Q: I'M repeating my Leaving Cert for medicine and some people say I would be better off doing A Levels. I'd only have three subjects to do - even if at a higher level - and it seems easier to get a big grade. Have you any experience of this? North West Student

A: THERE are two ways of looking at this. Courses at A Level are generally regarded as being more difficult and longer than Leaving Cert courses - they take three, we do six or seven. But there are students who feel that, once you've done a subject once in the Leaving Cert, taking it at A Level is not that difficult anymore.

You say you have read through the courses and you feel this - and you have only three subjects to concentrate upon. Then there is the fact that a higher proportion of As are awarded in most A Level subjects than in the Leaving Cert. All this could lead to the conclusion that it is the better option.

The other side of the argument is this: while it's true that there is a higher proportion of As at A Level, it's also true that it's a much more selected group than those sitting the Leaving Cert, which is a larger proportion of the age cohort in any one year.

So we are not really comparing like with like and it may not be that easy after all to get a high grade. Though I would have to say that most British commentators in the past few years seem to think that it had-got a lot easier! The real crunch, it seems to me, lies in the points allocated by CAO colleges to A Level results. A Levels are counted only in A,B,C,D etc, whereas in the Leaving Cert you have three subdivisions for each grade except A grade.

An A Level is traditionally counted as two Leaving Cert subjects. The points given for an A grade in A Level can vary from college to college - for example TCD gives 190, DCU gives 175 (with a bonus of 45 if you achieve three grade As in the one sitting). Other colleges, among them UCD, do not use a points system to assess A Level students but set a minimum standard for entry to each faculty. In 1996 three As at A Level were needed for medicine. So at least with Leaving Cert results you know that if you get an Al you get 100 points for it.

If a student is excellent in a particular group of subjects such as science or languages or business, then the A Level route suits them very well in a repeat exam. There is also the advantage that A Levels can open up Northern Ireland and British colleges to the Irish applicant.

Q: I HAVE three children in school - one in fifth class in primary school, one in second year and the eldest in Leaving Cert. Though I've tried to organise different rooms for each of them to study in, there is still a lot of conflict going on about how long each one should study, who takes telephone calls, how much TV to watch etc. What is the best approach? - Dublin Parent

A: THE BEST approach is to make sure that each child has a good mix of homework and extra curricular activities such as sport, drama, music, reading, time to meet friends and enjoy hobbies. The school day itself is quite long enough - from primary to secondary school it could be between six and seven hours for the level of student you are talking about. Add an hour or more of daily travel time and immediately you find an eight-hour day which many adults find exhausting anyway. Now add the homework.

Many schools provide clubs and societies at lunchtime and after school so this can add another hour or so of concentrated action. It's a long day no matter how you look at it. During the school day, students need to use many skills such as concentrating on learning new material and building on previously acquired knowledge. They then start in on homework which is set to reinforce and practise this knowledge.

All of this is mentally tiring so there is no doubt but that they need to switch off and enjoy their other activities. While homework is vital to academic success, it must not be at the expense of these activities.

Many parents judge a school by the amount of homework their children get. But it really is down to the quality, not the quantity of work which students do. The one thing that is vital is that students get feedback on their homework because that is - how they learn. There is no point in having reams of material if it is not properly assessed. Students can become very disillusioned if the teacher just glances at their work.

So this brings us back to having a good mix of homework which can be marked by themselves or another student under supervision in the classroom as well as work that is formally marked by the teacher. In this way both pupil and teacher benefit from well-planned homework.

Parents need to be involved in their children's homework but they shouldn't take over responsibility for it. Children should be taught from early on in primary school to be responsible for their own work and, as they get older, they can work at a desk in their own room if family circumstances allow.

It's a good idea is to have a homework notebook or diary so that parents can see how much is given and then make a note in the diary if they are concerned that too little or too much is being done. The diary can become a means of communication between home and school.

A good sharp one-hour stint should be plenty for your daughter in fifth class and about an hour and a half for the second-year pupil each evening or a total of seven and a half hours per week to be fitted in as they like - some like to do all their essays in one go and just do the learning bits on a regular - basis each evening. They should keep at Feast one tree - evening to break from routine.

The Leaving Cert pupil should do about 15 hours a week and obviously at that age he must set out his own timetable to suit his workload, sports and hobbies. He has to make the decision to work independently either at home or by staying on in school if that is possible. At this stage, he will be focused on exams - either the mock or the real thing in June so he is probably motivated to study anyway. Some schools provide supervised study after school for these months and, if this is available, it could solve your problem.

Even if it is unsupervised, at this time of the year pupils are unlikely to tolerate messers who try to disrupt work. There is a feeling of solidarity in working together and, of course, there is no TV or telephone to cause distractions not to mention sibling distractions.

You could set a definite earlier deadline for the younger ones to watch TV and make phone calls. The Leaving Cert pupil will have his own choice later in the evening. Phone calls should be banned for a set period each evening because every time the phone rings they will all be sure the call is for them anyway and rush to answer it.