The Leaving Certificate (Leaving Cert) is the qualification that Irish students will work towards at the end of their time in secondary education.
Like most exams, students are given grades based on their performance. They're also given points, which equate to said grades. These are used by universities in Ireland and around the world to decide whether or not a student gets on their desired undergraduate course.
The points and grade system isn't perfect and while it's arguably better than it once was, there are a lot of misconceptions floating around concerning it. Many of these myths are about passing or failing the leaving cert.
Here, we'll look at some of the most common myths surrounding passing and failing the Leaving Cert.
What Is Pass and Fail at Leaving Cert?
The biggest myth surrounding the Leaving Cert is that there's even pass and fail. In the old system that was used until 2016, there was a grade that indicated a fail (F). However, the modern Leaving Cert points system has grades from H1 to H8 (for Higher Level papers) and O1 to O8 (for Ordinary Level papers).
All of these equate to points used by the Central Applications Office (CAO) for university undergraduate courses.
The lowest Higher Level Grade, H8, is awarded 0 points. Similarly, the Ordinary Level Grades O7 and O8 are also equivalent to 0 points. While neither is called a "fail", you want to avoid these grades as they won't help you towards a university place.
However, since only your best six subjects are considered for your CAO points calculation, you could still technically "fail" a subject or two and it does not affect our overall points tally or university place.
Really, “pass” or “fail” at Leaving Cert is down to the student, their objectives, and the number of points they're aiming for. Even then, if you don't get the points you need or want, you can always take the Leaving Cert again the following year or look to other options.
Can You Fail Leaving Cert Maths?
For some reason, the myth persists that a fail in Leaving Cert maths is an automatic fail for the entire Leaving Cert.
Aside from there being no “pass” or “fail” grades in the current grading system for Leaving Cert, maths as a subject is graded in almost the same way as any other subject.
The only reason we say "almost" is because there are bonus points for Higher Level Mathematics. For grades H6 and above, students are awarded an extra 25 points.
This means that the total number of points available for Higher Level Maths is 125 rather than 100.
If you get a grade worth 0 points in maths, you can still be awarded your Leaving Cert and even still achieve a maximum of 600 points across six other subjects!
Do You Fail the Leaving Cert if You Fail Irish?
While maths, English, and Irish are compulsory subjects for the Leaving Cert (provided you don't have an exemption), you won't fail the Leaving Cert if you “fail” Irish.
Again, there's no such thing as a pass or fail, but even if you underperform in Leaving Cert Irish, your overall score will be calculated from your six best subjects.
Your CAO points mightn't even include any of the compulsory subjects if you have an exemption in at least one of them.
What Counts as a Fail at Leaving Cert?
Technically speaking, there's no pass and fail at Leaving Cert. Some grades award you 0 points and while not ideal, this still isn't a fail.
The pass-and-fail criteria for the Leaving Cert aren't black and white. Instead, you'll have the individual grades for your subjects and your CAO score calculated from the six highest-scoring subjects.
Failure at Leaving Cert is relative and depends on each student. Not every student wants to do the same thing after school and nor do they want to apply to the same university courses (or at all!).
At Leaving Cert, you can set your own goals. You've been in school for a while now and know what your academic performance is like, which subjects you enjoy, and maybe even what you'd like to do after school.
Keep all of this in mind when planning your future professional or academic career. Have a look at the CAO points requirements for the courses that you'd like to do at university (if you plan on going) and then work out the number of points that you'd need.
From there, you can work out what your objectives are. These aren't about “passing” or “failing” your Leaving Cert. Instead, focus on achieving your points target and remember that even if you fall short, your Leaving Cert won't define the rest of your life.
What Are the Hardest Leaving Cert Subjects?
To do well in your Leaving Cert, it's probably better that you choose subjects that you want to do and already know that you're good at. These will likely be easier to get good results in than choosing a subject in an attempt to game the system.
However, there are certain subjects in which students tend to achieve higher grades and if you're torn between two subjects, it still might be wise to pick one over another to boost your chances of getting more CAO points.
The subjects where students tend to be awarded lower grades include history, higher maths, physics, chemistry, geography, agricultural science, classical studies, business, and French.
This doesn't mean that you'll necessarily struggle in the hardest subjects if they're already subjects where you tend to perform well and don't let this put you off choosing one of them, either.
What Are the Easiest Leaving Cert Subjects?
In the same way that you shouldn't avoid a “difficult” subject in an attempt to get more CAO points, you shouldn't choose so-called easy subjects to try and maximise your result.
While subjects that tend to award higher grades might seem like a safe bet, it's probably more down to the cohorts of students choosing these subjects rather than them being easy.
Subjects that tend to offer higher grades include biology, accounting, Spanish, design and communication graphics, art, technology, Irish, music, Russian, Italian, and applied maths.
Again, these are just the subjects where students tend to get higher grades. These are usually adapted and changed year after year so a subject that's "easy" one year, could be surprisingly difficult the next.
How Many Points Do You Need at Leaving Cert?
With no real pass and fail, the Leaving Cert comes down to the CAO points awarded to each student.
Again, a bad result for one student should be considered a good result for another. This depends on what they want to do, the courses they're applying to, and their academic performance to date.
When the Leaving Cert adopted the older points system in 1992, 300 points was the benchmark. Around 52% of students were given more than 300 points and the remaining 48% received less than this.
Over time, the average Leaving Cert result has crept upwards and now, 400 points is closer to a typical result for a student.
Following the calculated and accredited grades handed out in 2020 and 2021 as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, the 2022 cohort's results were kept in line with the inflated grades to not punish those students against the previous years, despite doing their Leaving Cert during the pandemic.
Generally, with 400 or more CAO points, you'll be able to get onto a course.
Between 500 and 600 points would be enough for some of the more prestigious university courses.
The most exclusive courses ask for near-perfect scores of over 600 CAO points. There are even some courses that ask for the maximum 625 points that are only available with six H1 grades and the 25 bonus points from Higher Level Maths. Find out exactly when is Leaving Cert results day, and put your mind at ease over the summer months!
Get Help for Your Leaving Cert with a Private Tutor?
Rather than thinking about passing or failing your Leaving Cert, think about doing your best. One way to increase your chances of getting the best possible results is by working with a private tutor.
Whether it's for a specific subject or studying in general, there are plenty of experienced and talented tutors on the Superprof website.
Just search for what you want to learn and you can start browsing the profiles of potential tutors today.
If there aren't any local tutors available, don't forget that online tutoring allows you to learn from tutors all over Ireland and around the world. Just make sure that they're familiar with the Leaving Cert!
Many Superprof tutors even offer the first session for free. Try a few out before choosing a tutor that's right for you, how you like to learn, and your budget.
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