There are things in life we are happy to do again and again. If anything, the more you do it, the better it gets. Then there are things you'd rather not have to do, even once. Like the Leaving Cert. Having done it once though, would you be happy to do it again? Well, you might. In fact, every year hundreds of students around the State repeat the Leaving. Some feel they could get better results, if only they tried harder. Others change their mind about their chosen course and go back to get the points for another.

Kathy Rodgers is the Repeat Leaving co-ordinator at Rathmines Senior College in Dublin. Of some 160 students repeating in Rathmines every year, "most improve their results", she says, "but that can range from moderately to significantly. We find students repeating the Leaving are more motivated, and happier to be here - after all, they've chosen to come and do it again themselves".

While repeating the Leaving can improve students' opportunities, the extra year between school and college can be of benefit in other ways. "We find it is a year in which the students mature quite a lot," says Rodgers. "The atmosphere here is also a bit more like third level, in the sense that the students have more responsibility. We do have a very strict attendance policy, but they are free to dress as they will, and obviously leave during their free time and get cups of coffee in McDonalds for example. In fact, we find they rise to what you expect of them. We expect the best of them, and we've no discipline problems."

Stephen Caffrey (19) did the leaving in 1997, and began a PLC course last year. "But I wasn't happy with it," he says. "I decided I'd prefer to go to UCD and study arts, and then go into journalism. The school I went to had an emphasis on practical subjects. It's more academic here, which suits me better - although I wish I had more time. I've 22 days to go and I'm really nervous. I can't afford to mess up this time around".

First time around, Louise Kavanagh (19) says, "I enjoyed myself too much, and didn't get around to doing enough work. I wanted to do business studies at DCU but I didn't get the points. It's turned out to be a stroke of luck really, because I realise now I'd be much more interested in doing psychology, in UCD". Unlike Stephen, Louise finds the pressure much less stressful this time. "I'm less nervous this year. I realise now that it's not the end of the world if you don't get the points you need, because there's always a way of doing what you really want to do."

Over at Ringsend Technical Institute, also in Dublin, there are similarly mixed feelings about the exams, but a strong sense of having done the right thing. "I'm looking at a lot of my friends who went to straight to college and think they might fail their first year exams," says Gavin Hickie (19), "but having repeated the Leaving you realise that you really have to work at college. We're treated more like adults here and you learn that you have to do the work yourself, no one's going to make you do it."

According to Roisin Fitzpatrick (19), while doing it all over again is hard work, there is more support for people who choose to repeat. "Before you were told to take any course you were offered in college. Now it's more about doing what makes you happy, and repeats are not so much frowned on."

Graham Farrelly (19) was bored to death with school by the time sixth year came along and "I got too lazy and stopped studying. I'd like to do something like journalism at DCU so I need another 80-90 points. I've completely changed my subjects this year, so I've found it much more interesting." Students repeating the Leaving in Ringsend can choose from 22 subjects. While there is a strict attendance code, the students are expected to put the work in themselves.

"We like them to be aware we're keeping an eye on them, without being omnipresent," says Jim Doherty, head of the Repeat Leaving Certificate at Ringsend. "It's not all work though, the students have a good social life together. We also find they are more open about emotional difficulties, or family problems than they were 10 or 15 years ago. But, like the other VECs, we have a full time guidance counsellor, and we can refer them to the VEC psychological services if they need it."

The College of Commerce in Cork has up to 300 students repeating their Leaving Cert each year. Sheila Creedon (18), from Midleton in Co Cork, has her sights set on a course in social science at UCC. She's "really focused" and she knows "what's expected". Last year she missed a lot of school because of a back injury so she decided to repeat her Leaving Cert at the College of Commerce. Taking the extra year to study and repeat has given her a chance to think about the career path she has chosen..

Last year, Sheila says, "I wasn't sure would I be happy, I wasn't sure if I wanted to do social science," but, she says, "I know now that I want to do it". She could have done a business course but she didn't. "I suppose you can take the course that you are offered but it might always be in the back of your mind, and it could be three years down the line and then you'd regret it."

This time around she's approaching her exams in a different way. She stays on late in the evening to study and has worked harder, she says.

Ronan Browne (18), from Cloyne, Co Cork, is a changed student. "I didn't enjoy school," he says about the way he approached his Leaving Cert the first time around. "I didn't want to be there. I didn't have an interest in my Leaving Cert. I felt so much of an under-achiever." At first the idea of repeating was not appealing but "all my friends had done so much better than me so I decided to come back and reach my full potential".

In the past year he's studied like he never did before and he's delighted he came back to repeat. "I'm very glad. It's completely different. The relationship between the teachers and the students is so much more relaxed," he says. "It's up to the student." Now he stays in every evening to study. "I'm enjoying getting good grades. It's a complete novelty."

Craig Keogh (27) did the Australian High School Certificate exam nine years ago in Perth. Since then he's had a range of jobs. He came to Ireland three years ago and he's decided he wants to study electronic engineering in UCC. His parents are not pushing him, he says. At this stage of the year, he says, "I'm nervous not because of the unknown but because so much depends on it."