What subjects should you take for your Leaving Cert exam?

As this year's cohort of Leaving Cert students digest the results of their mock exams, the class of 2008 get ready to make their subject choices. Irish Times career guidance expert Brian Mooney has answers to the 10 most-asked questions

1 How many subjects should I take for my Leaving Certificate?

Having completed your Junior Certificate, and probably Transition Year, you are now contemplating your choice of subjects for your Leaving Cert. These choices will determine your third-level and career options in two years' time, so they are very important. Most schools will offer you seven subjects, with those taking certain combinations of subjects, being eligible to take the Leaving Cert Vocational Programme (LCVP) as an additional option. In the CAO system, your highest six grades will be used to calculate your points for entry purposes to courses offered in all 42 higher-education institutions.

If you are taking more than one ordinary-level paper, for example maths and Irish, and want the option of having six higher-level subjects for points' purposes, you may be considering taking an extra subject. This option carries some risk. There is no such thing as an easy honour and every subject requires a certain amount of study on a daily basis. Taking eight Leaving Cert subjects is a major undertaking. If the eighth subject is being taken outside school, you will have to consider the time involved in travelling to and from such a grind. All this detracts from the time available to work on the seven subjects you are taking in school.

As I have stated above, if you are taking certain combinations of Leaving Cert subjects, you can opt to take the LCVP. Sixty per cent of the marks available are awarded for a portfolio of work compiled during the two years of the programme, with the remainder being awarded for a short written paper, taken in mid-May of your Leaving Cert year. Students awarded a distinction in the LCVP will gain 70 points from this module, which is accepted by all colleges in the CAO system.

2 Should clever students take on extra subjects if subject choice is restricted in their school?

If there are timetable restrictions in your school, which make it impossible for you to take a subject you particularly enjoy, you could consider taking it outside school, provided you factor in an appropriate amount of study time to cover all your other subjects. Alternatively, you might consider changing schools at the beginning of fifth year to ensure that you get your desired subject choices.

3 What happens if I do not take honours Irish?

Apart from not being able to take a number of higher degree programmes, which have Irish as a core entry requirement, the main consequence of not taking higher-level Irish is that you are precluded from studying to be a primary school teacher in any of the Irish training colleges.

4 What happens if I do not take honours maths?

There are wide ranges of degree programmes from which you will be precluded if you do not secure a minimum of a D3 - or in many cases a C3 - in higher-level maths. These would include many engineering, science, information and computer technology courses, and most degrees that include maths as a core subject.

If you are interested in careers that may derive from such courses, you can always start with a certificate programme, which will only require a D3 in ordinary-level maths. Then, provided you secure a grade of at least 60 per cent in your examinations, you can progress through to ordinary degree and then on to a higher degree programme adding only one extra year over and above a student who secures a place on a higher degree programme in the first place.

5 What happens if I do not take a language other than Irish and English?

The colleges of the National University of Ireland demand a pass in a third language for entry into almost all of their courses, apart from nursing. These colleges are UCD, NUI Galway, UCC, and NUI Maynooth. Maynooth have dropped the third language requirement for their engineering programmes. UCD are dropping this requirement for all their engineering and agricultural programmes in 2006. A third language is also required, for entry into the cadetship in the army or aircorps. Trinity accepts Irish as fulfilling their second language requirement. UL and DCU, plus all the institutes of technology, do not require a continental language for entry purposes to their courses.

6 What's the easiest subject in the Leaving Certificate and what's the hardest?

There is no such thing as easy honours in the Leaving Cert. Some subjects may appear to have a very high success rate, but this is usually a reflection of the academic ability of the type of students who select the subject in the first place. Student performance in achieving at least a grade C in higher-level papers in the Leaving Cert, where girls outperform boys in virtually all subjects, in 2005 is set out in the graph (see far right).All subjects at Leaving Cert level require a two-year commitment. There are no short cuts.

7 What combinations of subjects should you aim for?

You should attempt to select a balanced range of subjects, which will leave your career choice options open for as long as possible. Most students take Irish (unless exempted), English and maths. A large majority of students take a continental language.

In selecting your remaining three subjects, you should study carefully, the Institute of Guidance Counsellors/Irish Times booklet of essential subjects for entry to every third-level course to ensure that you are aware of the minimum subject entry requirements for your courses. This information is available online on the www.qualifax.ie website.

You should spread your final three choices across the entire spectrum of business, scientific, liberal arts and practical subjects.

In doing this, you should also be mindful of the results of previous examinations and aptitude tests results in your subject combination.

8 Subjects at a glance

IRISH

Although studied by all students throughout their schooling, higher-level Irish is taken by less than a third of students, with a 72 to 28 male to female take up. As it is essential for entry to primary teaching, the lack of male students taking higher-level Irish at Leaving Cert acts to suppress their numbers in primary school classrooms. A large number of students seem to have a mental block when it comes to studying Irish. For those who do not, Irish is an attractive higher-level subject.

ENGLISH

A good higher-level subject, for the average student, provided they are prepared to read extensively. Good written expression required, in achieving a good result. Some students can underestimate the extent to which they must learn their own language in the modes that they are required to express themselves, particularly at higher level.

MATHS

Fewer than 20 per cent of Leaving Cert students take this subject at higher level, with many students falling back to ordinary level when the pressure builds up in sixth year. It is a relatively straightforward subject for those who are good at maths, but tends to be avoided by most as they perceive it to be very time consuming.

HISTORY

This year is the first time students will be examined in the new curriculum. The balance of the course has moved away from a political emphasis to encompass both social and cultural history. The identification of evidence and primary sources is central to studying history. Students can now secure up to 20 per cent of the overall marks by pre-submitting a research paper on a selected topic from a range set out by the State Examinations Commission. Essay writing is central to the programme. Students have to present three essays in their higher-level Leaving Cert paper, plus a documents question. Ordinary-level students should benefit from the opportunity to prepare a research question under the revised curriculum.

GEOGRAPHY

This subject studies the interrelationship between human activity and the physical environment. It isan extremely wide curriculum, with students having the opportunity to undertake a geographic investigation, which is allocated 20 per cent of the overall marks in the final examination, and is pre-submitted by the end of April in the year of the student's Leaving Cert. For both science and pharmacy at TCD, geography is accepted as a science subject for entry requirements.

CONTINENTAL LANGUAGES

The three main elements of the study of modern languages are comprehension, oral and written presentation. Be mindful of the aural and oral requirements. There is a strong emphasis now on the ability to comprehend and converse in the language studied, and this is reflected in the fact, that a third of the final marks awarded are for aural and oral work. Studying a continental language today requires you to immerse yourself culturally in the spoken and written world of its users.

APPLIED MATHS

A very suitable subject for the student taking higher-level maths and physics.

PHYSICS

Physics has a strong maths element and requires learning many formulas. It develops students' understanding of many of the ordinary things that surround us such as heat, light, electricity and magnetism. Students must maintain a laboratory book as there are 27 mandatory experiments, of which four are offered on the Leaving Cert paper, with three to be presented.

CHEMISTRY

Students taking chemistry have to learn the chemical components of a series of prescribed experiments. They will be required to present the elements of four such experiments in their examination. Again, students studying chemistry develop an understanding of the world we live in.

BIOLOGY

Students studying biology explore the world of all living things from micro-organisms to humans. As with the other science subjects, students undertake 24 mandatory experiments, the details of which they record in their laboratory book. It is often perceived as an easier subject than physics and chemistry, but this is not so, as shown by the high failure rates at ordinary level.

SOCIAL AND SCIENTIFIC (HOME ECONOMICS)

A combination of cooking, home economics, some biology and a bit of business. A very interesting subject, but not the easy honour that some imagine. Twenty per cent of the marks are awarded for a coursework journal done within normal class time and pre-submitted in October of sixth year. The study of food science is a central part of this subject. Students also have the option of studying one of social studies, textiles or home design.

BUSINESS

This subject deals with the current day-to-day reality of business itself. It is a very interesting subject, but requires constant attention to the business pages of the quality newspapers. It looks at how organisations are formed, financed and run. It also explores the services that support businesses such as insurance, banking, transport, marketing and public service bodies such as the IDA, Fáilte Ireland etc .

ECONOMICS

Economics has a mathematical slant and has a lot of graphic and theoretical work. It explores the inner working of companies, and how they measure their success and progress. At a macro level it examines international trade, the role of governments and the EU in controlling the economy, competition and markets. This is a good subject for the analytical student.

ACCOUNTING

Students who enjoy the book-keeping part of Junior Cert business should consider taking accounting. At Leaving Cert, analysis and interpretation of accounts is the core activity. For those with strong numeracy and reasoning skills this can be a very enjoyable and successful subject.

RELIGIOUS EDUCATION

Religious education was examined for the first time in 2005, with high grades achieved by the small number of candidates taking this subject. Students are introduced to the dialogue between science and religion in the exploration of meaning and values in our societies. The programme introduces students to both philosophy and psychology. Twenty per cent of the marks in this subject are awarded for the student's journal, which is submitted prior to the examination.

MUSIC AND ART

Not subjects to be dipped into for the first time at this level. Most students taking either option will be following on from Junior Cert level. At Leaving Cert, art involves a lot of work on the history and appreciation of art alongside the normal design and craftwork.

CONSTRUCTION STUDIES, ENGINEERING, TECHNICAL DRAWING

These practical subjects give students hands-on experience working with tools, machinery and materials such as plastics, wood and metal. Students who enjoy working with their hands get to design and make products. Students also have to undertake quite an amount of theoretical and background work for their final examinations.

9 Career choices

When you are deciding which subjects to take in the Leaving Cert, remember that this decision will have long-term consequences on what careers are open to you. A decision, therefore, not to take a science subject or not to take a continental language will have major implications on the range of careers open to you later on.

The same does not apply to business subjects, as most business courses teach all subjects, with the presumption that students know nothing. If a student is making their subject choices and has not yet decided what career they wish to follow after school, I would advise them to keep all their options open by taking a science and continental language subject from among their four optional subjects.

10 Most important piece of advice

A pass in ordinary-level maths is essential for entry to virtually all courses after the Leaving Cert. Each year more than 5,000 students fall below this level to foundation level maths and a further 5,000 fail ordinary level. Whatever you do over the next two years, don't neglect your work in this subject.