Choosing Leaving Cert Subjects - Everything Your Child Needs to Know | Parent Centre

For some quick tips, here's a podcast by our very own Eimear and Nessa on choosing Leaving Cert subjects. 

It should not be a rushed decision

This is not a decision to be taken lightly. Students need to clear their heads and think this through. Their school will hopefully (and should) give them a couple of days to think about their choice as their future could depend on it.

It should be an independent choice

At the end of the day, students should pick the subjects that serve them the best. There’s absolutely no point in doing construction studies just because their friend is doing it and they’ll have company. If it turns out they are useless at handiwork and have no interest in it, they’ll regret it in the long term.

Also, parents sometimes try to get involved in the choosing process, pushing their children to choose the subjects that would get them the college course that the parents want for their child, rather than what the child wants. Your Leaving Cert student is at an age where they have to start being independent and, as I’ve said, this decision could affect their college choice and future life. It only makes sense that they choose what's right for them as they are the ones who will have to do it. 

Don’t let a 'bad' teacher put them off

Yes, a good teacher would help a lot in a subject but a teacher is only there to help, your child's ability is the main thing. A good example of this point is my sister. She had the same terrible teacher for her 2 Senior Cycle years but she took it upon herself to learn and study the course without the help of her teacher and she still managed to get a H2. So, if your child likes and enjoys the subject, they should go for it and not let a bad teacher ruin their interest in a subject. Plus, Studyclix will always be here to help them out if they need it.

Their future career and college course needs to be considered

It’s still early days and college is another 2 years away but your child's choice could affect their future. They need to think about what they’d like to do in college, for example, if they're interested in being a nutritionist then it’s important they take on a science subject. Or, if they think they’d like to study commerce or marketing, they should probably consider doing a business subject. Don't forget that higher Irish is a requirement for primary school teaching.

At the end of the day, you don’t want your child to be filling out their CAO in 6th year and realise that they can’t do their dream course because they didn’t choose a certain subject in 5th year. 

Consider what they’re good at

This is majorly important. If your child is talented and strong at a certain subject, it’s obvious that they should do it because they can be almost certain that they’ll do well in it, getting those crucial marks in the Leaving Cert. The only time I would suggest a student not choose a subject that they’re really good at is if they absolutely hate it and know that it will be of no benefit. In this case, there isn’t really much point in them being unhappy for 2 years.

Consider what they’re actually interested in

Do they love science, living things and learning how they work? Well, biology is an obvious choice. Have they an interest in manual work and learning how buildings are made? They should do construction. There’s no point in students undertaking a subject that they’ll end up falling asleep in because they couldn’t be bothered about it. If they’re unfortunate enough not to have a certain subject that they would love available to them at their school, don’t lose hope! There are always independent teachers in every area who could be willing to teach them after school.

Talk to past pupils

Students should find out as much as they can about each subject before they choose it. They might learn that it’s not all they thought it was and past pupils can often offer insight into what the subject is really like.

Check out the average annual grades in each subject

Career's Portal have this interesting chart that shows what marks students have gotten in the various Leaving Cert subjects over the past few years, giving a good indication of which subject they might be more likely to succeed in or not. This shouldn't be the only reason they choose a subject but it might help push them a certain way if they're between two minds.

Chose the wrong subject?

Don't panic. Usually, unless the school is very strict on this policy, students can change what subjects they choose to do if they discover that they made the wrong decision. So long as they do it early on and it doesn’t affect other students or classes, the school/principal should allow it. As such, students shouldn't be afraid to ask for a class swap if they hate the subject they chose. Everyone makes mistakes.

Stay in honours or drop to pass?

Firstly, your child should seek their teacher's advice as they would know best about their capability in the subject. However, in my opinion, if the thought of dropping to pass is on someone's mind, especially early on in the Senior Cycle, they should probably drop down because it’s what they’ll most likely end up doing. It could prove helpful to drop down earlier if your child knows they probably won’t stick it out anyway and that way, they won’t waste time putting in the extra work for a standard they won’t need. This especially goes for maths. Honours maths is very time-consuming so if they know they won’t end up sticking with it, they shouldn't waste the time and energy.

However, your child must make sure that dropping down a level won’t affect their choice of college course. Some courses require honours maths, honours English, etc. so thinking ahead is really important for this decision.

Thinking of taking on a new subject?

If your child thinks that they would really enjoy a subject and they’ve done sufficient research into the subject and its contents, I say go for it! Lots of people in my class took up a new subject for the Senior Cycle and hardly anyone struggled with the fact that they had a brand new subject to learn. Like I’ve said before, it’s all about their ability and capability so if they are willing to put in a little bit of extra effort, it should work out just fine for them.

Are they unsure of what each subject consists of?

Like I’ve already said, past pupils can be really helpful because they have experience. Maybe an older sibling could give them advice or an older friend. They can also check out our discussion forum here on Studyclix and ask other users what a subject is like. Alternatively, they can look at the subjects on our site and flick through some papers to see if they think a subject would suit them.

In conclusion

The best decision that your child can make is an informed and personal one. They should take their time to research and reflect on what works for them, that way, they won't go wrong!