Take 2: Things to consider before you repeat the Leaving Cert

If you didn’t get the Leaving Cert results you wanted or needed, these next few days and weeks will naturally be taken up with a bit of soul-searching and a weighing up of your options.

This process might be a very short one for those with a definite goal in mind while, for others, it could be the start of a long, drawn-out period of reflection on their future career path that could stretch out over many weeks, even months.

Whatever your options are, repeating the Leaving Cert is one that deserves careful consideration. Even if it might not appeal straight away – and it will be hard work – there may be advantages that should become clearer when you think about it. But remember, repeating is not right for everyone. If a student has drifted into repeating, it is unlikely to be successful. It takes courage and independence of mind to repeat, and motivation is critical. Without motivation, a student is likely to achieve the same results as before.

Nearly 1,800 students repeated last year, according to the State Examinations Commission, although this is down from more than 2,000 in 2013. This fall in numbers has been attributed mainly to recent changes in the scoring system for the Hpat aptitude test for medicine, aimed at ending what had become a frantic chase for maximum CAO points among high-scoring students.

Where should I do it?

Before deciding if you want to repeat, it’s worth considering the options in terms of where you can do it. You could apply to return to your old school, transfer to another school, or attend a school with a dedicated repeat Leaving Certificate course or at a further education college affiliated to one of the 16 Education and Training Boards around the country.

There are also private “grind” schools, but you or your parents will need to fork out fees of €5,000 to €7,000 on average for the privilege, with no guarantees such a big investment will get the results you want. They can work well for many people, but research has shown grind schools’ progression rates to college are on average much the same as for non-fee schools.

"Returning to your old school has its advantages," says Betty McLaughlin, chairwoman of the Institute of Guidance Counsellors. "It is a familiar environment and you already know your teachers and many of the other students."

But she acknowledges it’s not for everyone: “Some people find it disheartening to return to their old school, especially when all or most of their classmates have moved on to college or into the workplace. Transferring to another secondary school in your area is another option – a new setting could help to focus your mind.”

Anyone can apply to their old school to repeat, but because the school doesn’t get a capitation grant for repeat students, it’s up to them if they are happy to accept, she says. McLaughlin is a guidance counsellor at Coláiste Mhuire CBS, Mullingar, which has run a large dedicated Leaving Cert repeat class for up to 90 students for over 25 years. “If there is a dedicated repeat class in their area, they would definitely prefer to move, in my experience, but not many schools are offering that.

“They like a fresh start, they like the idea of a dedicated class and that the whole course will be covered over a year. From a revision point of view, that’s much more beneficial to them.”

Specific goals or treading water

According to Bernadette Moore, principal of Rathmines College in Dublin, which is part of the City of Dublin Education and Training Board and runs a one-year repeat LC course, students who repeat tend to fall into one of two camps.

“Generally speaking, someone coming to Rathmines wants something very specific. For example, we have a number of students who are looking for medicine, and for that you need a good result in biology and some students didn’t quite get the points.”

Students who want to do nursing may also choose to repeat because of the limit on the number of places on pre-nursing PLC courses here, a popular starting point on the route to a nursing qualification, she says.

The other type of student tends to want to go to third-level but is not 100 per cent sure what they want to study.

“They may have got an offer but they weren’t really happy with it,” says Moore. “They come to us with a more focused plan, and we have three career guidance counsellors to help them look for what they would be happy to study in college.”

Changing the subject

Repeating might involve taking on a new subject or two, as you can drop subjects you did the first time round if you fulfilled the minimum requirements for the courses you are applying for.

Remember, you can only count the points from a single sitting of the Leaving Cert. So while you can drop maths, English, Irish – if you passed them the first time – you will need to take exams in at least six subjects to get your full tally of points. So if you drop maths, you may need to take something else to replace it.

Rathmines College doesn’t recommend taking on any more than one new subject. “We encourage students to maintain seven subjects, because in counting up the points, we find that if they reduce it to six and have one bad exam day, they’re really down to five.”

McLaughlin certainly recommends taking on a new subject if it’s one you might find easier, even if you have to do it in one year. This is a good option for students looking to re-orient their subject choice towards future study that may suit them better and, in turn, may help them increase their grades and points, she says.

One advantage to repeating at a school with a dedicated repeat class or at an ETB college is they may have better career guidance. “We have heard students are finding it more difficult with the reduction in guidance counselling in second-level schools,” says Moore. “We have maintained our guidance counsellors in Rathmines, but some secondary schools haven’t been able to do that. When people come into us, whether to have a crack at a higher diploma or repeat the Leaving Cert, they really need guidance to focus their minds.”

The points

In terms of the primary objective of repeating the Leaving – getting more CAO points – both Moore and McLaughlin say improving by at least 100 points, or more, is possible if you put your mind to it.

“We see 90 per cent of students here increase their points from one year to another,” says Moore. But while it’s “generally achievable” to increase points, it is not a given, as you’ll need to apply yourself in a way you didn’t the first time round.

McLaughlin says: “If they do their work, if they attend their classes, if they apply themselves, they will improve.

“Yes, we’ll have the odd one who won’t improve, but if you repeat it’s a win-win situation. Say I do my LC this year and get 400 points, and the next year I only get 380, the Department of Education will take the highest of those in one sitting. So you’re not going to lose. You won’t go down, you can’t go down; you can only go up.”

Grace Healy: 'It was hard-going but worth it'
Grace Healy's long-standing career goal is to be a vet, so the veterinary medicine course at UCD – the only such undergraduate course here – was the clear first choice on her CAO form in 2013, when she made her first attempt at the Leaving Cert as a student of St Finian's College in Mullingar.

The CAO points for the course had been averaging about 575 for the last couple of years but, although she came close, she didn’t quite make it.

“I acknowledge I got a very good Leaving Cert first time round, but it was overshadowed by the disappointment that I didn’t get my first choice,” she says.

“That slowly morphed into confusion over the next couple of days when I was faced with the question of what do I do next? Would I repeat, would I go on and take my second choice and do a postgrad later, or would I apply to Europe?”

She went through all three options with her guidance counsellor.

She decided to repeat, and enrolled for the dedicated repeat class at nearby Coláiste Mhuire CBS, where she enjoyed the year more than she expected to.

“It was hard-going but it was so worth it at the end of the day because it was in a more friendly environment with both staff and students. I took part in extra-curricular activities outside and within the school as well, and stretched myself on my studies.”

She appreciated the specific experience the teachers had with teaching repeat students. “In the repeat class, it was better because you knew the basics but could focus on what you found difficult. The classes were never stagnant in the way that they could be in a normal Leaving Cert class, including going through CAO stuff you already knew.”

While she and others in the class had very specific goals, others who weren’t so sure but benefited from career guidance, with some changing their plans.

Healy has just finished her first year of veterinary medicine at UCD and is loving every minute.

“Personally, repeating was the best option for me because although it was one more year and it was hard work, I managed to save more hard work and money than if I went the postgraduate route. I got what I wanted and I’m enjoying every moment of it, and it was only one year.

“It might be a gamble for some people who didn’t succeed in what they wanted to do, a year lost maybe, but it all depends on how determined and how focused you are.”