How to ACE the Leaving Certificate

Today, the final exam at the end of Secondary School is the main gateway to further education, training, and jobs in Ireland. With an enhanced level of completion, the importance of this exam has come sharply into focus. The emphasis is now swaying towards continuous assessment; you, as a student, have an opportunity to develop, enhance and show off your skills during the year and work done will be aggregated towards your final mark. I am sure you would prefer to have some marks in the bag heading into the final exam as opposed to having all the emphasis on one day, similar to what is currently happening in subjects like History, Construction Studies and Geography for example. Spreading the risk is wise, especially as things can go wrong on the day; you could be unlucky with your paper, have a personal problem, or even feel unwell. 

While a model of continuous assessment is welcomed, I feel that the terminal exam is, and will continue to be, the fairest and most efficient way to differentiate students in preparation for third level education. The brilliant thing about the Leaving Certificate final exam is that everyone is on the one level playing field. The standard of integrity of the State Exams Commission (SEC) is extremely high, therefore grades achieved by students are genuine and earned. I have always been fascinated with how students prepare, cope with, react to and write final exams. I am intrigued how we, as teachers and parents, can help you improve your knowledge and develop your skills to help you achieve better results. 

Every year a new group of enthusiastic students arrive into sixth year thinking “How Can I ACE the Leaving Cert?” This book focuses on providing essential advice and techniques that will help you do exactly that. It will discuss studying in the most efficient way, preparing for your mocks, the final lead up, just before the exams, the exam hall itself, and of course, writing the paper. This book will also give an insight into nutrition and advice for your parents, so that they can help you in the best way possible. It is natural for anxiety levels to elevate as the exams approach and you may even find you can’t breathe properly or the worry causes butterflies in your stomach. The advantage of knowing what to expect and being seriously prepared is that you can relax and feel confident as you start your exams. This book will provide loads of information that will build your confidence and settle those nerves. You can open it on any chapter depending on what stage of the year you are at. 

Along with imparting my own practical knowledge, advice lists and examples, I have also enlisted the help of current sixth years and former students who have just completed their exams. They have advised me on what they would have liked to have in place, the pitfalls and what worked and didn’t work for them. The survey results from the sixty-strong cohort in Chapter Nine is a very interesting read. On my part, I have attended many conferences and seminars, have reviewed many videos, presentations and documents, and handpicked the most relevant facts for you. Wrapped together, I hope each page will inspire and give you the confidence to achieve your wildest educational dreams, and above all ‘ACE’ the Leaving Cert.