Leaving Cert: how our ‘Irish Times’ exam diarists got on

The summer might have flown by for most of us, but for the students of Nagle Community College’s class of 2016, it has dragged on.

It has been two months since these Cork students, six of whom shared their exam highs and lows in diaries for The Irish Times, finished their Leaving Cert.

Some have been working while more than half of them went on a holiday to Magaluf, party resort of choice for Leaving Cert students.

We caught up with Calvin Choy as he was on the way to work.

“I am pretty satisfied,” he says. “I was hoping to do computer science in UCC. I don’t have enough points but I will have enough for my second option: Arts in UCC, which has a computer science course. My results were better than for most of my pres [pre-Leaving Cert exams or mocks] and I’m particularly glad to see I passed English.”

Becky Finn is "very happy" with her results and has secured her place in the pre-nursing course at the College of Commerce. But she is disappointed to learn that the university midwifery course she hopes to enter only takes students over the age of 23, so she will have to reassess her options.

Seán Flanagan is quietly spoken, but his classmates single him out for praise, saying he is highly intelligent and has worked very hard in school.

“I was happy enough overall, I did my best and feel my results were a fair reflection of the work I put in. I am hoping for biochemistry in UCC, but I’ll have to see what the points are. I have a few other options in mind.”

Roland Kamepko had a very good Leaving Cert and is delighted with his 485 points.

B in Irish

“I opened the envelope, totted up the points and saw I had enough for biomedical engineering in CIT. I wasn’t expecting to do so well in Irish: I got a B. I was a little disappointed with French, because I’m fluent and only got an A2.”

Sarah Struthers is disappointed with her results. "It's not that I didn't do well but I didn't get what I needed and expected to do better.

“I was happy enough with my B3 for art. I don’t know if I will get the course I want [software development], but am looking at taking a year out and then doing legal studies in the College of Commerce before going on to UCC.”

We'll hear how the diarists' holiday in Magaluf went in next Monday's First Round Offers College Choice supplement and online, on the day the CAO offers are released.