Leaving Cert Points System
January 22, 2010 in Study
Note: Please check out new points calculator
For the junior cert, we can get an A, B, C, D, E, F, NG. Anything from A-D is a pass, anything below is a fail.
- A = 85-100%
- B = 70 – 84%
- C = 55-69%
- D = 40-54%
- E = 25-39%
- F = <24%
- NG = so poor, it’s not worthy of a being marked.
For the leaving cert however, we have the points system. 6 subjects, 100 points per subject… a maximum of 600 points.
Usually, we’ll do at least 7 subjects and write off our lowest mark. The points system is as follows;
So if you do all ordinary level subjects, 600 points isn’t your potential maximum… it’s 360. So 6 A1′s at ordinary level is the equivalent of 6 C3′s at higher level.
Depending on the subject, it might be a lot harder to get a C3 at higher level than an A1 in ordinary level, so if you’re thinking of dropping down to ordinary level, make sure to look at both papers and compare the two… it might be easier to pass a higher level paper than it is to get an A in an ordinary paper, especially if you’re not used to the structure / past exam questions of an ordinary level paper.
You can do 50 subjects if you want, and i know some people do… but only your best 6 will be counted. Every year on the news, you’ll hear about some student who gets 50 A1′s in their leaving cert… good for them – but for the rest of us we’re saying “what a complete waste of time and energy” 
If you get 6 A1′s, you should know your own ability. It’s not as if you can cram the night before exams and get an A1.. so why bother doing more than 7 or 8 subjects?
Well, some like to show off and go for the glory… the headlines and press coverage act as rewards. Others just take on as many subjects as they can, just because they can… for the challenge, for the craic (some people actually enjoy learning).
No matter how much you love or hate the leaving cert, you’ll end up with ‘x’ points and that figure could well dictate your future. When the results come out, the table above will lead to tears or high pitched screams.
Lauradunne25 said on June 9, 2010
I hate maths, is anyone with me, like wat is the point of x and y?
You will never use it again unless you go and be a maths teacher.
Im here trying to study maths and its just not sanking in at all. HELP i dnt want to fail
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bob said on May 14, 2011
the whole point of x and y is to signify the unknown, such as: x+2=4, x=2 because 2+2=4. The formula is
x+2=4
x=4-2
4-2=2
so x=4
this formula works with almost any algebra equation
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bob said on May 14, 2011
Also, maths is supposed to be hard. If you work hard you will get it. just keep studying, or ask a teacher
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Laura said on May 23, 2011
shouldnt X=2 not 4 ???
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Orla said on July 3, 2011
Hey….. Eh … That’ wrong because X=2
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Steve said on May 25, 2011
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Deryck said on June 2, 2011
Waste of time
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Michael said on June 16, 2011
Belive it or not we are the last year to do this type of maths,its all changing next year to maths that cuold actualy,in very rare cases be used in life,it still sounds fairly pointless but x and y shit can never be used in life exept for torturing us.But whats even more ridiculous than x and y is how vital maths is to do courses that maths in no way aplies to,i think the government needs to take it easy when it comes to maths especialy with the high fail rate.
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Louise said on August 4, 2011
The point of maths (that seem like a waste of time) is to develop parts of your brain, that without maths, would not get developed. They seem stupid, but their necessary. Try and apply maths problems to your everyday life. I find that helps me a lot. Hope I helped
boo boo said on September 1, 2011
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Catlyd1 said on June 14, 2010
I'm with you
Woop said on September 17, 2010
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aaron said on September 29, 2010
i hate english, what good is shakespeare and patrick kavanagh to me when im older? seriously? english should focus on writing, spelling and all that….
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Tim Richards said on March 20, 2012
Hey, if you fail English do you fail your leaving cert?
turkey-in-black said on October 18, 2010
In my opinion, unless you want to become a maths teacher after you leave school, maths should be an optional subject as well. Obviously you had to do it on primary school, where you learned all the things that you actually will need in life. Adding, dividing, multiplying, subtracting, percentages, fractions, etc. I don’t see why students should be forced to learn how to solve equations like : Let f (x) = x2 ? 7x +12.
It’s no use if you want to do something that has absolutely nothing to do with maths, you won’t need to know how to solve all those confusing equations and if you’re not good at maths it will only lower your points in LC.
2010 :) said on November 3, 2010
Hii
does anyone know how many points are needed for hairdressing? 
mr.x said on May 5, 2011
Yep its some around 300 – 400 points to be able to be a hairdresser ! =)
hotchick said on November 9, 2010
i hate maths too,doing my leaving cert teacher is a bitch and will not help me im brutal at it its my weakest point and ive a feeling im gonna fail because of this
Irene said on November 10, 2010
The reason they have Maths is because it’s one of the only subjects that challenges your brain with logic, and doesn’t just ask you to learn something off by heart.
I also dislike Maths, but a lot of it is useful. Even the complex numbers – without them we wouldn’t have animation, or, the Netherlands wouldn’t be able to make the dykes.
If we’re making subjects optional, do Irish. That one really sucks.
Question though, in Medicine it asks for 700+ points – is that your HPat, or what?
eoin said on April 23, 2011
its 480 points in the leaving and you add those points to your hpat to get a combined 700
N2010 said on November 17, 2010
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tom said on December 1, 2010
yeah like why doestn math grow up and solve its own problems . i just had to say that because maths is so annoying
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carla said on December 14, 2010
ye i no lyk wat da fukk r we doin mathss for lykee
iWantedToBeAvet said on January 8, 2011
Listen kids, do all your studying and subjects. someday u will regret not getting the points u needed for that dream course. SERIOUSLY dont b immature u will regret it
Aimee said on January 13, 2011
I failed maths for the LC last year…i had a wee cry and then went out and got twisted!!!
Gary said on January 18, 2011
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brian said on January 19, 2011
i need advice i did ol german for jc and got A should i do higher for my leaving cert im in 5th year now
Orla said on July 3, 2011
If you did Ordinary Level in JC then you have no choice but to do Ordinary in the LC ! soz!
Horace said on August 8, 2011
Actually I’d like to state that I did Ol irish, maths and italian for the jc and did Hl for the LC
So unless their was an administrative error I raised the level.
Jc(SkyEfaLL) said on January 20, 2011
good luck to all ye ……….. peace
Ellie said on January 21, 2011
Not being rude or anything, but do you honestly expect to do well in the LC if u tlk lyk dis?
Maths is hared yes, but that’s the point. It’s meant to be a challenge and it gets you thinking. I’m fairly useless at maths myself to be honest but if it WAS a choice subject I would probably still do it, because it’s useful to know.
Cara said on February 25, 2011
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Mossy said on January 28, 2011
Get your finger out and work.All that needs to be said.
Jessica said on February 9, 2011
I love maths.
In fourth year, dying to get down to work now on it. I actually love it. 
george jenkins said on February 23, 2011
i think its bloody stupid the way an A1 higher level is 100 and an A1 ordinary is 60!…also a D3 higher level is as good as getting a b1 ordinary level! how stupid is that its not that much of a gap between the two!! ne 1 agree????
Niamh said on March 7, 2011
if you fail maths do you fail your whole leaving cert :O cos
the way im going with maths its very likely i’ll fail
Trish said on March 12, 2011
The above comment is not true.
If you fail Maths you do not ‘fail your whole Leaving Cert.’
Shauna said on May 17, 2011
I was just wondering if you do fail maths what can you do other than repeat? Because the course is changing next year i will have to do another two years if i wanted to repeat. I do higher maths now and the LC is in 3 weeks im just worried it will go bad on the day of the exam and i dont want to have to do an extra 2 years just to repeat one subject.
Michelle said on March 20, 2011
I hated maths in higher level in 5 th so i decided to do pass I love it so much that I could sit down and study it all night !! but i do fell how ppl fell wit maths cause i’m like that with irish
Connie said on March 24, 2011
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Jamie Hynes!! :P said on April 2, 2011
Maths is impossible and im great at physics and Tech graph. . . i just dont see why im so bad at maths . .. i think i might fail it in the leaving cert but i need it to do aeronautical engineering . . . I WISH MATHS WAS EASIER!!!:(
Steve said on May 25, 2011
engineering has a very high level of applied maths in it
Mark said on April 13, 2011
Hey, does anyone know how many points you need in your leaving cert to do in accountancy?
Sky said on April 13, 2011
When they’re adding up your LC points do they have to count English Irish and Maths? Or is it just your best 6 subjects? Please let it be just your best six, otherwise im stuffed!!
kate said on April 18, 2011
no, you don’t have to count them. you do need to pass english and irish (i think) for arts courses, and maths for science courses, but you don’t have to use them for points!
Kevin said on May 5, 2011
I did Higher Maths in the JC and got a B. I never really found maths to be a horrible subject. (for me that was art) I then went into Maths in fifth year and was like “what the fuck is going on”. Everything was differnt there was more letters on the board then numbers. I went down to ordinary level and love it. I would advise anybody who is finding Higher Maths too stressful and difficult to move down. The way I looked at it was “it’s one subject that will occupy about 80% of your time”. If you have done higher maths in the junior and are considering moving down DO IT! You’ve already done most of the course in third year. Get the “A”. Yes it’s only worth 60points but would you get that amount in Higher? If you would then stay it’s up to you. I would have loved to have said “Yes I did higher maths”. But I know what I can and can’t do. You’ll know what you can and can’t do. Make the decision and you’ll be grand. P.S I hate GERMAN with a passion!!!
kishan said on May 8, 2011
maths isnt useless its used in everything, engineering, medicine, all kinds of physics, and programming. Using algebra you can find unknowns in certain problems like a chemical formula, you can use trigonometry to determine the path of missiles or guide robots in factories, differentiation and integration lead on to rocket science. Vectors and matrices are used in almost every videogame, in other words fifa and call of duty wouldnt exist if it wasnt for maths. Call me a nerd but you wouldnt even have a computer if it wasnt for maths.
bob said on May 14, 2011
what subjects do you need for anthropolgy? ny1 no???
kazzie said on May 24, 2011
The only place i have found that you can study Anthropology in Ireland is NUI Maynooth, and the entry points from 2010 were 375
Lar said on May 20, 2011
bob dont be so ridiculous x doesn’t equal for 4 it equals 2 you eejit lol
Laura said on May 23, 2011
I got a D in higher english for my junior cert and i was but in higher english this year and i dont think ill do well…..does anyone think i should stay in higher or drop down ???
Aofie said on May 27, 2011
what points do you need for architecture? and what subjucts should i do for leaving cert to do architecture in college?
vicotr said on June 9, 2011
try qualifax.ie
i want to do a course of architecture but for a good one you need 580 points
Rachel said on June 6, 2011
anyone know do you only find out if your course has gone up in points in august when you get your results?
declan said on June 8, 2011
how many marks do yoi need to pass ordinary mathes…would 376 marks pass yoiu
Zachary said on June 8, 2011
@Declan… well, there are 600 marks available right? (I do honours so I presume the same amounts go for both) so minimum pass mark is 40% so thats 240 marks needed… so with 376 marks you’d be getting a C (around 62 % i think? ).
vicotr said on June 9, 2011
its funny hw u need 580 points to do some archetectury course
and then for some oder architectory course
u only need 180 or even sometymes none
Jerry ODonovan said on June 10, 2011
Best of luck to all you kids out there doing your state exams but how do i get a boy of 15 to realise this is now the most important time of his short life.
Shane said on June 14, 2011
Jerry chill out if he’s 15 he’s only doin the junior cert right , so am I and don’t push him to hard …push I’m naturally but not over da edge…when it comes to the leaving cert that’s when you poke him with the hot pitchfork…oh n does of ye that say junior maths is easy are wrong I’d say I only got a low C in honours !!!LOL
ShaaunaaghBaabeey said on June 29, 2011
Hey
How many points are needed for Primary School teaching? <3
xxx
Naomi said on July 2, 2011
@Shaunagh- you need 390 points. but that’s in conjunction with subject requrements.. C3 Higher Level in not less than
three subjects, Grade D3 in three other subjects, Grade C3 in Higher Level
Irish, Grade C3 in English Ordinary Level or D3 Higher Level, Grade D3 in Mathematics (either Ordinary or Higher Level).
=) I’m going for primary teaching too xD
josh said on August 19, 2011
how many points is it to become a accountant
Tanya said on August 20, 2011
OOOHHHHHHHH NOOOOOOOOO NOT THE BEEESSSS ARHGHHGHHH THEY IN MY EYEEESSSSS
LC 2012! said on August 22, 2011
There’s loads of websites that list points needed for loads of courses in all the different universities. Try qualifax.ie or careersportal.ie or just go straight onto the university websites and look up the course.
This year the honours maths students who pass get 25 extra oints in their Leaving Cert!! Whoop! So if you get a D3 then you get 70 points which is ten more than if you got an A1 in ordinary! How amazing is that?
tomo said on September 1, 2011
I think maths should be made into two subject
one which deals with basic maths like business style
and one which would be more engineering style
it would make things alot easier for people
Roisin said on September 18, 2011
Hi, I’ve just started LC 2011-2012 and I need some help regarding points! I’m doing all honours except for maths and I really want to drop to pass Irish. I need to get a B1 in English so I can drop to pass irish to keep my points where I want them. (around 460)
Does anyone know how hard or possible it is to get a B1 in honours english? I’m a good writer and am doing quite well in the class but I have a lot of revision to do :/
Any tips/help would be greatly appreciated!
jason burns said on October 20, 2011
i think that maths should split up after junior cert e.g. (engineering maths) if you want to do engineering (physics maths ) if your a genius hows into all that and (architectural maths) if like me you want to be an architect and the (day to day maths) for evry one eles e.g exchange rate, time things like that that evryone needs in there day to day lifes!!!! you could allso leave people open to choose as many off the maths courses as they want and make day to day maths compulsory so that you dont get board doing the same maths over and over again let me know what you think.
salbear said on November 6, 2011
i am doing 3 ordinary level and 5 higher level subjects , and i really want to be a pharmacist but does anyone know the points that are required or were required for this year?
josh casey said on December 14, 2011
maths is great for the brain.it helps you use your initiative and your head in everyday life.im a higher level maths student and its all i think about.ttyl pals
Arnie said on January 8, 2012
Hey people, im just wondering … to study science in college, do I need to have a higher level pass on Maths and any science subject? Please reply
BlondBrunette said on January 31, 2012
I really liked math… and i like it again….’
but i learned absolutely nothing in higher level math, junior cert at school…
maths was a free class… paper airplanes, uncontrolable “students”… pranks… spit balls…. you name it….
it was just like in the movies….
so a few weeks before the exams i had three-five, 2-hour long math lessons with my dad (who should be awarded loads of medals… he even missed an amazing music festival to help we study)…. and i managed to pass!!!!!!!
DD
…barely… i got a D… but i’m not complaining
now i’m picking up the pieces of being a lazy person who got away with it in school… and ive only started paying attention now… am trying really hard to at least pass ordinary level for leaving cert…. looks like i didn’t learn my lesson… but hey… at least i have 4 months this time before the actual exams ^-^