s) cannot be used to satisfy additional programme requirements over and above the matriculation/minimum entry requirements, e.g. H5 in Chemistry for Veterinary.
The above does not apply to subject/s studied outside school that have received a calculated grade.
- How Are The Offers & Points Decided?
The C.A.O. (Central Applications Office) administers admissions into third level institutes throughout the country. Here is a mock-up of a C.A.O. application form. Applicants can choose up to ten level 8 Honours Degree courses and ten level 7 Ordinary degrees and/or ten level 6 Higher Certificate courses, or a mixture of 6 & 7.
| Honours Degree Level 8 | Ordinary Degree/Certificate Level
7/6 Mixed |
||||||
| Title | College | Code | Title | College | Code | ||
| 1. | 1. | ||||||
| 2. | 2. | ||||||
| 3. | 3. | ||||||
| 4. | 4. | ||||||
| 5. | 5. | ||||||
| 6. | 6. | ||||||
| 7. | 7. | ||||||
| 8. | 8. | ||||||
| 9. | 9. | ||||||
| 10. | 10. | ||||||
Here is an explanation as to how the system operates. This candidate (circled) has applied for Arts in U.C.C. as their first preference. The candidate is then grouped with all other students who have applied for this course. They are in no particular order until the Leaving Certificate results of these students are published.
Round One
Once the results are published, the students’ results are scanned to see who has all the minimum requirements. For example, one student failed English and another failed Irish. These students are now excluded from the rest of the process.
Excluded
Those students who have all the minimum requirements and who applied for Arts in U.C.C. (CK 101) are then ranked in order of points obtained. The student who obtained the highest number of points is placed at the top of the queue and the student who obtained the second highest number of points is placed second in the queue, and so on. This process is carried out for all the candidates’ choices. The position in the queue for each of their courses is indicated above.
The colleges where each course takes place is then asked how many students will be taken into each course. This is then deemed to be the cut-off point as indicated below. For example, in U.C.C. Arts there are 6 places for 15 students in the queue. The points obtained by the 6th student in the queue are then the points published. These are the points that are deemed to be the cut-off point and this is where the points that are published originate. Our candidate
is 8th in the queue and will not gain admission. For the 2nd , the college (DN 201), have
indicated they will take the 7th student and above. Our candidate is 6th in the queue. For the 3rd , the college has indicated they will take the 5th student and above. Our candidate is 4th in the queue. This process is carried out for all of the courses applied for.
The computer will then scan and select the highest preference course the candidate is eligible for. In this case, it is the second choice, DN 201. Even though the candidate is eligible for the
third choice, they will not be offered a place as they have indicated that they would prefer DN 201 above AL 033 by placing DN201 above AL 033 on their application. Indeed, all preferences from 3rd down are now wiped from the system. These courses from 3rd choice down will never be considered again. The student will now receive an offer of a place on DN 201 in round one. If eligible, the student will receive two separate offers, one Level 8 (Honours Degree) and one level 7/6 (ordinary degree/certificate). Both offers are independent of each other but only one offer can be accepted. If a student receives, for example, a 3rd preference on level 8 in round one, all preferences below this will be deleted from the system and the 4th preference and below will never be offered. If a student accepts this offer they can still be offered their 2nd /1st preference/s in round two – if the points drop and they become eligible. If a student does not accept this 3rd preference offer, they can still be offered their 2nd /1st preference/s in round two – if the points drop and they become eligible. However, if the points do not drop a student cannot change their mind and ask for the original round one offer. They will be left with no offer. The same system operates independently for levels 7/6.
Accepting an offer on level 8 in round one does not preclude a student from receiving a higher preference offer on level 7/6 in round two. Similarly, accepting an offer on level 7/6 in round one does not preclude receiving a higher preference offer on level 8 in round two.
For example, if a student is offered course C on level 8 and course Y on level 7/6, they will never be offered courses D,E,F,G, nor, courses Z,P,Q,R,S. in future rounds. If they accept course C they can still be offered one of A or B or X in the second round. If they accept course Y they can still be offered course A or B or X in the second round.
| Level 8 | Level 7/6 | ||
| 1 | A | 1 | X |
| 2 | B | 2 | Y – Offered |
| 3 | C – Offered | 3 | Z – Deleted |
| 4 | D – Deleted | 4 | P – Deleted |
| 5 | E – Deleted | 5 | Q – Deleted |
| 6 | F – Deleted | 6 | R – Deleted |
| 7 | G – Deleted | 7 | S – Deleted |
- Round Two
The student’s first preference was course CK101 and they did not achieve enough points. This candidate is two positions from being offered a place. Six students were offered a place on CK 101 in round one. If two of the students in the queue for CK 101 do not accept their first round offer, two places will become available. These two places will then be offered in Round 2 and our candidate will be offered a place. Therefore, in round one our student was offered DN 201 and in round two was offered CK 101. Our candidate can now decide to hold onto his first round offer and decline the second round offered, or can accept the second round offer and discard the first round offer. It is worth repeating, that accepting an offer on round one from level 8, does not prevent a higher round 2 offer from either level 8 or indeed level 7/6. Similarly, accepting a round one offer on level 7/6 does not prevent a higher round two offer from level 7/6 or indeed level 8. No candidate will ever be offered a course below the course offered in round one.
There are subsequence rounds after Round 2, and candidates will be contacted directly by the C.A.O. if they become eligible for any places that may become available. There is no way of knowing what the pints requirements might reduce by in the second or subsequent rounds. Any reduction will only be known at the time these rounds are published.
- How Do I Receive And Accept An Offer?
You can log into your C.A.O account and view the offer/s and accept one offer only using the details in the account. You will need your C.A.O. account number and C.A.O. password. If you have two offers, one from level 8 and one from level 7/6, accepting one offer automatically declines the other offer. Your offer must be accepted by the relevant acceptance date. If an offer is not accepted by this date it is automatically withdrawn. Remember, it is sometimes preferable to accept a level 7/6 offer over a level 8 offer. If the level 7/6 course is a course that has content that is of greater interest that the level 8 course and has the option of being converted or transferred to a level 8 equivalent, it might be preferable to accept the level 7/6 offer. If you receive a 2nd round offer and do not wish to accept it, do nothing, it will automatically lapse on the closing date and the CAO will view this as you preferring your 1st round offer. If you wish to accept your second round offer, doing so automatically removes the 1st round offer.
- I Have The Points But Did Not Receive An Offer
Check that you have the minimum requirements. You will not be offered a course if you do not have the minimum requirements even if you have the necessary points.
If you have an exemption, e.g. Irish and/or a third language check that the C.A.O. office has been informed.
If you have the points and did not receive an offer, it may have been that random selection was used.
- What Is Random Selection?
When the cut off points are determined it sometimes happens that more than one student has the same number of points as the cut off points. In this case all the students on these points are given a randomly electronically generated number. If, for example, there are 10 students on the same points and there are four available places, the four students with the highest electronically random numbers are selected for the course. This effectively is an electronically based lottery. When the points are published, the courses that used this random selection have an asterisks (*) beside the points.
- I Have Accepted My C.A.O. Offer, What Happens Now?
When you accept an offer, the C.A.O. office notifies the particular third level institution. It is always good practice to print out a copy – from the C.A.O. website – of the page showing your acceptance. The third level institution will then send you details of how and when to register. Please pay particular attention to the dates/times mentioned. Over the last number of years a considerable number of courses offer a very large number of modules from which you can select what to study. These modules are very much based on demand and can fill up very quickly. It is recommended that you log on to the college web site in advance and find out as much detail as possible about the module choice available. You need to research these options well in advance of the registration time/date. Once this registration time/date arrives (it is usually an online registration system) you should log on as soon as possible so that the selections of modules you want are still available. Very popular modules can fill up with an hour or so. It might also be a good idea to select a plan B of modules and have this plan ready. This is particularly important if you find, when registering, that some modules are not available due to timetabling clashes. This may not become apparent until registration. You may not have time to carry out new research once registration has opened.
- Appealing Calculated Grade/s
On Monday 14th September the appeals process opens in the Student Portal.
Instructions and details of how to appeal will be available in the Student Portal.
Also on Monday 14th September, the estimated mark given by the school will be available in the Student Portal. Also, at that time the procedures to follow as to how students can obtain their class ranking (but not the ranking of other students) will be available on the Student Portal.
If a student is not happy with the C.A.O. offer based on the final grades achieved, the grade/s can be appealed.
The appeal process only assesses if the data was correctly entered by the school and correctly processed by the Dept. of Ed.
The appeal process does not involve a review of the actual data/marks given to students by schools or standardisation made by the Dept. of Ed.
If the student is upgraded and is eligible, they will receive a higher offer from the C.A.O.
The student may be ableto take up this new offer for the year 2020/21 depending on the time-frame, or the student may need to wait until 2021/22 to start the course.
- Sitting the Leaving Certificate Exam in November 2020
If a student is not happy with the final grades received and/or the C.A.O. offer, a student may choose to sit the Leaving Certificate exam/s commencing Monday 16th November.
A student can sit as many or as few subjects as they wish.
Students can then combine their result/s from a mixture of the best grades obtained from the original Calculated Grade/s awarded and the new grade/s obtained for sitting the Leaving Certificate exam.
If this new combination of grades results in an improved offer from the C.A.O. the student can take up this college offer in 2021/22.
If student has already started a course in 2020/21 and opts to take up the new offer for 2021/22, fees and grants will not be affected.
The Leaving Certificate will commence on Monday 16th November 2020, subject to public health advice and engagement with stakeholders. The examinations will be scheduled for evenings and at weekends.
The Leaving Certificate Examinations will take the form of written examinations only. The written examinations will be based on the normal question paper format, content and structure as in previous years. Students taking the postponed examinations will be graded on the basis of their written papers.
The State Examinations Commission (SEC) is currently working with the Department of Education on arrangements for the postponed examinations, which include the Leaving Certificate Established, Leaving Certificate Vocational Programme (LCVP) and the Leaving Certificate Applied (LCA). Following this engagement, the SEC will issue detailed information regarding the arrangements for the postponed examinations. This will include details of the
Examination timetable
The venues where exams will take place
How to register/ apply to take an exam/s
The final arrangements will be determined in part by the number of students who opt to sit the examinations.
In the case of five subjects, the SEC will also mark coursework which had been completed prior to school closure and these marks will be included in the grading of these subjects. These are:
Home Economics (already marked by the SEC);
LCVP Portfolio;
Design and Communication Graphics;
Physical Education (PE) Physical Activity Project;
Engineering.
In all other subjects, candidates will be awarded grades solely on the written papers. An earlier arrangement, communicated in March, that full marks would be awarded in respect of oral language and music performance tests, was cancelled when the summer examinations were postponed in May and the system of Calculated Grades was introduced. Candidates are not being automatically awarded full marks in respect of any examination component in the Calculated Grades system. The Dept. of Education will not conduct examinations in oral or practical components, or to try to complete unfinished coursework.
Some students applied for, and were deemed eligible to, apply for a college place through the DARE and/or HEAR scheme for entry in September 2020. If such an eligible student then applies again for college entry in September 2021, both the DARE and/or HEAR eligibility is carried over from the 2020 application to the 2021 application provided a new C.A.O. application is made through the C.A.O. by 1st February 2021 and the instructions highlighted at that time are followed.
Some students may have applied for entry to Medicine in September 2020. The normal rules state that the minimum subject requirements and points must be obtained in the same sitting of the Leaving Certificate. If a student combines some of the Calculated grades with grades from sitting the written Leaving Certificate in November 2020, this is deemed to be one sitting of the Leaving Certificate. If a student obtains, what would ordinarily be sufficient Leaving Certificate points in 2020 to gain entry to medicine, but an insufficient score in the HPAT taken in 2020, the HPAT can be repeated in 2021 and the Leaving Certificate points from 2020 can be carried over for entry in 2021. However, if a student did not obtain sufficient points in the Leaving Certificate 2020 and repeats the Leaving Certificate in 2021, they will also need to repeat the HPAT exam in 2021 as the rules state that the HPAT score used must be from the year of admission to the medicine course.
- What Happens If I Drop Out Of My Course?
The following applies if a student enrols in a third level course in Sept./Oct. 2020 and does not receive upgrade/s from appealing calculated grade/s or if a student does not sit a written exam/s in Nov. 2020. With any course within the third level system there are two sets of fees to be paid. Registration fees are paid by the student and tuitions fees are paid by the state. Every eligible student is entitled to the tuitions fees being paid by the state for a 1st year once, a 2nd year once and so on. Therefore, if you have to repeat a year, including restarting 1st year in another course/college, you will have to pay both registration fees and tuition fees for that repeat year only. There is a sliding scale of fee payment. If you complete the whole of a year you will have to pay full tuition fees when doing that year again. If you leave before 1st February (approximately – it varies from college to college) you will have to pay half tuition fees. If you drop out early (e.g. October) and, depending on the date you stop attending, you may not have to pay tuition fees when repeating. In all case you must inform the college of your decision immediately.
- If I Start A Course, Can I Transfer?
There are a few limited avenues whereby you can transfer from a course in one college to another similar course in another college having completed the first or more years on your original course. The content of these courses must overlap. These options are not guaranteed, very limited, and depend on both results obtained at the end of 1st year (subsequent years) and availability of places. Similarly, there are transfer options between courses within the same college provided you obtained the original points required for the course you want to enter when you sat your Leaving Certificate.
- I Want To Defer My Offer
If a candidate wishes to defer a college place, they must first have received an offer of that place from the C.A.O.
Once the offer has been received, it should not be accepted on the C.A.O. account.
Instead, the admissions office of the college (not the C.A.O.) needs to be contacted immediately, and their instructions followed. Each college operates different procedures.
If a deferral is granted by the third level college, a candidate is guaranteed to be offered a place the following year (even if the points increase) provided;
1) A C.A.O. application is completed by 1st February the following year,
2) The first and only preference placed on the C.A.O. application is that course which was deferred. If another course is placed above the deferred course, the deferred offer from the previous year is automatically withdrawn.
- What Are My Other Options If I Have No Offer?
17.1 Available/Vacant Places
A day or so after the first round offers are published, the C.A.O. will publish on-line a list of available/vacant places. This is a list of courses that did not have enough applications to fill all available places. However, a word of caution so as not to build up your hopes. These courses, by their very nature, were not in high demand in the first place, and mainly consist of offers from private colleges. However, there may be some attractive courses from the state run colleges. To be eligible for these places you do not have to have the points but you must have the minimum requirements. While you will not need the total points that was originally required, if you apply for one of these places you will be placed in a queue determined by the points of all applicants you have applied under the vacant places facility. Accepting your first round offer does not prevent you applying for one of these vacant places. In order to apply for a vacant place, you will need to insert the course code into your C.A.O. application. You should insert the code above the offer you have already received but below any course that may be more attractive than the course with vacant places. This allows the possibility of still being offered another course on the second round. The vacant places will then be offered when the second round offers are published. The vacant places list on the C.A.O. website should be checked regularly as it is updated daily.
17.2 Private Colleges
Although some of the private colleges operate within the C.A.O. system, they may also accept applications even if a candidate did not include their college/course on the original C.A.O application. In addition, there are many other private colleges that operate outside the C.A.O. system. Here is a list of some of the private colleges listed in the CAO handbook.
Griffith College, Corkwww.gcc.ie
American College, Dublinwww.amcd.ie
College of Computer Training, Dublinwww.cct.ie
Dublin Business Schoolwww.dbs.ie
Dorset College, Dublinwww.dorset-college.ie
Grafton College, Dublinwww.graftoncollege.ie
Griffith College, Dublinwww.gcd.ie
IBAT College, Dublinwww.ibat.ie
ICD Business College, Dublinwww.icd.ie
Portobello Institute, Dublinwww.portobelloinstitute.ie
Irish College of Humanities & Applied Sciences, Limerick www.ichas.ie
Griffith College, Limerick
All these colleges charge full fees and are not subsidised by the state. Please check their website for further details.
17.3 Trades/Apprenticeship
Solas is the government organisation charge with training for trades. Please check their website for furtherdetails on solas.ie.
17.4 Teagasc
Teagasc is the Agriculture and Food Authority that provides training in the agricultural and foods services. As well as providing courses within the C.A.O. system, they also provide courses outside this system that do not require points. Please check their website for further details on teagasc.ie
17.5 BIM
Irish Sea Fisheries Board is the state agencies with the responsibility for developing the Irish Sea Fishing and Aquaculture industries. They provide training and courses outside the C.A.O points system that do not require points. Please check their website for furtherdetails bim.ie.
17.6 The Defence Forces
The defence forces provide training for the Army, Navy, and Air Force. Entry to their training
17.7 An Garda Síochána & Emergency Services
The government sanction recruitment to these organisations from time to time. Check
national press orIt should be remembered that a candidates chances of being
recruited are greatly increased by the number of qualifications and courses completed even if these courses are not to degree level, e.g. PLC courses, first aid courses etc.
17.8 Post Leaving Certificate Courses P.L.Cs
Colleges of Further Education throughout the country provide Post Leaving Certificate courses. These courses prepare candidates for employment and/or entry to Higher Education.
While the closing date for application will have passed, it might be worth checking your local provider (www.etb.ie) to see if there are unfilled places or places that have been cancelled by those who have received another college offer. These courses do not operate a points system for admission purposes and most courses require passes in five Leaving Certificate subjects.
This P.L.C.s is worth considering for the following reasons.
- For the educational value in themselves,
- To enhance employment opportunities,
- Gain entry to their original first choice in college for which they did not obtain the necessary points,
- To gain entry to colleges in the U.K. which will accept the P.L.C. course in addition to, or instead of, their Leaving Certificate results.
When searching for a suitable course that can provide entry into your original C.A.O. choice, it might be useful to work backwards, i.e. check if the degree/higher certificate course you really want accepts applications from P.L.C. courses. Then check what P.L.C. courses they will accept, and then find where that P.L.C. course is available.
For example, D.I.T. reserves 3 places on their Forensics & Environmental Science course for those who have completed an Applied Science/Lab Technicians P.L.C. course. They also reserve 7 places on their Business & Marketing course for candidates who have completed various types of P.L.C. courses. U.C.D. reserve 20 places on their General Science degree, 25 on their Arts degree, 7 on their Nursing degrees, and 3 on their Commerce degree for those candidates who have completed and reached a certain standard in certain P.L.C. course. Tallaght I.T. reserve 10% of places on most of their courses for P.L.C. graduates.
Below, is an example of how to search for the correct P.L.C. course. This example shows how to search for the correct P.L.C. that can gain you entry into Media Studies in Maynooth University (MH109).
Click on Student Resources
Click on
FETAC Information
Then FETAC Requirements
Key in ‘MH109’
Each of these codes
represents a different
P.L.C. course
EMPXX
ERPXX
ETFPX
EPJXX
Specific Module Requirement
It is now necessary to find which P.L.C. colleges offer these courses. The example below searches for EMPXX on
Student
Course Finder
P.L.C.
Code
EMPXXC
Can be narrowed to a county e.g. Dublin
List of all the EMPXX courses in Dublin and
which colleges offer the relevant courses.
Caution
The Institute of Guidance Counsellors
The type of courses that have the EMPXX code can vary in what subject material they cover. For example, EMPXX can range from ‘Photography’ to ‘Print Journalism & Radio’.
Be sure to pick the subject material you find the most interesting. Also, there may be other interesting courses found in the other codes, ERPXX, ETFPX, or EPJXX.
Check List
Find the C.A.O. code for the 3rd level college course you wish to enter.
Searchcao.ieto find the necessary P.L.C. code/s and any necessary modules.
Searchqualifax.ie using the P.L.C. code/s.
Find what P.L.C. colleges offer the necessary P.L.C. course/code.
Don’t just pick a P.L.C. course because it has the correct code, select a course with the correct code that also covers the subject material you find most interesting. Note also, some P.L.C. colleges offer course that allow entry into 2nd year of a third level degree course.
Check the web site of the particular P.L.C. college to ensure the course has the necessary module/s.
It might be necessary to apply for more than one P.L.C. course.
Note: Completing a P.L.C. course does not guarantee entry into your desired 3rd level college course. You will need to obtain a certain standard in your assessments and exams.
17.9 Re-Enrolling to Study and Repeat the Leaving Certificate in June 2021
Studying and repeating the Leaving Certificate (in June 2021) is always an option. There are several forms repeating can take. Note; it is not possible to add or combine the results for the examination in June 2021 with the calculated grades or written exams taken in 2020.
1) A candidate can repeat all their existing subjects from scratch.
2) A candidate can decide not to repeat the minimum requirements. For example, Maths or Irish or English or a third language can be carried over to the following year- not the points. Candidates can then take up new subject/s and obtain their total points from these subjects the following year. Minimum requirements can be combined from more than one year. Points from more than one year cannot be combined. Care needs to be taken when selecting any new subject/s as the curriculum can change or, in the case of English and History, vary from year to year. This option isnotavailable to those wishing to do Medicine.
3) A candidate may have obtained enough points in the first sitting of the Leaving Certificate but was not offered a place because they did not meet minimum requirements, for example they may have failed Maths. If this is the case, it is possible to repeat Maths as a single subject and add this to the Leaving Certificate. It is not possible to add the points together. However, if the points for a particular course go up the following year above the number of points obtained the previous year, the course will not be offered to a candidate even if the Maths requirement is met.
When deciding whether to repeat the Leaving Certificate several points to be addressed in calm, balanced and, above all, honest manner.
Will another year make any difference?
Did I waste 5th year and not push myself in 6th year and, if so, will I repeat this if I were to sit the Leaving Certificate again?
Are the results I achieved the best I will manage no matter what happens?
Am I just not academic and do I learn by doing rather than through books?
Would a P.L.C. course /training course or going straight to work, suit who I am?
Are the points I want simply beyond my reach?
Was there an issue that was preoccupying me that distracted me from studying?
Is this issue still there and will I repeat the same mistake/s?
Was I distracted by an extracurricular activity to the point where I neglected my studies?
Will extra-curricular activity still be there if I repeat and distract me in the same way?
I am that bit older, more mature, and independent and therefore in a position it make a go at repeating?
Where will I repeat? In the local Education & Training Board College (checkwww.etb.ie), a standard secondary school (with a repeat Leaving Cert. class), or in a private college?
To address these points, you need to be completely honest with yourself. There are levels or degrees of honestly. There is the honesty we show to others that is designed to protect ourselves and to allow others hear what they want to hear, and to prevent ourselves admitting something we don’t want to admit. However, there is a truer and more realistic level of honestly. This level of honestly is only reached when we are completely and sincerely honest in our own minds when we know nobody else is listening. Our conscience never lets us pretend to ourselves.
17.10 Going straight into the world of work
Sometimes some people are simply not ready, emotional, psychologically, or cognitively for college life or further study. It may be that what best meets their needs at this stage can be found by going directly into to world of work. The life skills learned can be invaluable. Indeed, at some later stage, this can result in the individual becoming ready for further study at some later stage in life.
There are some individuals who are simple not academically able for college. For these students it is the right decision not to go to college. Sometimes these individuals excel in their chosen job/s and use other non-academic attributes to become very successful adults, both personally and professionally.
- College Orientation Day
It is very important that you do not miss your college orientation day. The dates and times will be sent to you by your college. Missing your particular orientation day could mean you missing out on some or all of the following.
Meeting your lecturers and tutors, and mentors
Instructions on how to use the library
Obtain your student card
Directions to where your lecture and tutorials take place
Details about sport clubs
Details on clubs and societies
Advice about picking subjects or modules
Details about students’ union activities
How to access and use the college I.T. system
Details on your college’s student Charter
Details on your college’s student Code
Details on your college’s I.T. usage policy
Details on your college’s academic regulations
Details on your college’s exam regulations
Details on what supports services are available if you find yourself in difficulties coping with the demands of college life.
Details on what supports services are available if you qualified for leaning support and/or need disability support.
The Institute of Guidance Counsellors
NOTES
The Institute of Guidance Counsellors
NOTES
The Institute of Guidance Counsellors