Introduction

The purpose of these pages is to provide pupils with the necessary information to choose the subjects for the Leaving Certificate which suit their needs and interests. Choosing subjects to study in the Leaving Certificate is nott easy, and pupils must consider their possible future careers when doing so. Consultation with teachers, parents, pupils and guidance staff is essential. 

PUPILS SHOULD READ THESE PAGES FULLY BEFORE EXPLORING THE AVAILABLE SUBJECTS USING THE NAV BAR BELOW.

One should never choose a subject without knowing what one will be studying. It is important to note that some future careers require certain subjects at Leaving Certificate (e.g. Medicine requires a strong knowledge of Chemistry and a high level of competence in Mathematics).

St Columba’s ensures that each pupil is informed about the subjects available to him / her. However, pupils must take a certain level of responsibility for their career development also and should speak to their teachers and parents about these choices. There are many factors which must be considered when choosing subjects, most notably whether you like the subject or not and, of course, your ability in the subject. As mentioned earlier, one should consider ones possible or preferred future career when making these choices also. Research into college courses which may lead to these careers will reveal the essential subjects required. Use your MyCareerChoices results to see which subjects suit the careers matching your interests and aptitudes.

We pride ourselves here in St. Columba’s on our academic excellence. The last time the traditional Leaving Certificate examinations were held was in 2023. This year our pupils achieved an average points score of 513, with four pupils achieving the maximum 625 points on offer. In all, 16% of our candidates scored over 600 points, 68% over 500 points, 83% over 400 points and 99% over 300 points. Over the previous five years, pupils have achieved an average of 495 points, giving an indication of consistently high scores. We believe that informed subjects choices are crucial to this success.

The remainder of this page will try to explain the process involved in making subject choices in St. Columba’s and will provide detailed information on each subject available in the school, both compulsory and optional.

Humphrey Jones & Michael O’Shaughnessy, Careers Advisors

Subject Choice Process in SCC

In general pupils study seven subjects for Leaving Certificate. English, Mathematics and Irish (unless exempt) are compulsory. The remaining subjects on offer (see below) are organised into blocks based on pupil preferences. Much work goes into the development of these blocks in order to best suit the requirements of the pupils. In order to derive maximum benefit from the process it is important that pupils give some thought to their strengths, abilities and, where known, future career and university aspirations in advance of making their subject choices.

In addition to the seven main subject groupings pupils also choose one Q-set subject. This subject occurs for a double period each week over either one (for non exam subjects) or two years. This provides an opportunity for some pupils to study an extra subject for Leaving certificate or University matriculation purposes, while others opt to pursue an area of interest outside the core of examined subjects.

In February all pupils for the upcoming Form V will be given a complete list of the available optional subjects (excluding Q-Set) and asked to rank them in order of preference. It is very important that any subject which might be important/essential to future university courses is given a high ranking as these initial preferences help determine the contents of the subsequent blocks of subjects from which the pupils make their final choices. Based on these initial preferences the available subjects are then organised into blocks. These blocks are arranged to best meet the preferences of the majority of pupils. In recent years we have been able to completely satisfy over 95% of pupil wishes, and consistently satisfy the first and second preferences of almost all pupils.

In late March these final block choices, including Q-set which forms an additional block, will be issued to all pupils entering Form V in September 2023. Pupils then choose one subject in each block. These final choices are then signed off by the pupils and their parents. The entire process must be completed by the end of the Hilary in order to facilitate the development of the timetable for the coming year.

Mary Singleton, Registrar and Director of Studies

Available Subjects in St. Columba's

* These subjects are not examined in the Leaving Certificate

** Visual Studies is compulsory for pupils studying Art

The provision of any subject is dependent on a minimum number of pupils expressing an interest in it.