From Leaving CertiFiCate to Leaving SChooL a Longitudinal Study ...

Curriculum, Teaching and Learning 37
at least, you know. So if you are doing pass Irish, that course is out
the window.
Yeah, it’s gutting that way.
Like a C in honours is like 60 points whereas it’s only 15 in ordinary
level. A huge difference. (Argyle Street, coed school, mixed intake)
It matters in the end though because you need the points, if you’re
going for the points and all, you need to do the high subjects, don’t
you, so it matters to you but no one else really. (Fig Lane, coed
school, middle-class intake)
Some students had taken ordinary level subjects without realising the
implications of this choice and now regretted having done so:
Like in junior cycle I was put into pass Irish and pass Maths, based
on first year. But in first year I didn’t care, I thought it was grand.
And now thinking about it like I never got a chance really at doing
the higher level so I kind of screwed myself over, you know so.
… If you want to do something that needs a lot of points you have to
do the honours. (Argyle Street, coed school, mixed intake)
Students differed somewhat in their attitude to taking higher or ordinary
level. For some students, they felt that it was better to do ‘OK’ at ordinary
level than ‘fail’ at higher level:
If you fail honours and you would have passed it at pass, sure you’d
probably get more points. (Dawes Point, boys’ school, working-class
intake)
If you are not able for the honours, you are only going to fail them.
You are screwed then anyway. You’re better off getting a smaller
amount of points than failing higher level. (Wattle Street, boys’
school, mixed intake)
However, other students emphasised the importance of at least attempting
higher level subjects:
You’re better off getting a D3 in an honour than like a B1 in a pass,
it’s the same points but at least … you tried the honour like and that