Last year 56 per cent of Leaving Cert students got their first college preference. However, each year that still leaves a significant chunk who are disappointed, and this year will be no different.
Twenty years ago, repeating the Leaving Cert was the default for those who didn’t get an offer they wanted. Today this is becoming less and less common, as there are many other options.
Anne Conway, guidance counsellor with Ringsend College in Dublin 4, says it’s important to take a breath before jumping into a decision. “It’s really important to acknowledge and hear a student’s upset and frustration before trying to find solutions,” she says.
“Parents and guardians have been invested in this journey, so they too will feel sad for their child. As adults, they know that there are other pathways, but it’s okay for students to sit with that upset for a while. They have put in a massive amount of work and had a few years of really hard slog.”
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Once the dust has settled, it’s time to start exploring options.
1 View your script and appeal
“Looking at your paper helps you understand what went wrong on the day and what you didn’t answer correctly,” says Conway.
“An appeal is a cathartic way to process disappointment – or get upgraded. If the result for a particular paper isn’t sitting right, you might regret not appealing.”
Last year 7,268 students appealed their results across 14,287 grades, and 3,123 were upgraded.
The process begins by applying to view your exam script, and it’s a good idea to ask your teacher to look at it with you before deciding on any next steps. Application is online through the candidate self-service portal. Depending on whether your script was marked online or manually, you’ll be provided access either electronically or in person.
Be aware that there is a very small chance that you could be downgraded, although it’s only ever happened to a handful of students: just five in 2018 and only one in 2023.
You can apply online to view scripts and request a recheck through examinations.ie.
2 Don’t discard your level six and seven options
As all candidates know, the CAO form includes applications for level eight (honours degree) and level six and seven (certificates and ordinary degree) courses.
Level six and seven courses are usually offered by technological universities or institutes of technology. Students can graduate with a valuable qualification or, increasingly, they can use it to move up to a level eight degree.
3 Vacant places
Don’t be fooled into thinking that certain points are high because you must be extremely intelligent to make it on the course. In fact, the CAO points are decided based on supply and demand – if there’s more applicants than places, this pushes points up. Medicine isn’t high points because it’s a tougher course: if fewer students applied, the points would be significantly lower.
The flipside of this, says Conway, is that not all courses get filled.
“From August 28th, you can apply through the available places facility through the CAO for any unfilled courses,” she says.
4 Open learning and access
Open Learning at UCD is an innovative, flexible way for you to study at university without formal entry requirements. You can choose from more than 450 undergraduate modules and attend lectures alongside full-time students. There are three programmes to choose from – progression pathways to 17 full-time degree programmes, open learning for credit (complete assessment) or open learning for audit (interest only, no exams).
These flexible programme options could be appealing to you, if you are curious, a recent school leaver or considering your next life stage. It’s a high-impact, low-stakes way of exploring university life at your own pace. More information at ucd.ie/all/entrypathways
Another option for students who didn’t get the results they wanted is the college access route, with University of Galway, TU Dublin and Trinity College among the colleges offering a pre-university foundation access course. This allows students to get a taste of university life without the commitment of a four-year degree. Students who meet minimum grade requirements on these courses may be eligible to move into a full-time degree course.
5 PLC, apprenticeship and traineeship
PLC courses provide specific, vocationally oriented skills to help students move into the workplace, and they can be a bridge to level six, seven and eight courses. Third-levels are reserving more and more places for students who pass through a PLC. Look out for “pre-university” in the PLC title, such as pre-university law, pre-university science and so on.
Apprenticeships provide a chance for learners to work, earn money and study at the same time, with courses including craft areas such as motor mechanics, bricklaying and plumbing alongside areas such as auctioneering, accounting and ICT.
Traineeships, meanwhile, are short, structured programmes that equip learners with specific skills for work in high-demand roles. Although they’re often taken up by mature learners who want a change, they would also make a great option for any student who is taking a year between school and college.
6 Tertiary degree programmes
“One of my students was disappointed with her results, but she chose a tertiary degree programme,” says Conway. “These are not based on your CAO points. Instead, students start in a PLC college before transferring to a higher education institution after first year. She did two years in Ballyfermot College of Further Education before transferring to IADT.”
Conway points out that PLC courses are a great foundation for third-level, as they teach students about research, referencing, working in groups and study skills. Indeed, there is emerging evidence that third-level students who start on a PLC perform better, on average, than their college peers.
7 Go abroad
The good news is that third levels across Europe tend to have much lower grade requirements, and it’s often cheaper to study abroad. Courses are offered in English, and students will have no trouble finding a community of Irish students in most of these locations. It’s a great chance to experience life abroad, gaining the independence and adaptability skills that employers want.
The bad news? Most of the course deadlines have passed – but there may still be some places available. See eunicas.ie for information on European universities or ucas.co.uk for information about studying in the UK.
8 Repeat
“If you’re going to repeat, it’s important to ask yourself what didn’t work the first time round, and what will change if you go back,” says Conway. “You have to ask if you are going to change the learner that you are, or how you approach exams.”
If a student worked hard and came close to getting enough points, it’s more of a gamble than if they know they didn’t put the work in.
“I think it’s a real last resort,” says Conway. “Ask if there is a better way. I had a student who didn’t do well in the Leaving Cert but went a different route than repeating, and now is on the cusp of getting into law at Trinity College.”
9 A year out
Ireland doesn’t have the UK’s tradition of a year between school and college, with our students more likely to take a year between college and work, perhaps to travel.
“If you’re going to take a year out to decide your next move, find a purpose, perhaps doing something that you would not ordinarily have done,” says Conway.
This could include, for instance, travel, work, a one-year PLC or a traineeship.
