‘The Leaving Cert mocks were a wake-up call for my son’

Question

The mocks were a big wake-up call for my son as it exposed gaps across all his Leaving Cert subjects when it came to answering questions. He has enjoyed his school life to date as he represents his college at the most senior level in sport.

Can you offer any advice for the run-in to the State exams?

Answer

It’s not unusual for young men to focus on sport, particularly if they are very successful – sometimes to the detriment of their studies. I would estimate that almost half of the young men I had the privilege to guide through their senior cycle years at second level expressed an interest in pursuing a career in sport. Such is the nature of youth. Very few, sadly, can make a full-time career as a sportsman or woman, so performing to the best of one’s ability in the Leaving Cert moves centre stage.

Sitting the mocks can often be the wake-up call that brings the reality of what is ahead of them academically over the coming months into focus. A key benefit of sitting the mocks is the experience of having a dry-run through the entirety of what his fellow 60,000-plus fellow sixth years will experience in June. The realisation that you are not yet anywhere approaching match fitness in an academic sense can be a very sobering one.

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In many ways, the more mistakes a student makes the better – there is plenty of time to learn from them between now and June. The results are, in one sense, largely irrelevant in that they count for nothing in terms of his progression into life after second-level education. But, in another sense, the mocks are hugely relevant as a learning experience for him and all others taking the Leaving Cert this year.

My advice to students sitting the mocks has always been as follows: after each exam sit down and write out in detail the thoughts that occurred to them as they contemplated the task ahead as they read each paper.

You point out in your question that your son now realises the level of unpreparedness for the actual Leaving Cert exams in June. Over the coming 16 weeks, he needs to review each section of the curriculum in every subject. What were the topics or questions he feels needed more work? Were there gaps in his knowledge or understanding of sections of the curriculum?

These simple written reflections will provide the roadmap for your son’s study plans for the next four months.

Over the coming weeks, as your son gets the individual scripts back from his school, carefully read any comments or observations written by the person who corrected the script. They are the most vital part of the whole process, as they may provide invaluable guidance on how to improve his performance in June.

[ Here’s a study guide for the final months before the Leaving Cert examsOpens in new window ]

If any student is disappointed by their mock results, don’t panic and make hasty decisions. For example, I would strongly advise against dropping down from higher to ordinary level in a subject, unless specifically advised to do so by their subject teacher.

There is no need to worry about his disappointment right now. As a parent, don’t panic: be assured, his mocks are the wake-up call he needs. He can achieve a huge improvement in his grades in the coming months if he puts his mind to it now.